Bushwalk Australia

Are there any established tracks or recognised walks in the Tarkine area?

With all the press it's had over recent years, I don't know of any actual walks there.

I believe Wandle Falls and Philosopher falls both have tracks..its so hard to work out what is tarkine and what isnt though on the map that they may not actually be part of it...but i saw the track notes for them in a brochure i picked up on the tarkine...so i assume they are!

Found it!

http://www.tarkine.org/tarkine.html

Check out Tarkine Track Guide 2 -
http://www.tarkine.org/documents/track_guide2.jpg

yer thats the guide i had. It has Mt Farrell on it...thats the eastern side of Tullah for *&^%$# sake! The tarkine is a $(^!*# ambiguous area! I'm a treehugger...but damned if i can work this tarkine business out

There are some good off-track walks there - try Mts Hadmar and Mabel

Bob Brown wrote a book called "Tarkine Trails" in 1993. Here's the trips he includes:

Short Walks (up to 2 hours) - Wild Coast Beaches; Rebecca Forests; Panorama Quoin; Balfour Track; Sumac Lookout; Julius River; Lake Chisolm; Dempster Lookout; Wes Beckett Falls; Milkshake Hills; Arthur-Hellyer Junction; Netherby Creek; Whyte River; Slender Tree Fern Walk

Day Walks - Wild Coast Beaches; Mt Hazelton; Mt Balfour; Banner Ridge; Mt Cleveland; Castray River; Mt Livingstone; Mt Donaldson

Epic Walks (Up to 10 days) - Grand Coast Walk; West Bluff; Marvellous Mt Edith and the Interior; The Meredith Range from the west, via Betts track, Mt Livingstone & from the east; The Longback; Conical Rocks down to Granville Harbour

Rafting (1 day to 2 weeks) - Hellyer, Arthur, Frankland, Rapid, Donaldson & Whyte

Bob wrote this book before the Western Explorer (aka Heemskirk Road or Road to Nowhere) which is why the Longback is listed as an epic walk whereas now, it is a short stroll.

Notable absences in Bob's book are the Wandle (Parrawe), Philosophers (Waratah) and McGowan (West Takone) Falls. My favourite Tarkine short walk is McGowan Falls.

McGowans Falls and the nearby Farqhuars Bridge over the Arther River have a very distinct Tarkine feel to them. The drive through Eliott, Yolla and Takone is very similar to anywhere else on the coast between Burnie and Devonport. However, instead of the land rising beyond the farms to mountains like Roland, Black Bluff and St Valentines Peak, the land suddenly drops away behind West Takone into the deep rainforested valleys of the Arthur River and its tributaries.

I have completed a blog entry that features 4 aspects of the Tarkine:
1. A view towards the Savage River National Park from West Takone
2. A visit to the Arthur River at Farquhars Bridge
3. McGowan Falls on Relapse Creek
4. A freshwater lobster (just outside the Tarkine at Mt Hicks)
http://www.blognow.com.au/tastrekker/76360/MGowans_Falls.html

dplanet wrote:Having done some research on walking in The Tarkine, track notes of a few day walks namely Mt Dial, Black Bluff, and Rocky Cape (also O/N) can be found in "100 walks in Tasmania" by Tyrone Thomas.

I don't believe those areas are considered part of the Tarkine, especially Black Bluff and Mt. Dial.

There are some walks listed, as well as a map on this site here:

http://www.touringtasmania.info/tarkine.htm

It's one area I've never walked in, it's just never interested me enough. That said, it is a lovely area when you drive through it!

Wikipedia defines the tarkine area quite clearly here actually - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarkine

L8r.

It's a real shame it is so difficult to locate good information on walks in the Tarkine, as there is available for other areas of the state.
I for one would like to have a good look around, just knowing where to start is the problem.

Oh well, won't matter soon, it'll all be gone...

But, then, we won't talk about anything political, will we...

Walked to the top of Mount Hazelton over twenty tears ago. Have also been as fas as Interview River down the coast.
Lately (yesterday) walked into Wandle Falls off the Murchison Highway. Interessting water race and remnant power generation gear lying around in the scrub. Was there a saw mill here once?

Philosopher Falls south of Waratah is accessed off Butlers Road. When the track reaches the Arthur River many people mistake the cascades just further on as the falls proper. Don't be mistaken. You are only a quarter of the way there.
Howver at this spot you may notice where a water race commences on the opposite bank. This leads all the way to the Magnet Dam. A little tricky at the bottom end, look out for the tags which lead across to the dam.

Just past Butlers Road on the left is WHite Hills Lookout, a telstra installation sits on top.
This site is soon to be developed as a viewing area for this part of the Tarkine.

Other walks in the area worth doing include the Power Station walk below Waratah Falls, access off the end of William Street.
A walk to Magnet along the old tram way is also good .. Access is through the waste station a few k's out of Waratah on the way to Savage River.