Exploring the Tasmanian Tarkine

By Susie Ashton-Davies

The Tarkine had been on my bucket list for so long I was just a little bit more than excited to have the opportunity to get amongst its rugged shorelines, ancient moss-covered forests and the mist-covered rivers at dawn.

Day 1

As our busload of nine “Diamonds” plus two World Ex guides whizzed through a picture-postcard of rolling green hills and pretty farmhouses across northern Tasmania from Launceston to Arthur River it was difficult to keep my expectations under control. 

 A First Nations lady, Trish, who performed a smoking ceremony using peppermint eucalyptus leaves that invited the local ancestors to welcome us to country, greeted us.

 She generously shared many of the traditional ways of the First People; how living sites (they are not called middens) date back 60,000 years to tell the story of sustainable and ancient lifestyles.  Possum fur is worn fur-inside for winter and fur-outside for summer: what a perfectly sustainable use of clothing for the time.

She showed us shells for jewelry, baskets and explained how their lives were connected and inextricably linked to the land for survival.

It was fascinating to learn first hand what it means to belong to the land as opposed to the western tradition of assuming land belongs to us as I reflected on my own white privilege.   

Full of new knowledge, beneath clear summer skies and with a bold Southern Ocean breeze blowing in directly from Argentina we hiked 3hours home to the mouth of the Arthur River.

The evening glow descended into a raw ocean sunset to end our day overlooking the river where once the Tarkina people lived before the British colonizers and missionaries turned up. As a nature lover I’m grateful that unlike much of the land here the Arthur was never a successful resource for mining or hydro hence its beauty has been maintained. 

Day 2

It was all aboard for a cruise up the Arthur River where coastal shrubbery gave way to tall trees and home to a resident wedge-tail eagle in a nest that was not much smaller than your average Mini. BBQ lunch was deep in the forest along with my first glimpse of real Tarkine …everything swathed in moss with cool streams and trickling water.

We cruised back and headed out to South Anna Rocks for a very careful scramble over some of the most jagged and lethal rocks I’d ever seen surrounded with abundant surging belts of Bull kelp.

That night the howling winds wrapped around our coastal cottage and rattled the windows making it much cooler and a challenge to remember that it was actually February and mid summer.

Day 3

We leave the river behind for a mountain adventure to Mt Donaldson – eyes peeled wide for a chance of seeing a Tasmanian Tiger, aka Thylacine, that was last sighted here over 80 years ago.

We hike up through dense shrubs of high grasslands to the trig station for a brilliant view of the Pieman River, the coast and all the diversity of the Tarkine. Sadly, small scars of raw earth in the distance are evidence that mining, logging and hydro systems are not far away from impacting this precious landscape.

After lunch by the serenity of the Savage River we hike along the River; ancient, sprawling, vines, mossy, we tread over soft beds of under growth laid down over 1000s of years making our foot falls almost silent.

It is the perfect way to arrive at Corinna – a small hamlet with a pub, cute cottages for visitors and a ferry.

Day 4

Dawn breaks and we are on the ‘Arcadia’ ferry putting through dawn mist to the river mouth that is all but choked with masses of driftwood – a timely reminder that logging has long been a way of life here. We hop off and head south through a small remote settlement of shacks. It is up and over a few small hills and we arrive at Conical Rocks; a haven of smooth weather-worn boulders clad in rich red-coloured lichen next to a dark roaring ocean; an organic version of Sculptures by the Sea.

We happily explored these monoliths, camera lenses collecting photos of small green gullies filled with driftwood and had fun imagining the shapes the rocks made.. a snail, a baby, a whispering bird, a whale. There is freedom as a card-carrying adult to still have a child inside.

Then, it was back on the ferry to Corinna and explore more forest and meander next to the Whyte River complete with colourful fungi, even more moss and vines in the hope of glimpsing a platypus. After a full day of rainforest immersion of rugged shorelines, it was easy to enjoy a BBQ, a glass of red and collapse into bed.

Day 5: It is back on the bus, over the river on the Fatman Barge and heading south and inland to the old mining town of Zeehan. Unfortunately, the Museum was closed. No problem. We all enjoyed the peace and serenity that comes with a lovely flat 5km walk along what was previously a railway track complete with a swing bridge to the Montezuma Falls;  named after the old silver mining company that existed here and had nothing to do with Mexico.  The falls were impressively high at 104m, for reference, that’s almost as high as the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and providing fabulous photo opportunities.

We spent the night by the lake at Tullah Lakeside Lodge and an an early night with the promise of a big hiking day.

Day 5

As so often happens when you know you have a big hike day ahead, the night was restless and the start was super early, 5.30 am. We were all delighted to see clear skies as we arrived at the track head for Mt Murchison. This was a tough steep track and six-hour round trip. All credit to our wonderful guides who managed us up this very gnarly, steep and sometimes quite, gulp, exposed track, past hanging lakes to the most spectacular view.

The descent was just as hairy with rock falls and difficulty finding the path at time.   

As we headed back to Launceston I felt a slight uneasiness. The stark reality is that The Tarkine is seriously under threat. It is not a National Park merely a Conservation area leaving it vulnerable to the exploitation of commercial interests that are more sympathetic to mining than preserving unique ecological habitats. 

Back in Launceston, it felt like I’d been away for longer than a week. Even now, weeks later, I still feel the Tarkine calling me back, not because I’m left wanting for anything, I just want to return.