Lorrys Overland Trek Tales

23/12/2023

22/12/2023

Drove out to Max's Lookout and along the winding country roads to Scottsdale via The Sidling Lookout. If you love driving, this was the perfect route 👌 So blessed with the weather and amazing scenery🤩 🙌
Then headed to Ralph Falls via Ringarooma and kinda went on an adventure through Mt Victoria Forest Reserve, before driving through Blue Derby (MTB capital) and Pyengana (Pub in the paddock) 🍺 🐄
Loved this day ❤️🙏

20/12/2023

Pure natural beauty 🩵💙....and the scenery not bad either 😉😂
Photos don't begin to do it justice. This was most definitely worth the 3 hour drive with the girls 🙏

19/12/2023

19/12/2023

Out and about in Launie & surrounds

14/12/2023

Last day hiking 10.5k
We left camp early at 7am and hiked the 3 hours to Narcissus Hut where we waited for the Ferry which would take us ro the Overland Terminus at Cynthia Bay.

I am amazed at how good I feel considering all we have done, but the day feels bitter-sweet, as the excitement of finishing is overshadowed by the sense of sadness at the end of something so special.

We walk in muffled conversations and periods of silence, savouring the last of the treats nature had to offer. I love the freshness of the eucalypt forest in the morning. The varied convos with different group members makes the trek go fast and all seems well until we are about 1.5k from Lake St Clair. I reach down to the clip on the left side of my pack, and my phone is not there 😩 As the realisation dawns on me that it probably fell off on the last pit stop (I laid pack forward on grassy bank and phone must have come loose) I signal to the lead guide to stop and turn to my hike buddies, in absolute shock (face turned white and feeling sick as all photos from trip are on my phone) Over the next few seconds I am processing what this means as I may have to run back 2 k to get it, but we have a tight schedule to get ferry. I'm annoyed as I spent the entire trip with a lanyard around my neck attached to the phone so I didn't loose it! Then just as I am feeling so low, one arm shouts' it's there Lorry, in your top pocket' and sure enough, there is my phone in my right shirt pocket, with lanyard around my neck! 😂 I can't describe the relief I am feeling at this moment!! My heart rate went through the roof!! Anyway, without further ado, we march on crossing the swing bridge and along the banks of the lake to Narcissus Hut.
The End 😉
Well, not quite. It's nice to sit around the hut and eat the rest of our food and chat about our experiences on the track. Lots of other hikers come through and we recognise many from our encounters over the past few days. We walk another few hundred meters to the ferry Jetty and once the packs are loaded, climb aboard for the 25min crossing to Cynthia Bay. We pass Echo Beach (song plays in my head 🎶) and a few weary travellers sleep. I'm still buzzing, probably cause I still have my phone 🤣. On arrival at Cynthia Bay, another short walk to the Terminus building/visitor centre and leaving our packs lined up we make our way into the restaurant for the long awaited 'proper meal' and a pint! 🍺

Lake St Clair = The deepest lake in Australia 🇦🇺

12/12/2023

Spoilt with 3 beautiful falls - each one more spectacular 😍 Fergusson, D'Alton & Hartnett. MAGNIFICENT 😉🙏

11/12/2023

King of the Mountain day 4 ⛰️

Wowzers!! What an epic 500m climb! 5k sidetrip 🤩

Mt Ossa is the highest Peak in Tasmania and we were blessed to have such brilliant weather, and clear views from the top.
Gordon and I had a photo shoot at the top with our Buddy Up 💙🖤 on and we spent at least an hour up here just taking it all in. There was an episode involving myself with a bee 🐝at the base, before we ascended, but I will save that for now! Lets just say I have never heard a chorus of 'stand still' so loudly before! 🤣
We packed snacks and water but I found I didn't have enough and really underestimated how much you need to keep hydrated on this kind of climb. 🥵
I did say at about 3/4 up "is this a bad time to mention I have an issue with heights!😳 hahaha. Luckily I got up and down without having a "frozen " moment so all good.
I think everyone was on such a high from reaching the summit that going down was a breeze. Oh, except for the moment when a hiker behind and about 80m above us, slipped and caused a rock🪨 to come bounding down in our direction. Luckily, I turned at that moment and shouted out "rock" (in the same sort of tone as "Four" in golf) so Potato and Hot toddy managed to duck out of the way in time. 🙏
Back at base and thankful our packs hadn't been sabotaged by the Currawongs in our absence. 🐦‍⬛
Now for the 5k trek to Kia Ora

10/12/2023

A Du Cane resident Mr. Tiger 🐍

10/12/2023

DAY 5 Falls Day

Had the best nights sleep! I think I've sussed it now Lol I am ready to leave early again today (surprising myself with the organisation!) and even get time to clean and sweep the kitchen. I was up at dawn and went for a walk ( I know it seems crazy when we walk so much) and took in the falls and the plains in front of the hut. I had wanted to do Tai chi again but a lot of people about so early! I meet Bruno and we chat for a bit and walk to the helipad.

Just under an hours walk in rainforest, we hit the clearing for Du cane Hut. I am struck in awe at how lovely these gardens are and not a maintenance worker in sight! All naturale 😜 Someone says snake and everyone is looking with cameras at the ready! lol....Well, this is a bunch of hikers that absolutely love the outdoors. Hazmat gets a shot of the snake before it slithers away. I got a look but maintained my distance ( I've seen these things move at sp*ed)
Du Cane hut is similar to the old Pelion hut and there are books about its history inside. It was built in 1910 by Paddy Harnett (A snarer,Miner and bushman) and the Du Cane range was named after Charles du Cane who was the Governor of Tasmania 1869-1874. We again sign the visitors book with a group message.

Onwards we go. I love the fact that no one has a set place in this group and we move about, sometimes up front, sometimes behind.
We leave our big packs again and take off down the track to D'Alton and Fergusson Falls. They do not disappoint! We then head over to Hatnett Falls which is the tallest of the three and about another 1k away.

The group are really comfortable with one another now and everyone is taking photos for each other and sharing in the joys of this rare experience. Only hikers get to see these falls as there are no road access and you need to walk for days to see them. They are so completely unspoilt I feel I never want to leave.

Its a climb to Du Cane Gap when we start the track again, and I am feeling exhausted today and just want to get to camp. We arrive at Windy Ridge / Burt Nichols hut at around 5pm. Last night sleeping rough! lol We have dinner and a friendly Pademelon wanders around. I am starting to get used to this kinda life! I need to get changed and the toilets here are dire (putrid smell) so I opt to go to the hut and change in the drying room. Chummy boy is asleep in there so Hot toddy kindly offers to act as guard outside the dinning area. I strip off and quickly wash down and put my night thermals on then turn and realise there are windows all along one side facing rain tank ( public area to refil water) Hot toddy is laughing at my error and we return to camp giggling like we just polished off that miniature of rum!

10/12/2023

Mountain Day

Its a 300m elevation slow climb to Pelion gap and there is excited anticipation within the group as we are facing the biggest climb today - Mount Ossa 1617m and Tasmania's highest Peak. And I peak early with the lollies by downing a packet of Jelly beans before we even arrive.

We leave our packs at the junction ( still carefully covering with rain covers so the Black Currawongs cant gain entry - they have evolved to learn how to unzip zips with their pointed beaks!)
I'm still going strong with the one arm sunglasses - funny cause I'm missing the left and One Arm is missing the right!

Day packs with water, snacks, jacket, sunscreen first aid etc. We all feel so light after ditching the big packs! I will post Mt Ossa separately, but it was the most incredible experience and a highlight of the trip.

We return the same way and happy that the wildlife have not tampered with the bags. More snacks and toilet breaks (bush style) and photo shoot then heavy packs back on and continue our journey to Kia Ora camp. Its a gradual decent through Pinestone Valley and we have views of cathedral mountain on the left. I'm tail ending with potato and talk animatedly for about an hour (poor guy) as I am still hyper on adrenaline from the climb!

We arrive at Kia Ora late and quickly set up and a few of us - Gordon, St John, Hot toddy & Bruno head to the falls for a dip. it was sooo cold but nice to be refreshed after a grueling days walk. Also I am positive that the cold water therapy is helping the body/muscles to recover!

10/12/2023

About a 1k return walk from camp, this is the parks oldest constructed hut (1916) to accommodate workers at the Copper mine. Its used for emergencies now and there is a swim hole down at Douglas Creek. A few of the group wrote their names in visitor book and read the many graffitied names within the walls of the hut. A lot of history here. A bit dubious as to whether Spike ever visited😂

08/12/2023

RATS Day 3

We set off early and were greeted with the morning sun lighting the way through the buttongrass Moorland to Pine Forest Moor. As 5 mins would say "undulating" track, and today being a long hike, we take it steady and break often. Morning Tea is at River Forth Lookout and we are treated to a breathtaking view.
Hot toddy finds the arm from someone's glasses and jokes about this being a theme- comments are made about a business venture to set up sunglasses hut for future trekkers needs! Especially as myself and one arm have already have had this misfortune. Then I announce that the arm Hot toddy found, is in fact the one that broke from my glasses, and it must have dropped from my pocket!
Doh!! 😂

Trekking through the Myrtle Beech Rainforest, I cant help but notice the huge amount of fallen trees that all remain in situ (no overly maintained trails like other national park) and I am in awe of the Jurassic nature of it all. Todays hike has been long but relaxing and I love the fact that there are many moments to stop and take it all in. After crossing the Forth River we head in on boarded track, to Pelion hut. This is a large hut with a sweeping 360 veranda sleeping 36, but we are heading further up to the group campsite, which I have nicknamed , "Rottnest", for reasons that will become apparent.

After unpacking and setting up tents, I notice a sign in the kitchen hut that warns of a RAT infestation in the area and we are to pack all food and rubbish into our packs and leave them in Pelion Hut overnight. After a trip down to the Creek by swingbridge, we return to find the ranger setting traps inside the kitchen hut. I start to feel uneasy at dusk, but figure I'm so tired, and with a tipple of rum, I will sleep soundly. WRONG! As soon as the camp was settled around 9pm, I heard the first scurry of claws across the platform and my imagination begins to run wild. Images of sharp teeth and nails, fat bodied rats running over me all night flash in my mind and then escalate when I hear St John next door punching the tent and shouting for them to politely go away! Within moments of this, I hear them at my tent (sounds like biting or chewing/scratching noise) and I yelp, then pull the sleeping bag over my head and try to block it out. This continues till midnight, and I leave my headtorch on (infared) as a safety precaution. (I want to be able to see if one gets in) Lol. Sleep eventually takes over and I awake at 5am with the group, feeling completely unprepared to climb the mountain we face. But hey, another fear conquered 😜

07/12/2023

Photos courtesy 📸 Kris Amiet

07/12/2023

So, forgot to say yesterday that we had some late evening visitors to Group camp Waterfall. Some mature ladies walked through our tent area and whilst we all stood, looking very indignant (group camp-site are private areas booked for) the leader confidently walked past with her friends and said she was going skinny dipping in the brook behind us! Lol 😂
We end up becoming great track companions with Anne (She is a volunteer warden at Waterfall caretakers hut 🛖)

Day 2 brought more challenges as I had broke the right arm on my sunniest 🕶 and was unable to fix them. Fingers X they last the distance with one arm!! Yes, there were a few jokes about this. 🤣 We set off around 9am and it was a nice stroll for an hour (slightly undulating according to 5 mins) arriving at the raised deck by Lake Holmes, where we were to leave our packs and take a day bag. Here we chat to a young girl in shorts (yes it's that hot) who has planned to take 9 days to complete and has dehydrated food for that many days!
We set off walking the planks, we are getting quite used to these now. It's about 1.5k to the Lake. We are greeted with a big bay then scramble through the scrub to a more secluded beach. It's so nice here a few of us decide to take a dip. After the freezing water in the brook last night I am a bit reluctant, but give it a go and stay in up to my knees for a bit (I'm telling myself this is great therapy!! Lol Hazmat and Gordon also give it a go! I think my legs just went numb and I couldn't feel anything! Great to stand and take in the view of Barn Bluff next door 😜 5 mins tells everyone to get ready to leave in......😂 and then we go back the way we came. I've been snacking on nuts and crackers for 2 days now and starting to crave different food. We have wraps and a cheese stick/pepperoni stick as a treat 😋 Big packs on and continue Overland Track. 👣 We come to a dead tree that has a long history. 5 mins tells us that there are really old black & white pics of this tree back in the day. So we all take some snaps 📸 and carry on to Lake Windermere. As we approach I cam see a couple of black swans on the lake. We have a break in the seating area next to the lake before heading up to group camp-site. This has to be the best spot on the track to camp. The deck is raised up in the hills with sweeping views. So nice at dusk. We set up Tents again and by then a few of us head down to the lake for a swim 🏊‍♂️ Gordon, Bruno, St John then Hazmat joins us after. We swim out to the island and a couple of young girls show us how to find a rock under the water and stand on it. There are warm patches in the lake and this brings on a round of banter along the 'having a p*e' jokes🙄😂 Back to camp, dinner is bolognaise in bag which is warmed by jet boiler. It's actually not too bad. 😋 Tonight I am slightly more organised. I share a drop of rum with Hot Toddy & Hazmat and we all wish we had a campfire to sit around (total fireman in the NP) Dark by 8.30/9pm and we are leaving earlier tomorrow morning so I have to get organised!
The glasses stayed on ok 😎 and I thought my bladder had leaked 😳 but false alarm! Also, one arm broke their glasses today too so we're twinning 😁

06/12/2023

So after a few hours in the bus from the hotel, we arrive at Lake St Clair National Park, at Ronny Creek car park. There are 8 in our trek group with 2 guides. A few mins to put on our gaiters and packs then head over to the start in nervous anticipation.

A quick photo shoot at the Overland sign then quick march off on the board walks towards the incline going up and over to Crater Lake. We stop to have snacks and I chat to a lady who lost her husband 😂 Its ok she says, he went off walking and she is waiting for him to return. Hazmat asking for a clip to pin their hat on bag....offers come flying in with everything from pegs to rope but they are declined with"jeez its ok, honestly"
There are a lot of day walkers in this area. Climbing up to Marions lookout, we are treated to a chain link rail to pull ourselves up. Five mins is in front of me holding up a 2m long pole with a device on the end. I'm told he is trying to get a phone signal, which seems perfectly plausible until I find out the next day that it's actually a boom pole for video 🤣
Another photo shoot in at Marions (jackets on now as it's a freezing wind up there 🥶
We can also see Dove Lake from this height. St John takes the photo of me in front of Crater Mt and I return the favour. We are Jetboil buddies after all. We then head off across the Plains to Kitchen hut (base of cradle mountain ⛰️) for more snacks/lunch. On the way we cross a brook over a small wooden bridge and I spot a platypus swimming underneath.
After sampling our first try of the 'bush drop toilet' we continue on towards Waterfall Valley. This section is pretty flat but we head along a long stretch of narrow rocky track with many trip hazards. Difficult to navigate whist trudging along with 17k on your back!
We stop briefly at the emergency shelter. I didn't get a pic but it's like a snow dome/igloo. Not much further and we arrive at our destination. More steps to climb to our group camp-site, which creates a chorus of groans😩 then the fun starts! 🤔 Oh that's right, everyone seems to know what they are doing and busy themselves collecting water 💧 (need to add drops) rainwater from tank, putting up tents and sorting out jet boilers and cups of tea 🍵 I'm like a fish out of water waiting for instructions 🙄 I soon fall in, and five mins comes to check > am putting tent up correctly 😀 (so happy it works out) ⛺️ Fingers crossed it doesn't collapse overnight.
Then time flies as I prepare meal, go to brook to soak feet (it's so cold 🥶 that my feet burn with pain and I have to get out after 30secs! I do a set of tai chi then head back up the many steps to camp. Five mins is sleeping at bottom by rain tank hut sleep😴🛖 Potato provides the entertainment by telling Jokes🤣 Gordon gets out a deck of cards and we play chase the ace with Hazmat. Then hot toddy and Bruno join in. I'm amazed how quickly we have all bonded as a team and we are laughing out loud at this childish game, but it defo breaks the ice. Now it's dusk and we dive in tents ⛺️ but I'm so unorganised I'm still rustling around for another 30 mins which keeps St John awake next door 😬Day 1 done ✔️

04/12/2023

Finished!!! 🙏😉

26/11/2023

Spent today exploring Trevallyn Nature Reserve. Took the river trail 👣 past Sentinel lookout then continued to Duck reach suspension bridge (it actually swung a lot 😬) Interesting to see the old buildings still set up for people to view and read info boards. Climbed the massively steep steps up about 300m on Reedy Gully track then veered off on a loop to Deadmans Hollow. Some pretty spekky views and didn't see a soul on that section. Sat under my Joshua tree for snacks and chatting to Kookaburra, then continued the river trail to Trevallyn Dam. Weird seeing no water flowing over like we did last time (was winter tho) Hiked along the South Esk river trail to Trevallyn Lake, then a small walk on bitumen then Workshop fire trail being stalked by lots of little birds and butterflies 🦋🐦Then cut off onto Reedy Gully (Amazed to see an Echidna on the centre of the track) Locals tell me that they are around all the time. Also, deer 🦌 frequent that section. Back to Cataract Gorge for a dip in the pool and swim in the Gorge (feezin 🥶) but good leg recovery 👍 Grabbed a ☕️ and watched the 🦚 peacocks run around and the families enjoying the cable chair ride. Found a Britsh pub in town that does Roast dinner 😋 Makes a change from dry crackers and pot noodle! 😂

25/11/2023

The day started with rain🌧 but ended with sunshine, ☀️T shirt & short weather!
The people were so friendly at Parkrun (after it took me 3k to find it as I lost my bearings from hotel this morning) and I enjoyed repeating this cross country/muddy trail 👣 in the rain. Reminded me of England!
Then trooping around Launie town for last minute bits for the hike. Popped into visitor centre and waited ages for the couple in front who were complaining about their walk being cancelled last minute. 🙄 I know my lightning tracker pinged a few times this morning so I suspect that's why the guide cancelled. I felt sorry for the staff. They handled it well.
Took off to Bunnings which was about 1.5k from hotel then continued via Seaport (Marina with bars and restaurants) people sitting out and soaking up the sun 🌞
Did the river trail to Cataract Gorge via Kings bridge. The loop trail was closed due to rockfall, but the zig zag climb was open so headed up and enjoyed the views from the top. Did a loop of the tourist area and noted the pool was open ( Not the case in July a few years back) so may pack bathers tomorrow 🤣. Crossing over Alexandra suspension bridge, it felt like yesterday that I was last here. It's abundant with wildlife and the peacocks just wander around amongst the tourists. There was a wedding singer at the top cable chair stop and it was nice to just take it all in. (She was belting out an Adele tune) 🎶
Back to hotel for dinner and watch the AFLW prelim final. Go the Lions 🦁 😁

24/11/2023

Bye bye Perth, hello Launie! Was pretty cool flying over Champion lakes, where our dragon boat Regattas are held. Sad to see the bushfire smoke in distance tho 😪
Flight was great (apart from the Virgin baggage drop outage as I arrived 🙄) lol
Esperance was spectacular!! The landscape of Tasmania reminds me of the UK. Arrived in town to the Christmas Padgett 🎄 🙌 However, being 3 hours ahead it's 8.45pm already! Now to unpack and unwind 😁 😴