January 2023 - Tahune airwalk

Many thanks to Angie for reporting back on this month's walk. The walks at Tahune Adventures, Arve River Road, near Geeveston, were suggested by Gary. The forestry based destination was badly affected by fires several years ago and most of us had not visited for some time.

Getting there: take the C631 from Geeveston, and follow the numerous signs to Tahune. Participants: Gary - the leader, Adam, Philip, Angie, Summa, Fin, Wayne and Gerwyn. We rendezvoused at the Franklin Palais cafe at 11am, and from there proceeded to Tahune Adventures, via Geeveston. There was initial confusion as to which walks, if any, required payment of the Tahune entrance fee, but this was clarified by the Tahune staff - the Huon Pine Walk and the Swinging Bridges Walk, as well as the Tahune Airwalk, all require an entrance ticket.

All the walks are easy, on well-made tracks, but some have steps and short steep sections. We set off first across the Tahune Bridge across the Huon River for the Huon Pine Walk. This short walk goes through some lovely wet forest, including lots of baby Huon pines near the River and large Huon pine logs washed up against the river banks.

The Huon Pine Walk was very interpretive and there were many white petals on the forest floor which were from the leatherwood trees, the flowers best seen from above whilst walking on the airwalk.

We stopped for lunch at a handy riverside picnic table.

Next we did the Tahune Airwalk, rebuilt since the 2019 fires. Not everyone felt comfortable enough to go to the end of the cantilever, but some of us found it exciting, and the views of the river were spectacular.

Views of the trees (especially the leatherwoods in flower) and the Huon River were great, but burnt areas of forest are still very evident.

Gary, Adam and Philip departed after the Airwalk, and the rest of us did the longer Swinging Bridges Walk to see the confluence of the Picton and Huon rivers. Two bridges cross the Huon River and the Picton River, and there is a short sidetrip between to the actual confluence and views downriver. Both bridges are very bouncy - a bit too bouncy for some tastes.

The remains of the McPartlan family's house are near the Picton Bridge. Collector of Revenues, Francis McPartlan, and his family lived here in the 1870s.

We got back to the visitor centre and cafe around 3.30pm and enjoyed some very welcome cups of tea and ice creams.