After the splendours of the Himalayas, I decided to go to what is considered by many to be another one of the World’s Best Treks, the Overland Track in Tasmania. I again booked through World Expeditions (Tasmanian Expedition) and set off for Launceston in October 2018. The first thing to strike me was the cold when I arrived in Launceston having come down from Far North Queensland.
The next morning, I was picked up from my hotel and taken to the Tasmanian Expeditions headquarters at Quamby Estate, to meet my group, guides and get our kit sorted. This was so well organised and I was happy to have booked through them. So onto the coach and off we set for the drive to the start of our trek at Waldheim.
The trek overall is not long, about 65kms, and took us 6 days, with 5 overnight stops.
The accommodation on this trek was in private huts, with hot showers and the food, prepared by the guides, was great. Wine was also available and a cold beer on the last night. I guess this was glamping as there are public huts along the way and camping platforms for tents. One thing I really liked about this track, as silly as it may seem, is that everyone walks the same way, that is start at Waldheim and finish at Lake St Clair.
It may sound silly, but with some of the track being on narrow boardwalks, it would have been interesting to have had to pass someone coming the other way. When there was not a boardwalk and the track was flooded, walking through water over the ankles of your boots, it was interesting how most people tried to hop along the side of the water. The guides were advising, “Embrace the wet!!!” that is just walk through the water, because they didn’t want the track to widen and damage the area. To be fair, the huts had drying rooms, so each night, you were able to dry your boots and other clothing, or at least get them as dry as possible. The other trick I learned from these guides, was the slogan, “Be Bold, Start Cold.” Each morning, we would all have on our thick jackets and a couple of layers to beat the cold. The guides would come out in their tee shirts and shorts! Their theory was that after walking for a short while, you would warm up and have to shed layers. Too true!!! Whilst shorts and a tee shirt was in my opinion going a little too far, I now have embraced their mantra and usually start the day with a long sleeve tee shirt covered with a short sleeve tee shirt and long hiking pants.
So onto the trek. The scenery is certainly rugged but beautiful. Again, I won’t go through individual days, but I have attached some photos which I hope give you some idea of the beauty of the trek. The weather can change quickly and whilst we had some beautiful days, mixed with some showers, one morning we woke up to a good layer of snow, which completely changed the look of the track and gave us a different but equally spectacular scenery.
The finish at Lake St Clair is also lovely, with some of the group taking a swim in the lake’s ice cold water, not for me. The boat ride back to Cynthia Bay and the end of the trek was a really nice way to finish the trek. Again, returning to the Tasmanian Expeditions Quamby Estate, everything was well planned and much appreciated. All in all, a really nice trek, through beautiful scenery with great organisation and great guides. However, I made the call to try, where possible, from now on to either self guide or plan my own treks. I like to enjoy the beauty of the environment in my own quiet space, rather than listen to other peoples chatter.
One disappointment for me, was due to the weather, not being able to climb Mt Osser, Tasmania’s highest mountain.