March 2024 - Shipstern Bluff and Tunnel Bay

It was time to revisit Shipstern Bluff and to try out a new(ly opened to the public) trail back from Tunnel Bay. Wayne and Gerwyn organised this autumn walk, and we were blessed with perfect weather for it - sunny and warm. The nine walkers - Wayne, Gerwyn, Janet, Di, Fin, Prem, Lyn, Bob, Kat - met at the carpark on Stormlea Rd at about 10am. After a bit of fussing with our gaiters (it's still high season for snakes) we set off at 10.30am.

The first section is a steady climb through pretty bushland, with an artistic bench about halfway up :)

Our first destination was the lookout over Cape Raoul, to (while we were in the vicinity) experience once again this stunning view.

Our second destination was the lookout over Shipstern Bluff, where we had our first snack break. Gerwyn's easter buns with passionfruit curd were a great hit.

The surf was not up, and the surfers were not out showing off, today.

It was then a long descent down to Shipstern Bluff.

The day was getting pretty warm by the time we reached the bench seating down on the rocks. Time to reapply the sunscreen, and had we brought enough water? Some of us explored the caves around the cliffs, while others were happy to just sit, chat and admire the view.

After we'd had our picnic lunches, we set off again. Three of us decided to return along the way we had come, and six decided to visit Tunnel Bay. This was a lovely spot, peaceful on this day but from the large rocks piled up on the beach we could imagine how rough it often gets here. It has a tunnel!

The day was getting on, so we set off on the drect trail back through some private property - the trail has only recently been made available for the public to use.

There is a lot of up, and some sections were pretty scrabbly with loose stones. We took lots of mini stops. Reaching the top with some relief, we passed a display set up by a previous owner. He had researched the history of Tunnel Bay, including the likely owner of some human skeletal remains found there.

The trail returns to Stormlea Road along a farm access road, and then there is a short stretch along Stormlea Rd itself to get back to the carpark. The group finally reunited, we patted ourselves on the back for completing a long and arduous walk (close to six hours altogether). It had been another wonderful day of walking and talking with our good mates, sharing stories and friendship.

February 2024 - Lagoon of Islands

Tasmania's Lagoon of Islands is not widely known. It is a little known hydro reserve in the Steppes, a wind swept and lonely area up on the edge of the Tasmanian highlands.

Here are some interesting snippets about how the Lagoon was first destroyed, and then rehabilitated, by Hydro Tasmania.

YouTube story of the restoration

ABC News story 22 April 2023 – restoration successful Tasmania's Lagoon of Islands is back to a healthy state after decades of poor water quality

Most of us hadn't been to the lagoon before, so it was with some anticipation that we (Wayne, Gerwyn, Di, Bob, Kat and Philip) met at the remote car parking area. Note: Apart from a little red plastic stick, the turnoff is not signed on Interlaken Road (another place many of us had not visited before), so navigating to the GPS coordinates is advised: -42.114668, 146.933985.

We found a boom gate across the boundary of the reserve, and that parking here suits SUVs and high wheelbase vehicles.

We headed off on a perfect cool summer day (after a heatwave the day before), glad that the fires to the west of us seemed to be under control and that their smoke was not reaching the lagoon. We were well prepared with sturdy shoes, gaiters and walking poles, wary of snakes. The water levels were lower than when Kat and Philip had visited previously (in June), and we were able to skirt the lagoon more closely, making a slightly shorter walk - 12km today.

It was fascinating to see how this previously dammed lagoon is slowly rehabilitating itself into a natural marshy wetland and wildlife reserve.

I think it's fair to say we enjoyed the first half of the walk more than the second half. On the eastern side we could see a good supply of waterbirds at home.

There was a large beach!

And a sandy bank behind which we could see the green grass and a tidemark showing where a smaller lagoon had been until recently.

The dune features some beautiful gums.

Back at the lagoon we saw several wombat homes.

After a short stop around the halfway mark for lunch, we continued around the shoreline, where Kat almost stepped on a snake! Apart from that, the main wildlife of interest on the western shore were sheep grazing (a large flock) and wild deer (a few) scurrying away into the hills.

The last section took us through some dry bushland.

And it was good to reach our vehicles and have another snack.

Three headed back home, while three of us continued the adventure by heading further along Interlaken Road (more gravel and really this felt quite remote, almost lawless) to the historic country town of Oatlands for a mini getaway. We had a delectable afternoon tea at Heritage on High Street, then some entertaining drinks and dinner at The Imbibers. Di was comfortable at the Kentish Hotel while Gerwyn and Wayne enjoyed their motorhome at the lakeside campground. On the (very) quiet Saturday morning, Di enjoyed the self-guided heritage walk along the High Street, admiring the well restored Georgian buildings.

January 2024 - Randalls Bay

A new start in 2024 – our name and walking day. Friday 26 January pioneered the re-brand with two short walks at Randalls Bay, followed by an overnight camp at Garden Island Creek. The six walkers/campers were Angie, Di, Gerwyn, Wayne and co-organisers Fin and Summa. The meeting time was 10am at the Randalls Bay picnic shelter.

From here we headed along Randalls Beach to start Walk 1 - Sugarloaf Hill circuit walk. This well-formed track is the work of the Friends of Randalls Bay volunteer group.

It is a loop with lovely views over Randalls Bay from the trig point at the top. It is best done in a clockwise direction and the uphill part is a gentle grade. Along the route there is interpretation signage, and a feature dam where we heard croaking frogs.

There was fruitcake, the buskwalker's friend.

The downhill section is steeper and features many zig zags through the dry schlerophyll forest, habitat of the endangered Swift Parrot and Masked Owl. At a leisurely pace it took close to 2.5 hours to finish the walk, including retracing our steps along the beach to the picnic shelter. There we welcomed Kat, and over lunch she shared her hair-raising tree pruning tale. Although she suffered a bad fall and needed an ambulance (and fire brigade!) to be rescued, it could have been much worse. She reported no broken bones or damaged organs which was a great outcome from the accident.

Wishing Kat a speedy recovery we left the picnic shelter and walked in the opposite direction to start Walk 2 - Mickey’s Beach. This is an out and back, flat walk (after an initial set of steps up to the ridgeline) and follows the coast.

This is a shorter walk and is signed as 1 hour return. It is well signed in both directions.

We descended to the quiet little beach and spent some time exploring, which included fossicking amongst the rocks and admiring the views.

We were amazed by the iron inclusions in the sandstone and the heavy weathering of the sandstone cliffs.

If you don’t want to walk there is also road access to Mickey’s Beach. Wayne and Summa investigated the carpark for camping potential before we all turned around and strolled back to the picnic shelter. On the way back we also strolled to the end of the headland to look out over the lower Huon River.

There was some very healthy looking giant kelp waving in the surges and Angie found a midden at last.

Having finished our walking, the fun continued as we convoyed our way along toward Garden Island Creek. Fin’s relatives had kindly offered the use of their shack and paddock for our overnight camp. We made use of the shed’s large verandah to enjoy each other’s company over a well catered BBQ dinner. Gerwyn showed her talents as practised cook around an open fire - marshmallows anyone?

The evening's commentary was lively as we enjoyed each other’s company. Topics included Wordle, the wording of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the Australian Open (yes, Djokovic did get knocked out). Even some spirited singing of old almost-forgotten pop songs! All in all, a splendid start to 2024!