TASMANIA 1 - THE GREAT WESTERN TIERS

The trip across on the ferry was hassle-free. We wouldn’t recommend the on-board dining though and will take our own picnic on the way back. Of course we were worried about Leo down there on deck 3 all night and I found the movement of the ship difficult to get used to so I didn’t sleep much. The cabin was comfortable enough though.

A low lying fog met us as we arrived.

Cruising into Devonport.

As soon as we got through quarantine we headed south-west as we had decided to do Cradle Mountain first to avoid the Christmas Holiday rush. The whole area is called the Great Western Tiers and encompasses the area from Cradle Mountain National Park east to Prospect Vale. It is indeed great. The countryside is beautiful, with the jagged peaks of the Gog Range as a backdrop to sweeping green hills dotted with sheep and cattle. There are numerous rivers, creeks and lakes in the area with hydro-electric stations on almost every lake.

Gog Range

 

Our first stop was Railton where we found a great little butcher with the best dog bones ever. We also indulged in our first curried scallop pie at the local takeaway. Delicious! Then it was on to Sheffield and another stop at the local fruit and vegie shop (we had to restock as you can’t bring them over from the mainland).  We found a fantastic little camping area on Lake Gairdner near the little hamlet of Moina and once again John tried his hand at catching a trout. Again no luck but he did get some bites this time. And again another John came to our rescue. He caught them but didn’t eat them so we had trout for tea anyway. Yum!

Our camp on Lake Gairdner



Early morning mist over Lake Gairdner.



It was a short drive into Cradle Mountain National Park from Lake Gairdner and we got there nice and early in the morning. The free shuttle buses from the information centre which is outside the park take you into Dove Lake or you can drive in if you wish. We took the bus but could have driven as the car park at Dove Lake was almost empty. It did fill up by lunchtime though so I imagine it would be chockers at holiday time. The park people encourage you to take the buses as you can also hop on and off and do a number of different walks of varying distances along the road into the park.

There are also many walks which start at Dove Lake. You can go up onto the peaks if you are energetic and have lots of time but we decided to do the walk around the lake which is 6.5 kilometres. It is a lovely walk with some really scenic vistas across the lake and a variety of unusual flora. Most of the walk is on boardwalks but the last kilometre or so is fairly rough and hilly. It took us about 2.5 hours but we didn’t rush. There is a photo opportunity around every bend so it is great to dawdle and take it all in. As you can see we just couldn't help ourselves!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Cradle Mountain we went east and into the Mersey Valley to Lake Parangana where we found another lovely campsite beside the lake. This was a great spot to take in the Walls of Jerusalem. Our plan to walk into the western face was dashed when we discovered it was an 8 hour return trip. It was really interesting on the way to the track though to see a purpose-built slalom kayaking course set up beside a lovely little camp beside the river between Lake Rowallan and Lake Parangana.



We crossed the River Forth along the way.



 

The view from our van at Lake Parangana.

 

Mersey valley stream on the road to the Walls of Jerusalem track.

There was also a group of kids learning to abseil off a sheer rock right beside the road, so this area is certainly well used.

 

We also took the drive up to the Devil’s Gullet, a spectacular lookout which sits out over the cliffs which gives you a great view of the Walls of Jerusalem. The wind really howls through this gorge and it was really something standing there out over the edge of the gorge. It was pretty scary too.

 

 

Next day we continued east thinking we might stay somewhere else along the Tiers but we had probably been spoilt by the lakeside camping and decided to continue on to the Tamar area and visit Mitch.