January 17, 2024 by Nick Bedford in Colour, Backpacking, Journal, Travel
Well, tick that off the bucket list. At the start of the year, I and five other friends journeyed through the Tasmanian wilderness on the famous Overland Track, something I’d had in my to-do list for a long time, although I hadn’t thought of actually planning to do it any time soon.
I was invited to join the group when someone had to cancel their involvement, so I said YES. I had to buy a fair amount of winter/wet weather gear for the trip to bolster my existing multiday hiking setup, including overpants, multiple dry-sacks, a new -12ºC sleeping bag and more.
Due to difficulties securing a shuttle to Cradle Mountain on the 5th January (the first day of our hike), I had to arrive a day early on the 4th. The Cradle Mountain staff were lovely and knew exactly my predicament, so after a briefing, I headed out at 3:30pm to get myself to Scott-Kilvert Memorial Hut for the night before joining up with the rest of the crew the next day. I chose to camp that night out on the platforms and was met with a beautiful sunrise with fog the next morning.
We found waterfalls, hopped across rocks and tree roots through muddy terrain, wandered through beautiful forests and across awe-inspring mountainous plateaus, played Uno Flip a bunch and had some great fun along the track. Thank you to Lindsey, Alma, Dani, Sophie and Braeden for an amazing time in the wilderness.
Baptism By Fever
My version of the Overland Track involved starting to feel ill on my second day with a scratchy throat, some sort of respiratory virus no doubt. By the time the third morning dawned (Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere track), I was starting to run a fever, and I let the rest of the crew power on ahead of me and I would just take it slow due to a lack of energy and feeling a little dizzy. My immune system was clearly gearing up for war.
Over the next four gruelling hours across rather mild though very sunny terrain, I meandered my way across the plateau to the Windermere Lake hut with my heart doing its best to keep up with both serious fever and backpacking. After making it up the last stretches of boardwalk, I collapsed on the seat in the hut’s foyer and sat there for about an hour or so. I’m not sure why, maybe from sheer relief of stopping and from utter physical exhaustion, but when I sat down I burst into tears. It was strange and cathartic to say the least. Maybe a psychologist could shed some light... Some other hikers in the hut gave me some electrolytes and paracetamol and kept an eye on me, so thanks to them!
Over the next 4-5 hours I burned the fever away in bed, but at around 5:30-6pm, I could feel it slowing down, and my mood change drastically from, ”How am I going to hike the rest of this?”, to, “Oh, maybe I can do this after all.”
The next day I was in a great mood and ready to go, although tired from lack of sleep and still recovering. On with the show!
What’s fascinating to me is that whatever this virus was, the fact that I was backpacking for hours with a heavy pack on every day did nothing to lengthen my recovery time. My body just tackled both endeavours at the same time.
New Camera
Here are the numerous photos I took on the trip using a new Sony A7C-R with the 40mm F2.5 G lens. I replaced my Fujifilm X-Pro3 with this for the increased full-frame 60mp resolution and detail.
Perry's Peak
From along the trailhead.
Crater Lake
First lake to be seen from the Marion’s Lookout trail.
Weindorfers Tower & Smithies Peak
First glimpse of Cradle Mountain
Dove Lake & Cradle Mountain
Panoramic stitch from vertical frames.
Cradle Mountain & Barn Bluff
Panoramic stitch. Finally up on the plateau after Marion’s Lookout.
Cradle Mountain
Small tarns litter the plateau.
Daisies
I love these little vignettes.
Kitchen Hut
A very cute little emergency hut before embarking on Cradle Mountain and the rest of the Overland Track.
Boulder & Barn Bluff
You get these little foreground/background compositions all throughout the walk.
Boardwalk Track
A lot of the Overland Track has proper boardwalk platforms to walk on.
Bellendena Flowers
The wildflowers in Cradle Mountain National Park are beautiful.
Smithies Peak, Cradle Mountain
Looking back before I continue on toward the junction.
Daisy Bushes
Mount Ossa & Mount Pelion
The track heads in the direction of these mountainous areas.
Camping Platforms at Lake Rodway
I camped the first night next to the Scott-Kilvert Memorial Hut.
Pre-sunrise Light at Lake Rodway
I woke up early and wandered over to the edge of the lake to photograph sunrise.
Sunrise on Cradle Mountain
From the Scott-Kilvert Hut.
Waiting for the best light
Sunrises are mostly about waiting and reacting to the light or atmosphere.
Scott-Kilvert Memorial Hut
This sleeps many people but I decided to camp out overnight.
Fog on the lake
And then the fog rolled in and took over the lake.
Finding the right composition
Fog changes and compositions need to change on the fly for the best result.
Scott-Kilvert / Overland Track Junction
With Barn Bluff in the distance
Benson Peak & Cradle Mountain
Turning south east a little for Waterfall Valley Hut.
Wombats everywhere
Next to the Waterfall Valley hut overlooked by Barn Bluff.
Trees in the fog
Fog rolled in on my third morning which is always fun to shoot.
Waterfall Valley Hut
Our first hut and luxury compared to camping. Rainwater, large dining room, toilets etc.
Daisy-bush and eucalypts
Finding compositions in the fog.
All of us together
My third morning was the second morning of the group hiking. We’re all together now and ready. I had a fever, which meant I struggled for four hours to the next hut, collapsed and burnt it off for it to finally turn for the better that evening. What an absolute slog that was.
Mount Pelion West and others
The view over Lake Windermere.
Mount Oakleigh
A tarn up on the plateau overlooking Mount Oakleigh and various other mountains.
Alpine scene at Lake Windermere.
Button grass and dead trees and boulders cover the landscape. It turns out that Tasmania doesn’t have termites, so the dead wood will stay here for decades.
Vignette at Lake Windermere
I love finding these little arrangements.
Barn Bluff after sunrise
Before heading on to New Pelion Hut. One of our bigger days.
Mount Oakleigh through the clouds
We would eventually be on the other side of those spires.
Trees against the rays
Crepuscular rays made walking these areas quite majestic.
Hiking portrait of Alma
We hiked this long day together through the forests and the plateaus.
Mount Oakleigh & Valleys
The view was stunning on this day.
Alma in front of Mount Ossa
Making our way towards the forest in the distance.
Me on the trail
Mount Ossa and Paddy’s Nut on the horizon.
Closer view of Mount Ossa
And all of the other peaks.
Mount Oakleigh from New Pelion Hut
The first rainy evening setting in for the night.
Boardwalk to Mount Doris & Mount Ossa
Due to the wild and cold winds, we deliberated on whether to try it, ultimately deciding to go for it since the rain itself had stopped.
Chilly Alma at the junction sign
Me & Alma before embarking
Silly picture making
Having a bit of fun…
Alpine shrubs
The alpine shrubs and growth is so dense due to the cold temperatures and winds.
Let's go!
Making our way up the boardwalk to pass Mount Doris on our way to Mount Ossa, the tallest mountain in Tasmania at 1,617 metres.
Alpine scene
This first part of the walk past Mount Doris (called the Japanese Garden) was absolutely beautiful.
Me on the boardwalk
The cloudy conditions made for an incredible experience.
Japanese Garden
I can see why this area got its name. I felt like I was in a man-made garden.
Mount Doris
The track passes to the south of the peak around to join Mount Ossa.
Boulders amongst the dense shrubs
There’s something so fascinating about how alpine shrubs and button grasses “engulf” and surround objects.
Paddys Nut & Mount Pelion West
Walking through valleys carved out of moutains. Spectacular.
Pimelea plants amongst the rocks
Another vignette of the smaller aspects of alpine beauty.
Walls of Mount Ossa
We’re starting to climb Mount Ossa’s scrambling sections.
Alma on Mount Ossa boulders
This part was fun. The scrambling was easy and just took some care here and there.
Jagged walls of Mount Ossa
The clouds and mist honestly made this such an amazing way to experience the mountain. Rather spooky.
Flowers on a windy, wet mountain
It’s a wild place to live, and that day was pretty tame I gather.
Wildflower fields along the slopes
Mount Ossa is home to abundant alpine shrubs and flowers.
Back under the clouds
What an experience.
Boulders and shrubs together
Blue, clear skies were starting to appear slowly in the west. There’s Barn Bluff.
Back on the track to Kia Ora hut
The rest of the track was mostly downhill to the modern Kia Ora hut in the valley.
Trying to see Mount Ossa's peak
But the clouds kept reforming around it.
Glimpses of Cathedral Mountain
Another stunning backdrop we would later find that sits right in front of Kia Ora hut for all to see.
Cathedral Mountain sunset
15-20 minutes after sunset, the sky caught on fire for the mountain.
Morning over Castle Crag (left)
And on the right is an eastern end of Mount Massif.
Hiking with the crew
We got off to a good start the next day with beautiful morning light. It was going to be a big day of hiking, taking only a brief rest at Bert Nichols hut before making our way right up and into Pine Valley to the hut there.
Post-rain morning light in the forest
The forest dominated this day’s hiking, but the light filtered through.
Moving, moving...
I like how this turned out.
Marching to Ducane Hut.
A bit like walking in The Shire on a clear morning…
Ducane Hut
There it is in the shade.
Windows at Ducane Hut
We took a quick breather here before marching on.
Front yard at Ducane hut
That’s our path.
Windy Ridge it is
Three hours would turn into a long day by the end of it all.
Forest portrait of Braeden
Dani, Sophie & Lindsey
Getting ready to leave the hut for the falls, our next stops.
Enchanted forests everywhere
The forests along the Overland Track are stunning, even in the rain, but in the morning light they really shine.
Dalton Falls
I had no tripod but the IBIS on the Sony A7C-R made short work of the f/8 long exposure. I was thoroughly amazed.
River rapid
This was a wild area and you’d be hard pressed to swim anywhere at these falls, letalone Fergusson Falls nearby.
Hartnett Falls
This waterfall was simply stunning. There’s a path leading down here to the river as it continues west through the forest. The water was very cold though. Too cold for my sensibilities, although I did put my feet in a few times to wake them up.
Glassy river
I like the interplay of blue skylight and warm tones under the water.
River portrait of Alma
The light was perfect down here in the gorge.
Light and shadow
Some experiments with the shadows and the reflections.
Underwater microcosm
Like a glass window
I was enjoying experimenting with the light and optics of the water here.
Making my way out of Pine Valley
I was on a mission to reach Pine Valley the afternoon before. It had been a big day of walking, my feet were worn out, glutes worked and I just wanted to reach the hut and sit down, so I didn’t take pictures. But now I’m making my way back to the junction on our way to Narcissus hut, the final stay.
Interesting Subject
Through a light fog, this would be a fascinating composition.
Suspension bridge near Pine Valley
These were fun. There were only a few on my walk.
Pink Mountain Berries
These were everywhere along the Track.
Mountain behind the trees
I don’t remember where this was but it could be Mount Gould.
Mount Olympus
I remember seeing this from the other side of Lake St Clair in 2015 on a cold September morning, covered in snow. Wild to be there on the other side having walked much of the Overland Track for days.
Mount Byron & Mount Cuvier
I’m fairly certain these are the two peaks off in the distance. This was along the boardwalk from the Narcissus Hut to the jetty where the ferry picks up passengers and takes them to Cynthia Bay at the other end of Lake St Clair.
Alma searching for platypus
Near the ferry jetty.
Alma under Mount Olympus
Still searching for platypus.
Clouds over Mount Olympus
The clouds that afternoon rolled through the landscape endlessly.
Home stretch!
Let’s do this. A long hike of almost 18km but generally flat along the lake with only small hills. It took us exactly 5 hours like the sign said.
Quick pit stop at Echo Point
Beautiful forest scenes
Despite being rather flat and uneventful, the last day’s hike was quite beautiful still and I really enjoyed it. A great way to finish the journey.
Endless trees
Lake St Clair & Traveler Range
Looking back to the north east.
Shore of Lake St Clair
Littered with rocks and dead trees.
Dead tree standing
An interesting little composition, if not with quite the right conditions or focal length to make something out of it. This would be beautiful in a dense, foggy morning.
Lush rainforest
The forest in parts along the Lake St Clair stretch became quite lush and dense with long lived palms.
Watersmeet
We’re almost there! We took a pit stop at Watersmeet then moved onto the last phase.
Echidnas!
This little guy or gal wasn’t bothered by us and just kept nosing about.
We're done!
We made it to the end. My 8-day journey ended up being nigh on 100 km of walking, most with the backpack, and the others would have done even more with their numerous mountain side trips.
This was the biggest multi-day hike I’ve ever done. It pushed my boundaries and I learnt a lot, about hiking long distances and pacing oneself, about embracing rain and wild windy alpine conditions, overcoming extreme fatigue whilst sick, and the landscapes and forests were so inspiring.
The alpine mountains and lush forests are where my outdoor heart really lies. I can’t wait for more and I’m likely to hike the Overland Track again in the future. There is so much to see.
Tiger snake sunbathing
While we waited for the shuttles to arrive, we saw a beautiful (and deadly) tiger snake sunning itself below the jetty.
Made it to the Jetty again
I stood here on 7th September 2015 at 7am in cold, wintery conditions. Now I’ve done it.
Alma on the Jetty
With Mount Olympus in the background.
Off home...
All good things must come to an end, but flying is fun. I love it.
