June 2023 - takara limuna and Shag Bay

Eight of us rocked up for an easy walk from Lindisfarne around the Clarence Foreshore Trail To Gielston Bay and from there onto the new takara limuna (SheOak Walk) in the Bedlam Walls Reserve. Kat, Philip, Wayne, Gerwyn, Di, Fin, Angie and Caroline were today's keen walkers. It was a lovely day, warm enough, sunny and dry :)

We parked at The Esplanade, near Beltana Park, and set off at about 10.10am. The Foreshore Trail is a very pleasant, wide and well made shared pathway. When it is not right on the waterline it is meandering through a park or quiet residential streets. At the Gielston Bay playground we regrouped (and changed clothing layers), set off over the little bridge, turned left and entered the Bedlam Walls Reserve.

The path here is still shared (pedestrians and riders) but here it is narrow and unsealed. As it was a Sunday, the trail was quite busy with dog walkers and MTBers. Soon we came to the brand new takara limuna section. The signage is excellent and the new paths and carvings are expressive and artistic.

You can get a really good sense of how the original inhabitants lived and enjoyed life here.

Meanwhile inquisitive strangers are carefully kept away from the more sensitive areas. There is a friendly firepit for the local community to gather around for ceremonies.

Near here we found a beautiful example of a sprawling E. viminalis (Gerwyn's favourite tree).

The 1889 book "The Useful Native Plants of Tasmania" records that common names included White Gum or Swamp Gum of Tasmania, Manna Gum, Grey Gum, Blue Gum and Drooping Gum. It also states that "From the bark of this tree a kind of manna exudes. It is a crumbly white substance, of a very pleasant, sweet taste, and much in request by the aborigines".

We continued on down into peaceful little Shag Bay and made sure we reached the little bridge across the creek at the top of the bay.

On the way back, Angie and Fin showed us a source rock - an igneous intrusion into the predominant sandstone that was used by the aborigines to chip off stone tools. Pretty special.

Then it was a pleasant stroll back along the way we had come.

Back at Lindisfarne by 1pm, we enjoyed a very pleasant lunch sitting outside in the sun at Currency Cafe (it was originally a local bank branch). They have quite a varied menu and good coffee. Thanks everyone for another beautiful day on the trail. The total walk was about 11 km, and we took about 2h 45mins in total.

May 2023 - Crescent Beach

We had a corker of a late autumn day for this walk, organised by Bob. Wayne, Gerwyn, Di, Angie, Dorothy, Kat, Philip and Bob met at the Remarkable Cave carpark at 10am, with the morning showers clearing away nicely. Before long, we were ambling along the comfortable path towards Crescent Beach.

There was a massive swell coming in from the Tasman Sea, providing a dramatic backdrop for our walk. We later heard that the waves around the corner at the surfies' mecca, Shipstern Bluff, were some of the largest on record.

As a result of the swell, the Maingon Blowhole was revved up and put on a great show for us. Lots of blows and a devilish sulphur smell. What a treat.

The view from the lookout over Crescent Beach was magic.

Today it was the five women in the group who decided to take on Mt Brown. Up we went!

Women on top!

The view over towards Cape Pillar and Tasman Island was magnificent. There was some reminiscing by those of us who had enjoyed the Three Capes Walk on the other side of the bay.

Back down to the track, and Crescent Beach hove into view.

As usual, we had it almost all to ourselves, we are so lucky here in Tassie (smug mode). We settled on the rocky outcrop in the centre of the beach and broke out our sandwiches, biscuits and fruit. Admiring the unusual surf, we noticed it was getting closer, and soon we realised that the tide was still coming in.

At about 1pm we headed back. It was just in time, as we very soon had to run from a rogue wave that raced right up the beach towards us. Wayne was unlucky to be caught with nowhere to run to, and had to endure sodden shoes for the rest of the walk back.

There were quite a few flowers out, including pimelea nivea and heaths.

Loading quickly back into our cars, we reconvened at Bangor Wines for refreshments and more chat, before making our ways home. A golden day to remember.

April 2023 - Lake Skinner

This walk was organised by Caroline, and got a great turnout: Kat, Philip, Gerwyn, Wayne, Lyn, Caroline, Warren, Keith, Ruth and Fin. It is a 7km walk through a lovely forest to a beautiful lake on top of the mountain. The group was hoping to see some fagus "turning" around the lake at this time of year too. The trail is classified as hard but recent reports of track improvements were encouraging. https://www.et.org.au/lake_skinner

The group met at the carpark in time to start the walk at 9.30am. This meant leaving the city at about 8am in order to allow time for coffee on the way (Summer Kitchen Bakery in Ranelagh is a good option).

Kat reported: Although only supposedly about 7kms, it was graded hard for a good reason - the slippery roots and rocks that seemed to go on forever! Took us 2hrs 15 each way as we had to concentrate every step. Good thing it hadn't been very wet the last few weeks too, as the path had some proper muddy sections and the rainforest was drippy enough without it (lots of fungus as a result). Still, a good day out!

Lyn mapped the walk:

And Kat took these great photos:

Note that the suggestion is 3 hours for this walk (!)

While the track was challenging, the walkers's comments included: "A tough but beautiful walk today in the SW - thank you all for your company!" and "Thanks Caroline for a great plan, well executed! A lovely day, thanks to everyone".

March 2023 - Hartz Mountain

This welcome return to Mount Hartz was organised by Angie, and the walkers were herself, Fin, Caroline, Warren, and Gary. The weather was excellent. The team arrived at the Hartz 'Day Centre' (which is a picnic shelter and toilets) car park, ready to set off at 11am. It was a very pleasant day on the trail, although some commented on the (relative) congestion, with many weekend walkers taking advantage of the beautiful autumn weather.