* Local saying
After a wintery start to summer in Hobart including our coldest summer day in 50 years (11.5 degrees and snow on the mountain if you were wondering) I jumped at the opportunity for some sunshine on the west coast. I rolled off the Fatman Barge at Corinna at 6pm after the long drive. It was a beautiful evening so I scrapped my plan to camp there and instead loaded everything into my sea kayak. A couple of hours of paddling down the Pieman River and I was at the heads in time for sunset. Gotta love our long summer days.
I camped at Hardwicke Pt that night listening to the sound of a motorbike over the river until it was dark and then there was only the sound of waves crashing, something which was to be a constant for the rest of the trip.
The next day I headed north along the old 4wd track spotting my first and only snake. I passed a tent at Interview River but didn’t see the couple whose boot prints I had been following. I took my shoes off to cross the river but it was shallow and the whole area seemed relatively dry, unlike the east of the state.
The next section was along an endless beach, backed by huge sand dunes which felt more like being in a dessert rather than Tassie. Of course the ocean was still there and there was a quite a bit of rubbish if you looked despite the fact the next continent to the west is over 10,000km away. After crossing Lagoon River I camped at the aptly named Camp Ck on the sand having covered about 30km.
The next day only required a daypack as I continued north along a mixture of beach and 4wd track. I passed a massive whale vertebrae on the way to Sandy Cape, reaching the lighthouse at lunchtime.
As I began tracing my steps I came across three 4wd’s, one of which had recently been partially submerged (half way up the doors on the inside) in a bog hole. Young guys from Melbourne, they were standing around drinking beer and generally taking it pretty well (except for the guy who owned the 300 series Landcruiser which was now drying) . They offered me a beer so I stopped for chat and they told me about the great Tassie adventure they were having. I refrained from asking why they hadn’t used the perfectly good detour around the bog hole. I returned to my camp after a 32km day.
The next day I headed south over the same route as two days before. This time I met the couple who were still camped at the Interview River having a very relaxed time. She recommended Georgia (the country) for hiking, having grown up there.
On the way I stopped for a swim in a rock pool which was somewhat warmer than the ocean where I also had lunch. It was still early when I reached Rupert Pt and Foam Ck but I was reluctant to finish so I decided to stop for the night. I was glad I did as Rupert Pt turned out to a incredibly diverse area with fields of flowers and low succulents leading out to craggy peaks with hidden pools and sea caves. The dark folded rock contrasted with the aerated ocean.
Afterwards I sat and watched the waves roll in from a great distance and explode against the shore – it was better than Netflix. It was actually a calm day that day so its hard to imagine what it must be like in a storm (the driftwood 50m back from the high tide mark is an indication).
On the last day I walked the short distance back to Pieman Heads, passing a group of day trippers with a guide. After loading the kayak (which was still there!) I paddled out of the heads for a quick look then crossed over to the shack side of the river. I walked up towards some locals, only to be informed that there was a tiger snake heading my way. After I chat I returned back up the river into a stiff breeze, stopping at Lovers Falls for lunch. Back at Corinna I loaded the car, had a quick swim then headed for home after a refreshing break.
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