South West NP

Tasmania (Western Region)

South West National Park
Covering nearly 5 400 square kilometres this is the largest and grandest of Tasmania's National Parks. The park contains some of the most rugged and wild untouched wilderness coastline in the world which is usually only seen by the most intrepid bushwalkers. There is a 150km bushwalking track which runs from Geevestown to Bathurst Harbour and then follows the coast to Hastings (for experienced hikers only).

The Park also contains Lake Pedder and Lake Gordon which, together, comprise the largest inland freshwater storage in Australia. There are several mountain ranges with majestic Federation Peak (1223m) being the highest point. Parts of the park are true wilderness areas and not accessed easily and some of the untouched rainforests contain trees only found in Tasmania including Huon Pine and the towering King Billy Pine. Tasmania’s southwest is an area of contrast: arrow-sharp, crested ranges of white quartzite cut across buttongrass plains. The isolation, rough terrain and unpredictable weather, even in summer – the southwest has more than two hundred days of rain a year – means that this is an area for experienced bushwalkers only. Being able to use a compass and read a map are important, but so is a tolerance for trudging through deep mud and swampy buttongrass while heavily laden with supplies and plagued by leeches. The map South Coast Walks ($9) covers the southern gateways to the World Heritage Area: Cockle Creek through Port Davey to Scotts Peak, as well as Moonlight Ridge and South West Cape, including notes on track conditions, weather and campsites. For the rest of the area you’ll need to purchase Tasmap topographic maps; and for detailed information refer to John Chapman’s South West Tasmania, published by Lonely Planet. Two airlines operate flights into the national park from Cambridge aerodrome, 15km from Hobart. Par Avion (tel 03/6248 5390, fax 6248 5117) runs eighty percent of flights to the southwest, with a daily service to Melaleuca, weather permitting ($95 one-way); they also offer a combined scenic flight and cruise on Bathurst Harbour (4hr; $140; all day including lunch $240); you can register your walk at the airstrip, where the same company operates a Wilderness Camp ($485 for two days, including flight, camp accommodation and meals); they also have a boat, the MV Southern Explorer, based here on Bathurst Harbour with on-board accommodation, which cruises the harbour, Port Davey and the Davey River (two days and two nights from $850). Tas Air (tel 03/6248 5577) flies to Melaleuca, Cox Bight or Scotts Peak ($98 per person one-way; $190 return), which can cut out the trudge from Melaleuca, and they also offer joyrides over the whole of the World Heritage Area for $145 (2hr 30min includes a landing and refreshment at Cox Bight). If you’re planning an extended walk, you can arrange for either airline to drop food supplies for you ($2–4 per kilo). Unless you’re flying in, or beginning a walk at Cockle Creek, south of Hobart, access to the South West National Park is via the Strathgordon Road, which passes to the south of Mount Field National Park. The ranger for this (northern) end of South West National Park is based at Mount Field, and you should drop in or call (tel 03/6288 1283) to ask about conditions and to check that you’re adequately prepared. The good sealed road heads through state forest and the South West Conservation Area, where the amazing craggy landforms of the Frankland Range loom above and signposts helpfully point out the names of the features, and past the drowned Lake Pedder and the Gordon Dam’s power station (underground tours daily: May & Aug–Nov 11am, Dec–April 10am & 2pm; 40min; $5). The road to Scotts Peak, where the walks begin, is very poor but Tasmanian Wilderness Travel runs a “Wilderness” service there and to Condominium Creek from Hobart, via Mount Field (Nov Tues & Thurs; Dec–April Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun; no service May–Sept). South West Cape
The granite South West Cape juts out for 3km into the wild Southern Ocean. Walking is fairly easy here, though the rough unmarked tracks across open countryside require sound navigation, and some high windy ridges have to be crossed. All routes start and end at Melaleuca or Cox Bight but there are a variety of ways to the cape and beyond, taking in different beaches and bays. Depending on which you choose, a simple route will take from three to seven days, and the full circuit between six and nine. Because of the growing popularity of the walks, they may be overcrowded in the summer months. Mount Anne Circuit
The highest peak in the southwest, Mount Anne (1423m) is part of a small range capped with red dolerite – a contrast to the surrounding white quartzite. Views from the summit are spectacular in fine weather, but even in summer the route is very exposed and prone to bad weather. It’s suitable only for experienced walkers carrying a safety rope. The three- to four-day walk begins 20km along Scotts Peak Road at Condominium Creek (where there are basic camping facilities) and ends 9km south at Red Tape Creek; a car shuttle might be advisable, or you can arrange with Tasmanian Wilderness Travel (tel 03/6334 4442) to be picked up and dropped off from Hobart. Port Davey Track
Going straight through the heart of the World Heritage Area, from Scotts Peak Dam south to Melaleuca (where you fly out) at Port Davey, is the 54km Port Davey Track, a wet, muddy four- to five-day trek over buttongrass plains, with views of rugged mountain ranges along the way. Only around 200 people walk the track each year. It’s less interesting than some of the other walks in the area and most groups combine it with the South Coast Track for a ten- to sixteen-day wilderness experience, which requires a drop-off of food supplies. This combined walk is often called the South West Track. Contact Tasmanian Wilderness Travel if you want to arrange drop-offs. South Coast Track
The South Coast Track is known for its magnificent beaches and spectacular coastal scenery of Aboriginal middens, rainforest and buttongrass ridges. At 80km, it’s one of the longest tracks in the South West National Park – a five- to ten-day moderate to difficult walk, usually done from Melaleuca east to Cockle Creek. Since the route is mostly along the coast, the climate is milder than in many parts of the World Heritage Area; however, you’ll still need wet-weather gear as it tends to rain frequently. Though the track is regularly maintained, you do need to plough through sections of mud and across the exposed Ironbound Range (900m), which should be attempted only in fine weather. There are no huts along the way, except at the Melaleuca airstrip. Around 2000 people do the walk each year, seventy-five percent of them between December and March. The best approach is to fly direct to Cox Bight, cutting out the boring buttongrass plains walk from Melaleuca, then head for Cockle Creek. Alternatively, you can begin at Cockle Creek and get flown out at Melaleuca with Tas Air or Par Avion, or arrange for extra food supplies to be flown in at Melaleuca and continue along the Port Davey Track across the water, using the rowboats provided. Tasmanian Expeditions (tel 03/6334 3477, fax 6334 3463) runs an extended organized walk of the South Coast Track (Dec–Feb; $1095). You need to be very fit for the nine-day trip, as each party member (maximum of ten) carries a share of the food and tents, a weight of 18–20kg. Western Arthurs Traverse
The most spectacular bushwalk in Tasmania, only 20km in length and 5km in width, Western Arthurs Traverse contains 25 major peaks and 30 lakes. The last glacial period gouged into this range, leaving sharp quartzite ridges, craggy towers and impressive cliffs, and carving cirque valleys that are now filled by dark, tannin-stained lakes, surrounded by contrasting buttongrass plains. Violent storms, mists and continuous rain can plague the route in summer since it’s in the direct path of the Roaring Forties. Crossing these ranges makes for a superb but difficult walk. Though there’s no man-made track, the route, starting at Scotts Peak Road, is not difficult to follow; it involves scrambling over roots and branches and making short descents and ascents into gullies and cliff lines, and you’ll need to use a rope at some point. The whole walk takes between nine and twelve days, and camping areas are limited. The Eastern Arthur Range is the location of the major goal for intrepid southwest walkers – Federation Peak, often considered the most challenging in Australia, with its steep, almost perfectly triangular outline rising starkly above the surrounding rugged peaks and ridges. It was named by a surveyor in 1901, the year of Federation, when most of the major landmarks in the southwest were still unvisited; in fact, the peak was not successfully scaled until 1949, its thick scrub, forests and cliffs having kept walkers at bay. Although the walk is now easier since the terrain has been “broken in”, each year many walkers are turned back by the worst weather in Tasmania, and one person has died tackling the route. All the ascents are extremely difficult, and most parties take between seven and ten days to reach the peak and return; minor rock climbing is required to get to the summit. The walk begins at the same point as the Port Davey Track.