Tag Archives: overland track

Lake St Clair – Part 1

Continuing on our pre-Covid Tasmanian road-trip, we made our way from the West Coast to the East. That involved passing through a bit of wilderness.

It had been 14 years since I had passed this way, when I walked the Overland Track. This time, I wasn’t in good enough physical shape to walk the track, but I did want to see the area again. Our ‘compromise’ was to stay at Pumphouse Point, a wilderness resort right by the lake.

Lake St Clair at Pumphouse Point
Lake St Clair at Pumphouse Point
Lake St Clair at Pumphouse Point

But the main event isn’t the accommodation (in my opinion) but the wonderful view of Lake St. Clair.

Lake St Clair at Pumphouse Point
Lake St Clair at Pumphouse Point

The Finish Line

After we descended Mount Ossa, the finish line, Lake St Clair, didn’t seem too far off.

Some ways to go... - Day 6

But first, we passed by a few beautiful water courses. This one we camped by on our final night.

Mountain stream - Day 7

The next day we were off to catch the ferry next day from the north end of the lake. The mountains surrounding it are all from Greek mythology. So when Mt Olympus appeared, we knew that our trek was at an end.

Mount Olympus - Day 7

Climb Ev’ry Mountain

After leaving the Pelion Plains, our next challenge was to climb Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest peak 1,617 metres. It wasn’t the easiest task in the world, but I’ve been told it’s easier than climbing its more illustrious cousin, Cradle Mountain.

Nevertheless, the mountain was sizeable.

Mount Ossa - Day 5

The lower slopes were a little waterlogged.

No turning back... - Day 5

Once we reached a good elevation we could even see Cradle Mountain in the distance.

Look how far we've come... - Day 5

And from the top, we could literally see the whole of Tasmania!

The view SE - Day 5

Tassie Flora

The wildflowers at Cradle Mountain were certainly different from the ones around the Sydney area. They would be since it’s an alpine/cool-climate rainforest environment.

We have these berry-like blooms (but they could be berries for all I know).

Wildflowers in Waterfall Valley - Day 2

And these pretty heath flowers near one of the campsites.

Wildflowers in bloom - Day 2

But I like these mini waratahs the best – certainly smaller and cuter than the mainland version!

Waratahs - Day 2

Overland

My next retrospective is still over the sea, but much closer to home – walking along the Overland Track in Tasmania. This track stretched from Lake Dove in the north to Lake St Clair in the south.

I walked it with a guided group, and to this day it is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. The track was walked over a week, with a few detours along the way.

The weather was very changeable, but that didn’t stop me from snapping some truly special scenes, like this of Artist’s Pool, at the foot of Cradle Mountain.

Artist's Pool - Day 1