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.