14
ADVENTURE TRAVEL|
THE WILD SOUTHERN COAST OF TASMANIA
BY JEFF BERT
MAY/JUN 2019
and by the time we reached the actual summit, winds had picked up
and we were struggling to stay on top of the rocks and slippery boards
provided to keep us out of the knee deep mud. After a long, difficult
descent, we made it to another beach camp. Once again, we set up
tents, ate dinner and went to sleep.
Our next day was relatively easy as it followed the coastline for most
of the hike. At about three miles in, we came up to a large river and
found that we needed to row ourselves across in small metal boats.
After several crossings, we reached the other shore. From there, the
hike continued for a couple hours through the bush to our camp at
Surprise Bay, the most scenic campsite of the trip. We secured our-
selves a majestic camp on a cliff above a sandy beach. The weather
had suddenly shifted and we enjoyed a warm, sunny beach afternoon.
Eventually, we hiked back up to camp to watch an incredible sunset,
and then recharged for the next day.
Our last full day in the Tasmanian backcountry was our longest in
distance, and it wound endlessly through a muddy and beautiful forest.
Finally, we made it to our last camp, once again on a sandy beach.
That night we met a few Australians, also en route to complete the
trek. We found out that one of them had gone diving in the frigid
Southern Ocean and harvested some abalone, a large type of ocean
snail. After they had cooked them up with salt and oil, we got to try
them and they were delicious.
That next morning, my sixteenth birthday, we hiked the remaining few
miles of the trail and concluded Tasmania’s South Coast Track. We had
been through 85 kilometers of sunny beaches, hellish mountaintops
and everything in between. Overall, it had been a trip of a lifetime, and
I will hope to return to see it all again
As our small bush plane flew over Tasmania’s wild and most
southern coast, we could see below a single trail appearing
and disappearing through sandy beaches, dense forests, and
rugged mountains. Soon, we would be on that trail to take
each step through all 85k of the Tasmanian South Coast
Track.
Our hiking trip began in Melaleuca, a remote former tin
mine in Tasmania’s Southwest National Park. Our family had
chartered a six-seater bush plane to fly us in as Melaleuca is
only accessible by boat or plane. After about 45 minutes, we
descended into a wide valley and onto a short gravel airstrip.
We quickly ate a few sandwiches, strapped on our packs and
we were off. Our first day took us from the marshes by the air-
strip to Point Eric, a beautiful beach on the Southern Ocean.
The trek followed an open valley through single track and
intermittent boardwalks for about four hours until we made
it to our first night’s camp. From there we set up camp, ate a
few dehydrated meals and got into our sleeping bags.
The next morning, we woke up to heavy rain and lightning that
struck just feet away from our tents. We had to keep moving
forward so we packed up and headed for our next leg. That
day’s goal was to make it to the base of the Ironbound Range,
a steep and exposed mountain range that was infamous for
harsh weather. We faced rain, hail and wind as we trudged
forward, always keeping the towering Ironbounds in sight. Just
as we thought we had made it, we came to a rushing creek
with a thin length of rope stretching across it. The sign read
“Do not attempt if water is above knee deep.” One by one, we
each got in to the chest deep water, soaking our boots, pants,
and puffies, yet forward was our only option. Finally, after an-
other river, we made it to our final camp before the Ironbound
Range. We set up camp, still wet from our crossing, and got
into our tents for a very long, cold night.
Just ten minutes into our hike the next day, the mountains
shot right up from the ground. Suddenly, flat marshlands
became a rocky, slippery trail to endless false summits. The
nearly 3000 ft range was completely exposed to the elements
15