July 2026 - Wielangta Tramway Trail

Did you know: Wielangta is a local Aboriginal name meaning ‘tall trees’. This walk is described on the Rail Trails of Australia website as: "following the route of a former logging tram line through patches of rainforest and a lush sub-tropical environment. There are patches of rainforest and it’s generally a lush environment even in mid-summer.

...The Wielangta forest is part of remnant glacial refugia forest and contains blue gum eucalypt forest and pockets of cool temperate rainforest. It is a key habitat of rare and threatened species, including the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, swift parrot, Wielangta stag beetle, spotted-tail quoll and eastern barred bandicoot. A rare orchid (Genoplesium nudum) has also been discovered in the forest. The forest forms part of the South-east Tasmania Important Bird Area, identified as such by Bird-life International because of its importance in the conservation of a range of woodland birds".

Philip was our organiser today, suggesting that we start from the Wielangta Forest Picnic Area at the southern end of the trail where there is a shelter, picnic tables and toilet.

Directions: From Arthur Highway, turn left just before Copping on to C335 for 4.7km. Continue Bream Creek Rd C336 for 1.5km. Turn left on to Wielangta Forest Rd for 12km to reach Picnic Area on right. Entering 'Wielangta Forest Walk Picnic Area' into Google Maps will get you straight there.

So nine of us gathered at the southern rest area, on a beautiful sunny winter's day - Di, David, Graham, Angie, Janet, Gary, Caroline and Lyn. We found that the dirt road from Kellevie was damp from recent rains and a bit slippery, but we had no mishaps on the road. Arriving for a 10.30am start, we rugged up and set off.

Spot the difference!

It was a pleasant walk, with views of the river emerging now and then.

There were a few splodgy sections, and a couple of creek crossings which involved rock hopping, but most of the trail was firm underfoot.

At the northern end of the trail, we stopped for snacks. Here we were amazed at the inscription on a grave - it was for a child who died in 1919, apparently a victim of an explosion, and the plaque noted that he had 15 siblings(!). The walk back was mostly uphill (see map). There was a minor leech event, with Janet being the unlucky one this time.

You can do a loop back via the road but it's nicer just to retrace your steps back to the picnic area for lunch, or have it by the river. It's around 9km return, 3 hours. Notes for next time: consider doing it from the northern end. That way the walk is mostly uphill to the lunch spot, then mostly downhill on the way back.

June 2026 - Calvert's Lagoon

It was a beautiful sunny cold winter day and 13 folk showed up for this walk, organised this month by Angie with thanks to Warren for some helpful local knowledge. Participants were: Angie, Gerwyn, Wayne, Warren, Caroline, Fin and friend Jane, Prem, Philip, Bob, Gary, Summa and Graham. The plan basically followed walk #14 as described in Hobart’s Best Bush, Coast and City Walks.

We met up at 10.30 at the Goat Beach car park at the end of Calverts Lagoon Road. After some initial back-tracking, we found the track and set off anti-clockwise around the Lagoon.

Expansive views, samphire underfoot, wallaby and devil poo, and distant birds to admire.

Gary and Bob decided to take a short-cut across the Lagoon, but unfortunately they missed the track to the Beach.

The track led us through some delightful scrub with banksias and other flowering bushes, and crossed the Calverts Lagoon Road on the way to the Beach, where we stopped for a group photo.

We stopped for morning snacks at the south end of Calverts Beach below the Goat Bluff cliffs. And watched the surfers ride the incoming waves.

Fin, Jane, Prem and Graham decided to climb Goat Bluff and enjoyed the views.

While the rest of us walked back along Calverts and Goat Beach to the carpark, where we met up with Bob just before 1pm.

Then off to Angie Sues restaurant in Lauderdale for a smashing lunch.

May 2026 - Clarence Coastal Trail to Roches Beach

Gerwyn, with some assistance from Fin, organised this one. We had been watching the weather coming in earlier in the week with some doubt, but Thursday foretold Friday’s fair weather and so we gave the go-ahead. We were ten today: Gerwyn, Wayne, Di, David, Fin, Caroline, Graham, Dorothy, Angie and Maryanne. We met at 10.30am at the carpark at the very southern end of Seven Mile Beach and took the coastal track to Roches Beach. For the first part of the trail we stayed low on the rocks alongside the beach, led by Caroline who knew this path.

We then climbed up to join the main path.

It was a short path, and well-trodden, with plenty of fellow walkers and their dogs to say hello (hello, hello) to.

Some pics — including a well-made stone bridge, some small magpie-lark like birds (pee wees?), water for walkers and dogs near an unusual (to us) house, some curious (to us) ant nests, and an incontrovertibly beautiful sky!

We took our snacks with a bit of a squeeze around the picnic table at Roches Beach.

Then headed back via the bush track.

All up, we walked about 8 kms, and took about 2 hours (including our snack stop). Probably more talkin’ than walkin’ – but jeez it was good to be out!

There was an animated debate about the best place for coffee/lunch, and at last we set off up Surf Rd to find a recommended new cafe. Success! We found Tidal Cafe, a converted container near the plant nursery on Surf Road.

We were lucky to have arrived before the 2 pm closing that we hadn’t known about. Good coffee, beautiful pastries (no joy for our coeliac walker-talker), plenty of seating, and a nice cruisy, outdoorsy, push-bikie, walkie, talkie vibe. The track notes start at Roches Beach, but we seemed to manage it without walking backwards: Clarence Coastal Trail - Roches Beach to Seven Mile Beach Track | Greater Hobart Trails

April 2026 - Nierinna Creek, Margate

This month's walk was organised by David. At 10am on a lovely sunny early winter morning, we gathered at the quiet carpark at the end of Burnaby Drive in Margate.

Our walkers were: David, Catherine, Peter, Fin, Angie, Lyn, Di, Maryanne and Dorothy. Maryanne was celebrating her brand new EV - we almost had a majority of clean electric vehicles over smelly ICE vehicles bringing us to the walk today.

The walk started with an easy stroll beside the level Nierinna Creek, skirting some lifestyle blocks above us. The poplars were glowing with their autumn colours, it was very pretty.

There were some quaint little bridges to cross, these are great spots for lingering and taking a closer look at the creek, which was actually pretty low today, not much water flowing.

We stopped for a drink at the top of a set of steps. Then it was onwards and downwards to drop down beside the creek again. Here we were in damp almost rainforest bushland, the air was quite moist.

Then it was up and up some more steps, till we reached the end of the trail at the road. Here we caught our breath, chatted some more, and then turned around to return back down to the rainforest.

At the bottom we found a bench to sit on for our morning tea. A leech found Fin's lunchbox (yikes), but no others were reported. We strolled back to our starting point.

We then drove to nearby Hopfields Brewery in Margate for some refreshing drinks and a very pleasant lunch. Our booking was for 1pm and I think we got there a little earlier than that. It was a great finishing touch to a very pleasant day out with our friends :)

March 2026 - Clarence Foreshore Trail

Thanks to Wayne for organising this walk, and writing its story. The March walk was originally planned for Cape Queen Elizabeth on Bruny Island. Unfortunately the weather forecast was not great for Bruny Island, plus a few people couldn't make it due to other plans the day before or the day after the proposed walk. It was then determined to move the walk much closer to suburbia, so we settled on the Clarence Foreshore Trail from Howrah Beach to the Bellerive waterfront, partaking of lunch in Bellerive and meandering back to the starting point on Howrah Road.

The starters from Howrah Road were Catherine, Peter, Bob, Angie, Summa, Gerwyn & Wayne. A few of us met Angie at Atmosfire Cafe, Howrah, for a drink before the walk.

Along the track we passed the Howrah Primary School, where a few students were partaking in physical exercise, probably more energetically than us. At the Wentworth Bike Park & Play Park there were some parents and children enjoying a pleasant Friday morning.

We walked around the headland towards Bellerive Beach, and the headland is where we met Gary, who joined us there for part of the walk.

Coming down from the headland, we walked along Bellerive Beach toward Ninja Stadium, then walked around Victoria Esplanade to the Bellerive waterfront. Here we lost Gary, who had organised to have lunch at the Waterfront Hotel.

We checked out the boardwalk, then headed through the backstreets to find The Fish Bar at Bellerive Beach for a feed of fish & chips.

After lunch we headed back along the walking trail inside the dunes from the beach to provide a bit of variety in the walk. It was on this part of the walk that we saw a southern brown bandicoot, which is fairly common in this area. Unfortunately it was quite shy and didn't want to pose for a photo.

We continued back along the Foreshore Trail back to Howrah Road, said our goodbyes and went on our merry ways. All in all, a pleasant 3 hour walk (including lunch), not too strenuous and fine weather.