March 2022 - Organpipes and Lost World (kunanyi)

Wayne and Gerwyn came up with this idea for a couple of easy but scenic walks that we could combine to make a good day on the mountain. Our schedule was: an amble from the Chalet along the Organpipes Track to the junction with the ZigZag track, and return. Snacks at the Chalet, then a short drive to the Big Bend carpark, then a short walk to The Lost World.

Our group was Wayne, Gerwyn, Bob, Kat, Philip, Di, Angie and Fin (welcome Fin!). We scored a fab Indian Summer of a Sunday, and the mountain was very busy with visitors. Parking was at a premium, so car-sharing was the go, and the kunanyi bus service would be worth trying next time. We met at The Chalet at 11am and set off. Our first delight for the day was Kat showing us a tiny native freshwater shrimp in the pool just above the Chalet. She has identified it as Anaspides tasmaniae, a species of fresh water crustacean only found in Tasmania. It is also known by the common name "mountain shrimp".

The views over the city were great of course, and we could also look across and see The Lost World, our post-lunch destination.

A little further along we heard and saw some intrepid rock climbers taking on The Organpipes.

And the moon!

Some of us practised remembering the names of the mountain plants, here's a selection of what we identified: Mountain currant (Coprosma nitida) (pictured); Mountain pepper; Fagus cunninghamii; Hakea lissosperma; Water fern (Blechnum wattsii); Richea dracophylla; Pineapple grass; Banksia marginata; Snowberry (pictured); Thymeleaved purpleberry (Trochocarpa thymifolia) (pictured, this was on the Lost World track, drier terrain than the Organpipes track).

Then there was the fungus that Bob has identifed as: Hypholoma fasciculare var armeniacum.

After a chatty lunch in the Chalet, we moved up the road to Big Bend, and ventured into the Lost World.

For most of us it was our first visit there, and we were entranced. The trail has not been groomed for mass visitation, so is rocky and has steep bits. Within minutes we felt like we could have been lost in rugged rocky East Coast terrain.

We didn't risk descending off the cliff face onto the Old Hobartian trail, but just enjoyed the spectacular views and the easily obtained sense of remoteness. We parted ways and headed home at about 2pm, it had been a great day on the mountain.

February 2022 - East Cloudy Head

It was time to revisit this lovely walk, which we last did in 2014. Di and Dorothy made a full Island Weekend of it, staying overnight in a nearby cabin and making the most of the trip to Bruny Island by squeezing in some additional short walks. Angie did the same, staying with her friend Anne and bringing her along on the walk (welcome, Anne!).

Kat, Philip, Wayne and Gerwyn came over in the morning. Fortunately the ferry sailings are more frequent these days (every 20 minutes) so there is usually less of a wait at the jetty. We all met up at the carpark at Whalebone Point at about 10.30. After some catching up and organising we were setting off along the beach by 10.50am. It was a warm sunny morning, just perfect for the stroll along picture perfect Cloudy Bay.

The long easy walk is made for talking.

Inevitably we got to the "up" bit. It was a fairly steady climb, through some coastal heathlands and some small patches of trees. The views got better and better. There was a little less breath for talking.

A sea mist started coming over from the East, a bit unusual for these parts. The scenery got moodier, but was still very beautiful.

The sea coast was stunning.

Celebrating reaching the top!

After a short stop for lunch at the top of East Cloudy Head, we headed back.

The walk was about 13km and took us just under 5 hours.

Those returning by ferry that day encountered a long queue and had to wait almost an hour and a half at Robertsons Point. A great walk, and excellent company.