Tag: camping

Three Capes Track

.Reading time 2 minutes.

“We ought to take outdoor walks, to refresh and raise our spirits by deep breathing in the open air.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On Tranquillity of Mind

The Three Capes Track was dubbed by Lonely Planet as the world’s hottest new travel experience – even before being officially unveiled on Monday 21 December 2015. This multi-day, 46-kilometre, walk leads hikers through some of Tasmania’s most spectacular natural landscapes, including incredible clifftop views from Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy. There are also stunning views of Cape Raoul – the third cape of the track’s name – however, this section is still under development.

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Memorable travel moments: Hinchinbrook Island

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“From paradise to paradise I go sweeping; collecting rocks & views; owning nothing but what I feel.” Alice Walker

Hinchinbrook Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and is Australia’s largest island national park. I travelled there with my friend Mary and we had a wonderful escape from our usual 9 to 5 lives – hiking the 32-kilometre Thorsborne Trail through unspoiled wilderness.

The hiking was amazing, but the most memorable part of the trip was our lazy rest day at Zoe Falls. We took a dip in the refreshing pool, bathed under the waterfall, hiked to the top of the falls for incredible views of the beach and ocean, and occasionally pinched ourselves to make sure it was all real. This was our version of paradise and we didn’t have to share it with hundreds of people, because we’d carried heavy packs through swamps to get here. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life.

If you’d like to see more photographs from Hinchinbrook Island, click here.

Great Victorian Bike Ride

.Reading time 20 minutes.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.
Ernest Hemingway

In 2008, I participated on the Great Victorian Bike Ride and wrote the following article. As I mentioned in my previous blog (When opportunity knocks), this article led to many other great opportunities in my writing, photography and editing. I have fond memories of the ride and all the people I met.

Great Victorian Bike Ride

Squinting through the swirling dust I could barely make out the direction of the road as it turned to rise above the drought-stricken lakes. Atop the hill I saw cyclists lying on the ground, exhausted. But I forced myself to peddle on. After cycling 50km into a relentless headwind I was in no mood for these desolate lakes, which seemed intent on joining forces as one gigantic dust storm. I was desperate to get out of the wind and silently cursing anyone that had ever uttered the word ‘holiday’ in reference to this bike ride.

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Farewell 2013

.Reading time 7 minutes.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dove Lake, Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

On New Year’s Eve I tend to reflect on the last 12 months (that have flown by way too quickly). Then I make some half-hearted resolutions to welcome the New Year. My main thought last year was to make sure I kept writing this weekly blog, which I managed quite well. The exception was during my overseas travels when I didn’t have easy access to a computer. Clearly, I’m not up to date with the latest technology – and probably never will be – so it’s lucky I’m not a frontline journalist 😉

But I do get a lot of enjoyment from sharing my travel stories, even if it’s only a handful of people who take the time to read them. I love each and every comment; just knowing that my words occasionally move people or inspire them. For me, there is nothing better.

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Tasman National Park: Cape Pillar

.Reading time 6 minutes.

“All that glitters is not gold. All who wander are not lost.” William Shakespeare

Cape Pillar and Tasman Island

The Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service have, for some time, been working on an ambitious project known as the Three Capes Track. This multi-day coastal trek will take in the towering sea cliffs of the Tasman Peninsula, including Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy, and will have a boat leg across Port Arthur Bay, and finish at Fortescue Bay.

My friend Mary and I were keen to explore the Tasman Peninsula while it was relatively unknown and somewhat wild, so we set off on a New Year’s weekend (a couple of years ago). On day one, we walked from Fortescue Camping Ground to Retakunna Creek via Cape Pillar Track. It was a short walk, taking us about three-and-a-half hours, climbing gradually across Consolation Hill and Tornado Ridge. The final half an hour was downhill to our beautifully located campsite, our base for two nights.

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Tasman National Park: Fortescue Bay

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“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

Fortescue Bay

The Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania, Australia, has some great bushwalking and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the area four times. Once was a visit to the historical site of Port Arthur – and I can recommend the ghost tour – but, every other time, it’s been to go hiking. The Tasman Coastal Trail, which is one of Tasmania’s Great Walks, hugs the coast from Waterfall Bay to Fortescue Bay, and then out to Cape Hauy and Cape Pillar. It’s a spectacular walk that features some of Australia’s highest cliffs, including dolerite towers known as the ‘Candlestick’ and the ‘Totem Pole’.

My first hiking foray was just a lightning day trip, so we checked out short walks to the Blowhole, Tasman Arch, Devils Kitchen and the beginning of a walk to Waterfall Bay. On the second occasion, we donned packs and set off on a three-day-loop from Fortescue Bay to Cape Pillar return (which I’ll feature in my next blog). And, on the third occasion, we set up camp at Fortescue Bay and did two short, but incredibly beautiful, hikes – to Bivouac Bay and Cape Hauy.

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Multi-day walks at Wilsons Promontory

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I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain – and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light…. ~Robert Frost

Little Oberon Bay
Beach en route to Little Oberon Bay

I love that quote from Robert Frost, particularly in relation to the two multi-day hikes I’ve done at Wilsons Promontory. Both were on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June, two years in a row, in the middle of the Australian winter. The first hike we ‘walked out in rain’, and the second hike we walked ‘back in rain’. But on both occasions we also had sunshine. It was wonderful to get away from the city lights, to gaze at the stars during dark chilly nights, and enjoy the fresh ocean breeze while trekking along the coast.

Tidal River
Tidal River

East Prom coastal circuit via Sealers Cove, Refuge Cove and Little Waterloo Bay

The thing that I loved most about this weekend was our perseverance. It was raining on our drive to Wilsons Promontory and the weather didn’t look promising. But we donned our raincoats and set off anyway, confident in our wet weather gear, and hopeful that the sun would emerge at some stage. On the first night, just after we’d taken shelter in our tent, the heavens opened to torrential rain. A few hikers were caught out and they were forced to hike out the next day because everything got wet. But we were safe and snug in our warm sleeping bags, and the next two days ended up being perfect with blue skies and sunshine. It’s often the way for us. We seem to attract the rain but then, if we carry on undeterred, we find ourselves in the most spectacular places enjoying nature’s beauty.

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Short walks at Wilsons Promontory

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“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” Henry David Thoreau

Squeaky Beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park

Wilsons Promontory National Park has plenty of short walks; taking in forests, sand dunes, pristine beaches, mountains, and lookouts with incredible views. I’ve been visiting this national park for many years and still haven’t explored every trail. But, here are three of my favourite short walks at The Prom.

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Wilsons Promontory – Sealers Cove

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Sealers Cove is a gem – you emerge from the forest to find yourself on a sweeping beach with sand so white and clean it dazzles. The ocean beckons, crystal clear. In summer the waters are refreshingly cool, in winter invigorating.

Sealers Cove at Wilsons Promontory National Park
Sealers Cove at Wilsons Promontory National Park

Sealers Cove is my favourite place at Wilsons Prom. I’ve hiked there many times – as part of a three-day loop including Refuge Cove and Little Waterloo Bay; with my nieces on an introductory backpacking trip; and several times as a wonderful day hike (20.4 km return).

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Wilsons Promontory National Park

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It is hard to believe that 18,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, the Prom’s headlands and islands were the tops of mountains and the land extended further south. The Aboriginal people travelled across this countryside to reach Tasmania before the rising water submerged the land bridge and created the island.

View of Wilsons Promontory from Mt Oberon

Wilsons Promontory National Park (in Victoria, Australia) is another of my favourite places. Affectionately referred to as ‘The Prom’, this national park has pristine beaches with pure-white sand and spectacular hidden coves that you’ll discover by strapping on a pack and going overnight hiking. There are also spectacular mountain views, lush green forests, and plenty of native wildlife.

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