How many hours hike each day?

[Naynay]

Hi guys,
we're thinking of doing the overland track in November.
I havent done much hiking before, but my husband is very experienced.
I was just curious to know how many hours walking you do on each day of the track? (average)
For example, alot of the info I have read, it says you can turn up in the afternoon on the first day, and still make it to the camp area by nightfall? Do you think that is accurate?
Have any of you done the track in less than 6 days?
I will probably struggle a little with the steep sections, but apart from that I should be fine.

If this topic has been covered before, feel free to link to existing info.. I'm still learning to navigate my way around the site.

Cheers guys. Great site, with lots of fantastic info.

[tasadam]

Well, at the height of winter in 2007 my wife and I arrived at the carpark at Ronny Creek about 12:30 and made it to Waterfall Valley right on dusk, there was a lot of ice on the steeper sections heading down in to Waterfall Valley so the going was slow. Cameras slow us down too, stopping all the time.
A school group of 6 students and 4 teachers arrived about an hour after dark, having driven up from Hobart that morning (/early afternoon??).
Can't imagine navigating that ice in the dark!

In short, you can turn up in the afternoon and make it to Waterfall Valley by nightfall, even in winter, but it's a much better proposition to start earlier and get to the days destination earlier, time to look around, and rest for the next day! One of the reasons they say that, at the height of summer the days here in Tassie are very long, still daylight after 8:30 pm...

And yes, I think the Overland Track is an excellent suggestion.

[Nuts]

Seems to take 5/6 hrs at an average pace to Waterfall Valley. Be aware that you need to pick up the OT pass by a certain time on the day you leave though... which is a good attempt to stop all the 'just this oncers' from camping somewhere on the fragile plateau or in Kitchen Hut...

The average times posted in guides and on maps seems pretty accurate for the other days...

The tracks been done in 7.5hrs and everything above... If I was doing it as a one off I would want at least six days... 9 or 10 would be better...

[Son of a Beach]

Conditions can vary a lot though, as can people's walking paces. I know of a bloke who took 9 hours to get from Ronnie Creek to Waterfall Valley the other week, due to deep snow. On about the same day, another walker took 7 hours to get from Kitchen Hut to Waterfall Valley (after taking most of the previous day to get to Kitchen Hut) due to deep snow.

A few days later it took us 5 hours to get from Windermere to Waterfall Valley, whereas it only takes me about 1.5 hours on a good day.

I've done the Overland Track (Ronnie Creek to Narcissus) in 4 days including side trips to the 3 main waterfalls (total of 5 days to Cynthia Bay), but it was not the way I would choose to walk it. I'd rather take 6 or more, take it slower, enjoy it more maybe do some more side trips.

If the weather and conditions are good, most days are between around 5 hours walking. However, the leg between Windermere and Pelion is somewhat longer, if you're using the standard stops and the leg between Waterfall Valley and Windermere is somewhat shorter.

[Nuts]

Yer... Everyone is in such a hurry these days! The 9/10 days i mentioned would include a night at waldheim, a nice big breakfast, a thorough gear check and set off at a snails pace with time to check out anything that moves or looks pretty

[Naynay]

The reason I asked about the time it will take, is that we have two young children that we are leaving with their grandparents- who have kindly given us one weeks reprieve!! should be sipping cocktails by a pool somewhere, but I think a scenic adventure is in order.
We have a limit of one week- so seven nights/ 8 days must include getting to/ from the airport. a bit of a stretch I'm sure, but I just wanted to ensure the 6 day hike is do-able.

Thanks for all your responses everyone, much appreciated.

[Son of a Beach]

You should be OK, especially if doing it in Summer (the weather in summer can still be bad or even snowy, but usually not enough to impact walking times significantly).

Most people take 6 days to walk from Ronnie Creek to Narcissus, and then catch the ferry from there to Cynthia Bay.

[tasadam]

By the way, the ferry has gone up to $35 each.

[Son of a Beach]

By the way, the ferry has gone up to $35 each.

One of the reasons I walked the lakeside track the last two times I was in that way. (The other reason being that I like Echo Point, and I like the rainforest.)

$35 is rather outrageous, especially when it comes on top of $168 OT pass (PLUS the national parks pass on top of that). The OT really has been set aside for the wealthy tourists, eh?

[Nuts]

Or set aside to take money off wealthy tourists? Which is perhaps a good thing? They could easily just spend that in a casino, theme park or on a night in a cushy resort, somewhere perhaps not even in Tassie... Perhaps the only major industries in the state should be Forestry or Mining?

As you say you can walk around the lake.. or choose the slight increase in the challenge of doing the walk outside the summer months..

Charges are always too much... how longs a piece of parachord.

I will always agree though, that there should have/should be a very much reduced fee for state taxpayers.

When i first became involved with the OT someone advised me that Everyone has an opinion about the way its run. It does irk me a little that it is quite often negative when the moths have to be blown from the wallet! Often mentioned as being a 'highway' is all relative, i suspect those quickest to say this haven't really traveled much? It's also likely that 'they' complained about the excessive numbers Before the permit system and inevitable cost came about.

The only shame I see is just how few of the accommodation places, attractions, tour business that are successful are actually owned by locals! Quickest to voice their opinion about charges seem to be those who (i would have thought) for some reason dont get the value of our natural resources.. I wonder who pays Their salaries, how meaningful their workday is or how wealthy (as a stand alone entity, not propped by federal coffers) Tassie really is that we can afford to miss opportunities from such low impact 'industries'?


Yes, i do have a vested interest (kinda) but (regardless of how mismanaged the funds may be) I at least can say that by far the vast percentage of profit is returned to state coffers... Accountability is a different story and I do often wonder at how little actually ends up filtering back to practical outcomes. Surely by now we have had enough surveys, enquiries, research and general avoidance of expending physical energy?... It would be ironic if perhaps that tickles a little guilt in the outcome of the average naysayers workday?

Strewth, i'm starting to rant... Sorry Nik, what was the question (anyhow.. nothing new here, i think ill copy this for future pasting, o, no controversy corner any more )

[tasadam]

The ferry at the moment (off season) is running "on demand", so there are no regular services. On Sunday we took the ferry to Narcissus, no one else going so it cost $200. It was worth it for us, it gave us an extra day.
By the way, the jetty platform was level with the water, and when we returned for the ferry on Thursday the platform was about 5 cm under water. That made the track at the start / end pretty deep!

[Son of a Beach]

I will always agree though, that there should have/should be a very much reduced fee for state taxpayers.

I've always thought this ought to be the case. I certainly agree with you, Nuts, that making money from tourism is a good thing, but when it costs a local $250 just to do a good walk in their back yard (this is before the usual expenses of petrol, food, etc), that's getting rather ridiculous, in my opinion. It is also a problem when local can no longer do the walk in their own back yard, because all the permits have been bought up by more wealthy tourists. Yes, there's plenty of other good walks to do, but I happen to think the OT is great one, that I enjoy repeating several times with multiple variations (although probably never again the whole thing in Summer weather), amongst a variety of walks that I like to do.

One of the other things that irks me is that when the permit system was originally introduced it was with the promise that it was ONLY to reduce numbers, and NOT for making money. That was the system everybody agreed to. It is clearly NOT the system we have now.

The reducing numbers part has definitely worked well, though. It is certainly less crowded than it was for the few years before the permits. Still too busy for a 'wilderness experience', but not too busy to make for an enjoyable bushwalk for most people (I know how to avoid the populated areas if I want to).

But now I'm ranting too. Maybe stuff for a different topic.

[Son of a Beach]

The ferry at the moment (off season) is running "on demand", so there are no regular services. On Sunday we took the ferry to Narcissus, no one else going so it cost $200. It was worth it for us, it gave us an extra day.
By the way, the jetty platform was level with the water, and when we returned for the ferry on Thursday the platform was about 5 cm under water. That made the track at the start / end pretty deep!

Nice one! One winter when I went in there, we also had to pay for the entire ferry, but then another two people chipped in making it a 4-way split. That time, the jetty was nowhere to be seen, and the ferry driver parked it between two gum trees right in front of Narcissus Hut.

[Nuts]

( Yer, I guess the argument would come forward that the money now funds the management as well as the track. Probably likley also the new hut would come into the sums. At a rough estimate of at least 1.5mil a year I would expect to see some rather large leaps in the coming years in works done on the actual track (and side trips (Ossa is a disgrace..)) itself and some accountability for what happens then... )

[north-north-west]

Yeah, but - locals have easier access because they can go anytime they have the time, there's far less organising to do just to get there. Which means that, amongst other things) they can do bits and pieces of the track and thus avoid the payment. Nothing wrong with nipping in via Arm River or Lees Paddocks or the Never Never, or just up to Pine Valley and the Labyrinth.

That said, I do agree that the fees should be lower for locals. Maybe. A little. A nose . . . and a hat . . .

[Lizzy]

As far as I know no one else in Australia gets reduced fees because the National Park is in their backyard (state)- I know we don't in NSW. So toughen up Tassie boys- be glad you have so much wilderness so close to home- and as North-north-west said you can alway avoid the main fees by alternate routes or off-season walking.
Cheers Lizzy (just mainlander jealousy here! )

[flyfisher]

That said, I do agree that the fees should be lower for locals. Maybe. A little. A nose . . . and a hat . . .

A nose can be a lot, ask Julia....
ff

[tazzieguy]

Lizzy, I may be wrong here so correct me if i am. I have never heard of another national park in Australia whereby one BUYS an annual pass (to cover access to ALL parks in a state) and then has to pay a second time to visit one. Double dipping at its finest. Thats what most locals here have a problem with.

[Lizzy]

Lizzy, I may be wrong here so correct me if i am. I have never heard of another national park in Australia whereby one BUYS an annual pass (to cover access to ALL parks in a state) and then has to pay a second time to visit one. Double dipping at its finest. Thats what most locals here have a problem with.

Mostly true, however an annual pass for all Parks EXCEPT Kosci is $65 & with Kosci is $190!!!
Certain other parks also cost extra such as Booderee NP at Jervis Bay...
The Overland track has more facilities, rangers etc I think that it is fair to pay more. Like I said somewhere else- maybe something like the NZ Great walks system would be better where you get a cheaper rate if you don't stay in huts???? They also don't charge for kids.
Cheers
Lizzy

[photohiker]

Desert Parks Pass for outback SA doesn't cover Wilpena. WT *$&#?

I think if an area gains special popularity such that it requires more intensive management, it seems to get split off the general passes and fees are assigned on a cost recovery basis. It would be nice if they made some attempt to validate the purchase of the general pass though, perhaps a reduced fee for pass holders or something.

[north-north-west]

Desert Parks Pass for outback SA doesn't cover Wilpena. WT *$&#?.

There's now a Parks pass system in place for SA?
When did that come in, and how much is it?

Honestly, they make it harder and harder to gt out into the bush and just enjoy yourself. You'd think a little bushwalking would be encouraged, but apparently the ptb prefer us to sit down indoors with our air-conditioners on high and play computer games all day long . . .

[Drifting]

I have a mountain goat student who's done it in 3 days- with all Coleman gear to boot! I'm not sure if he took the ferry though.

[photohiker]

Desert Parks Pass for outback SA doesn't cover Wilpena. WT *$&#?.

There's now a Parks pass system in place for SA?
When did that come in, and how much is it?

Honestly, they make it harder and harder to gt out into the bush and just enjoy yourself. You'd think a little bushwalking would be encouraged, but apparently the ptb prefer us to sit down indoors with our air-conditioners on high and play computer games all day long . . .

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/ ... tpass.html

I can't remember, but I think it was about $150 with a discount on subsequent years renewals.

[weetbix456]

By the way, the ferry has gone up to $35 each.

$38 now..