Safe for Port Davey

[The Smiths]

Hi to all,

My fiance and I are considering doing some bushwalking/trekking as part of our honeymoon in Tassie this November/December. Neither of us is experienced in trekking - we've both camped a bit and he's very good with maps etc. - but we're both fit, young and active. Is taking on the Port Davey track a reasonable option (fly into Melaleuca then walk up to Scott's Peak road) or should we get some mud on our boots before starting on something so isolated? Don't want to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime but don't want to be reckless either...

[Natt]

Not sure about others - but in my opinion if this is your first walk I would not go somewhere that remote.

There is a whole new set of skills to learn, including the sheer dogged determination to plow through mud, weather and having a pack on your back changes your balance etc.. so you are learning how to walk differently.

I would suggest something like Maria Island for your first foray, and I am sure others have suggestions.

If you have a lot of honeymoon cash, and really want to do remote - have you thought about kayaing the south west.

I know of one provider, there may be others

http://www.roaring40skayaking.com.au/wa ... tours.html

Lets just say I am not confident to go the track you are talking about - and I have done the Overland, Milford Track, Great Ocean Walk, Walls of Jerusalum and various 2& 3 day walks. I have also done muliday kayaking trips and the like.

I don't mean to put you off, but there is still plenty of lovely walks without the remoteness.

If you are looking for somewhere in Victoria - you could think about the great ocean walk - and go from B&B to B&B

[tas-man]

I would second Natt's advice - get some experience in some of the more accessible parts of Tassie before tackling the SW area together.

Maria Island would be a great location from several days up to a week. There is plenty to explore within the Darlington/Bishop & Clerk end of the island, but more remote parts to explore if you have a desire to extend yourselves and become "intimate" with the Tassie scrub eg Mt Maria. You can't really get lost on Maria Island, and the camping in the old jail cell building (Penitentiary) is a bit more comfortable than under canvas, especially if the rain visits, and you can use the wood heater/stoves in the rooms for cooking romantic dinners . There is absolutely no facilities otherwise on the island - you need to plan it as a proper trekking expedition and be fully self sufficient. There are gas fired hot showers now available ($1 for 5 min), but that is the only "luxury" that you might appreciate after a summers day trekking! Check out the information here http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=3495.

Another suggestion is Freycinet National Park, which also has great accommodation at Freycinet Lodge if that's your thing, great day walks as well, and would be not too overpopulated until the School holidays start on December 18th.

My wife and I spent our week's honeymoon at O'Reilly's Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, Qld, and spent every day doing day walks through that park, and every night . . . . . . . . . . . . GREAT Memories!

[Natt]

There are gas fired hot showers now available ($1 for 5 min), but that is the only "luxury" that you might appreciate after a summers day trekking! Check out the information here http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=3495.!

Wow there were no showers when I was there last - thats great to know - will make a point of going there now again

[frank_in_oz]

Agree with Natt here, the Port Davey track may be a bit hard for your first Tassie Walk

Had a guy called Larry do a guest post on my blog about his (solo) trip recently.

Here are a couple of his quotes:

"On one night when I was bunkered down in Watershed Camp I was woken up by what I thought were earthquakes but figured out finally that it was the roots of the trees moving in the gale (which worried me somewhat) "

"I couldn't find anyone at Melaleuca and spent my time waiting for the re-supply wandering around, staying out of the weather and watching the birds and a fairly tame wombat. As the days passed without a plane the wombat was starting to look very appetising. "

He wrote up a great trip report and you can read it here: http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/search?up ... %2B10%3A00 if you are interested in getting the whole (scary) story.

[eggs]

Hello The Smiths,

I have not yet been on the Port Davey track, but I thought I would add a few words as someone who also comes from outside of Tasmania and who went for some walks there for our honeymoon - 25 years ago.

I know of one couple who did the Western Arthurs for their honeymoon! - but they were well hardened walkers familiar with that part of Tasmania. There was another couple, who were also experienced Tassie walkers, who did Frenchman's Cap - but the bride had to have 2 people to help lift her out of the mud

For me - Tasmania has so many good walks that I tend to be somewhat selective trying to maximise the return on effort.
For our honeymoon we did various day walks all over the island [Mt Zeehan, Mt Owen, Mt Rufus, Schnell's Ridge, the Tarn Shelf at Mt Field and Cape Huay] and an overnight hike around the back of Cradle Mountain. It was fantastic. We also took the boat for a quick return trip to Narcissus Hut up Lake St Clair.

It sounds like you have not been hiking in Tassie yet, so I suggest you focus on what you want from a walk [ie do you want a generally flat walk with mountain and /or coastal scenery, or a more challenging walk with climbs and 'alpine' scenery. Do you want to treck for several days, or do shorter overnight or day walks?] There will be a number of options as others have already suggested that can be relatively easy but also quite brilliant for the variety of scenery.
Apart from some short round trips into the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair NP - particularly Pine Valley and around Cradle Mountain, I would also recommend walks into the Walls of Jerusalem, around Mt Field or with a bit more risk, walking up to High Camp Hut and visiting Mt Eliza / Mt Anne.

One day I may get to the Port Davey track, but it is not high on my list.
I may be mistaken, but apart from the remoteness, I suspect there may be no others on the track which will add to the isolation. And there are some tricky sections easily affected by weather (flooding rivers and the sea crossing - both covered in the link from frank_in-oz). The big plus for me would be the chance to climb Mt Rugby, but it seems like a lot of effort for less return than you would get elsewhere.
If you really wanted to go into that area you could consider flying into Meleleauca and walking down to the beaches towards South West Cape before walking back to fly out again? Maybe no further than Ketchem Bay. That would have more appeal to me. Its still very remote, but seems to have more interest and less hazards than the Port Davey track.

Anyway - good luck with your plans. It is such a great place to go trecking in, but do plan to be safe as well.

eggs

[The Smiths]

Thankyou all for your help!! It's exactly what we needed - some conclusive advice from people who've been there before. Maria Island looks good, and we'll be staying the first half at Huon Bush Retreats so we'll see how we go with the walks around that area then decide what will happen for the final week. We'll get to the southwest some day I hope, but from the sound of it we won't be missing out by doing some less isolated walks to start with.
So looking forward to it!

- Jennifer and Caleb.

[norts]

I have never walked the Port Davey track and I probably never will, it is so far down my to do list.
I agree with the other posts about experience with Tassie walking, but if you are determined to walk in the SW then the South Coast track is very rewarding.

Roger