December 2025 - Platypus Tarn, Mt Field NP

Once again, Bob got the guernsey to organise this month's walk. A visit to Platypus Tarn had been planned a couple of times in the past and postponed due to weather conditions, now was our big chance. We expected it would be a pleasant stroll, with excellent views of a pretty mountain tarn, hopefully with a platypus sighting thrown in, and then a congenial nosh up at the cafe at the Visitors Centre.

A large group of thirteen convened up at the Lake Dobson carpark by 10.30am. We were: Bob, Summa, Gary, Philip, Kat, Janet, Wayne, Fin, Catherine, Peter, Di, David, Brenda. It was about an hour and 45 minutes drive from the city, and the drop in temperature up there was very noticeable as we poured ourselves out of the cars and quickly into additional layers! Some slight showers seemed to be imminent despite the weather forecast, which had just mentioned "haziness". Now we realised that the haziness was due to clouds - we were in them.

We set off a little after the appointed time of 10.30am. Thanks to Kat for this and many other memorable photos.

First we took the trail around the left side of Lake Dobson, the Pandani Grove Nature Walk. This is a beautiful and popular little walk, one of Tassie's "60 Great Short Walks". It is packed with pencil pines and the eponymous towering Richea pandanifolia. Also the more humble Richea scoparia.

Spring flowers were plentiful, and we could focus well on them as the more distant views of the Lake were obscured by a romantic mist.

Emerging from the Pandani Grove trail, we turned left onto a fire trail which skirted around the right hand side of Eagle Tarn. Then we turned right onto the trail signposted for Lake Webster and Twilight Tarn. Finally we found a signpost to the left for Platypus Tarn.

The track now descended fairly steeply into the mist, requiring a fair bit of concentration to navigate the rocks and tree roots.

The track was damp and slippery, and kept going down. Most of us were taken by surprise, realising we had not paid much attention to the topographical lines on the map!

We finally reached the tarn, which was swathed in thick mist, at 11.30am.

It was time for snacks, and peering around for a platypus sighting.

The clouds shifted now and then, offering glimpses of the lake.

No platypus sightings today, sadly. Twenty minutes later we set off back up the hill.

Half the group took the quicker route back directly along the fire trail, rriving back at about 12.50pm. The other half revisited the Pandani Grove trail, and took a bit longer to get back. Then we rolled back down the Lake Dobson Rd to the Visitors Centre, where we settled in for a late lunch. Our chatting continued non-stop of course, and the day made a very pleasant end to our year of walking and talking.