Weather/Trip planning for OZ, NZ, and TAZ

[TenderPaw]

Afternoon all,

I'm planning on spending some time in Oz and NZ starting in Oct thru the end of Jan.

My goal is to tramp and bushwalk thru both NZ islands, the EAST coast of Oz, if money and weather allows the Overland track in Tasmania.

At first I was planning on tramping NZ from Oct to the early Dec(mostly to avoid the summer crowds) head over to Cairns and the great barrier reef heading south until mid Jan or so and then over to Taz for the Overland track.

After looking at the weather for those times, NZ winter is just ending and some of the tracks might be under water or covered in snow.

In Dec and Jan the wet is happening in Oz (as far as the weather history shows) hence the rainforest, so I'm not going to think about not getting wet, but what about lounging on the beach or snorkeling (the stingers are an issue).

What about Tasmania in late Jan or early Feb for the overland track.

Am I way off base with this? I'm now thinking about Oz and Taz then over to NZ, is anyone able to follow me? Your thoughts are much needed!

Thanks Joel

EDIT; the east coast of Oz not eh west,

[Liamy77]

It depends where you are re stingers etc.... Aus is a BIG place.... your talking about an entire continent after all... I just drove to Tas from WA for eg.... just under a 4000km trip....
thats west to east, but it is similar North to south- so it can be very wet in the N.T. and QLD but not for the southern areas like the bibbulmun track W.A. - then it can be HOT ie 30 to nearly 50 degrees celcius at times with VERY little water(as in carry all your own).
it will be different depending on EXACTLY where you are planning your trip. it is like comparing far north america and say California.
Tassie can still get snow all year round on the Overland track, but this time of year would be the safer bet with the weather- that said you can also get hot (maybe up to about 30 celcius or down to minus 15 with wind chill) n sunburnt there too ... or both!. be self sufficient (tent etc) just in case the huts are full (or you want privacy one night)
once you have worked out what climate ya want then you can narrow down the region for that time of year.... hope this helps a bit.... what walking conditions have you experienced/ or want? hope this helps, let us know what you are lookin for eh?

[TenderPaw]

I will fly into Cairns, do some rain forest walking, daintree, check out the Great Barrier Reef and coast heading south, do some tracks in the Blue Mountains, then make my way to Tasmania, before heading to NZ.

I have two months to wonder so any recommendations are welcome. The only constraint is money, so as much cooking and tenting as possible.

For some back ground, I hike year round in the Sierra Nevada Mountain in California; I live in Lake Tahoe at 6225 feet, and hike the high sierra 14000+. I prefer to spend weeks out in the wilderness completely self sufficient.

My gear set up will consist of everything I need to hike in snow, rain, heat, and maybe even sunshine;)

In NZ I want to bag the Dusky Track, Heaphy, and everything in between.

I have done more research on NZ, but now my good friends at BACKPACKINGLIGHT.COM have pointed me this direction. So let’s hear it, what should I do on a backpacker’s budget...

Thanks,

Joel

[Marwood]

Do your sums on the airfares, since it's not a lot different in price and time to fly across the Tasman as it is to fly around Oz. So you may want to go from Cairns over to NZ, go from north to south, then return to Oz to head to Tassie before heading home.

[Liamy77]

well you won't see snowfall here like at Tahoe.... when i was there they got more in one day than we had all year round! (or was that copper mntn... either way!)
but you have the hypothermia risk here due to cool temps, wet + wind in Tas. - generally not such a frozen terrain..
Theres a nice loop track in Katoomba to Mt solitary and back via wentworth falls (from memory) in the blue mountains, NSW
Tassie has lots of walks and the whole state would be maybe about a 4 - 6 hour drive end to end so less travel time i guess...
The Overland track is fairly well populated that time of year so expect company.
The south coast track is really nice but more mud, probably not snow...

there are some good guide books around.... John Chapman is a reputable author for eg and there are some really good guide books around for the overland track especially..
Maps in Tassie can be bought through "Tasmap" and are available online for purchase...
Mt Anne circut to Lake Judd (or lake "Mud" unless this track has been fixed up since i was last there) is nice depending on weather ( esp. windy)
I think Western Aus is better suited for winter months - too hot n dry in summer - and water is heavy
Tassie is great for natural water supply but a LOT steeper than WA... I just moved back to Tassie so i am biased! more than a lifetime of walking available there.
theres also a section in this forum for finding walking companions etc so if you wanted to find others or maybe local walkers that might be worth a browse or a post there too....
scrub here can be thick and sharp and make ya wanna crawl up in a ball sucking on chocolate n moonshine on a reality escape so i would try to stay on tracks at first.... Bring a stove too as many areas here don't allow fires.... theres a track report section in the WIKI section here as well as gear suggestions etc....
With your planning etc, youre gunna have one GREAT TIME i think
From the sound of it fitness or altitude won't be such an issue for ya when your here give us a holler too - i might need to escape the missus n kids for a day or two by then

[TenderPaw]

Liamy thanks for the well thought out reply!

The loop in the Blue Mountains is a go.
With the changes to my itinerary and the crowds the overland track might not be what I'm looking for. How far in advance would I need to book the overland track if I was doing it in early to mid November?
I'll look into the South track, I would like to spend two weeks in Tassie maybe more if for some reason I move thru Oz faster than expected. But my airline ticket to NZ will be a set date... so I might have to make two weeks work...I just want to spend as much time as possible walking!

I checked out John's site, very good info, Thanks!
Will I be able to get maps when in Tassie?

Regarding the west oz, what can I expect (weather wise) for QLD in Oct? The blue mnts in the end of Oct? And Tassie in Nov? I will have gear for all temps, just thought you guys could give some personal thoughts? Am I right in thinking that it will be fall (I know that North QLD it’s either WET or DRY seasons but what about the others)?

One? That I haven’t made up my mind is. Should I buy a set of gaiters? If so short or tall? I prefer to hike in very light weight convertible pants and trail runners (I know that some here might think that trail runners wont work, but I hike in all terrains except mud (not much in the Sierra's) and will just have to deal with the mud when I get their) Am I way off in thinking that trail runners will work? After all your the ones that have been their!
Why do you use gaiters? (prickly bushes, bugs, wet brush...)

As I have relied on the guys at backpackinglight to help lighten my load and still keep safety as the #1 concern, I will now lean on you for first hand knowledge!!

Thanks for the help everyone,

Joel

ps are the stingers that I keep hearing about jelly fish? and will I be able to swim in Oct at the reef near Cairns?

[Marwood]

For walks near Sydney, check out: http://ozultimate.com/. Site also has info about canyoning, which you may be interested in. Another site for NSW is: http://www.wildwalks.com/. The Grose Valley and Wild Dog Mountains are popular areas in the Blue Mountains NP. Further afield is the Colo River Gorge, which is in Wollemi.

Another nice area for walking is in southeast Queensland near the NSW border - the border ranges area.

A local variety of trail shoes, Dunlop Volleys, are very popular in NSW... almost a religion. Not my thing though. I wouldn't recommend them in Tassie or in NZ, unless your feet are particularly indifferent to cold and wet. When I lived in NZ I pretty much always used full leather boots, and after my last trip to Tassie in Nubuk boots I've sworn not to return there without going back to full leather. But full leather is overkill and over-hot in warmer parts of Oz.

Gaiters are not essential, but a lot of people including me like them to protect your lower legs from scrub and leeches - and they also offer some protection against snakes. I walked in the Blue Mountains a couple of weeks ago without my gaiters because I started on a fire trail then was too lazy to get them out of my pack, and my lower legs were fairly well scratched up by the end of the walk. My gaiters are the type that reach to just below the knee.

Oct is spring in the southern hemisphere...

AFAIK, there aren't stingers out on the reef, only around the coast...

[TenderPaw]

Morning everyone,

So starting to get an idea of what tracks I'm going after.

Do some overnighters in Daintree NP (this is an area that I could use some more thoughts on) for a week or so with some freinds from Cairns.

Head south to Whitsunday Great Walk 3days 30km

Fraser Island Great Walk 7-8 days 90km

Gold Coast Hinterland 4days 54km

Aus Alps/ Blue Mnts, spend a week or so bushwalking (more thoughts are needed, This might be my chance to get some elevation and diff. plants/animals)

Tassie's overland track 7day 65km.

Its starting to come togther, but your imput is needed...
Thanks!
Joel

[ULWalkingPhil]

There's also a Great Walk at the Sunshine Coast hinterland and Gold Coast hinterland.
And down Sydney way, The 2 day coastal hike at the Royal National Park, 2nd oldest national park in the world and a spectacular walk.

[stepbystep]

If you are only doing the OT in Tassie I'd think a light gore-tex boot would be fine, but generally full leather is the go down here, same with gaiters, they are a must for most of Tasmania, not 100% necessary for the OT, but' I'd wear them to help keep my feet dry. Weather could be anything so pack accordingly, with 7 days for the track a side trip to Pine Valley would be feasible.

Re. West Oz, I'd recommend Karijini NP for a uniquely Oz experience, can be extremely hot but is extremely beautiful country. If time/logistics doesn't permit head down South and stick to the coast(cape to cape tk), or a section or 2 of the Bibbulman Track will show you country you will find nowhere else also.

Enjoy

[TenderPaw]

With so many tracks to choose from and not sure on exact dates or weather, will I need to book with DERM ahead of time if I'm planning on being in these area's from Oct thru Nov?

I was thinking of booking the overland track upon reaching Cairns say Oct 5th or so. This one is a must for me, and I'll just have to commit to a date.

Both of the hinterland tracks you suggested Phillipsart look very interesting!

Thanks again everyone!

[cams]

As mentioned above Qld is a very big place and the weather varies alot down the coast. By Oct it will be starting to get hot. Towards the end of Oct into Dec it could get very hot. Up North towards Cairns is more tropical climate and gets very humid along with the heat. Down in the SE corner near Brisbane it still gets humid and hot but probably not till later in Dec.

For any of the great walks you've got listed I would definitely book well ahead of time with DERM. You could be unlucky and hit a weekend with a public holiday or school/uni holidays and have the whole thing booked out for the weekend etc. It's easy to do online aswell so why not. http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks_and_fo ... index.html

I think it would be well worth going to the Gold Coast Hinterland, but if I had 3 or 4 days to spend there I reackon you'd be better off just camping a couple of nights at O'reilly's (Green Mountain) and doing day walks out from there, then walk through to Binna Burra and use that as a base for a couple of days. Green Mountains is a National Parks campground but Binna Burra is a private campground and can't be booked through the DERM website.

My blog has some notes and photo's from walks around the SE Corner.

[Liamy77]

Maybe not on this trip Tenderpaw from the sound of it BUT....
if anyone wants to do the cape to cape walk i have the guide book .... free to use just send me an envelope n postage (A5 sized paperback)... just pass it on to the next folks when youre done likewise - bought new last year....