Bushwalk Australia

Hi everyone, my name is David and I am coming to Tassie from Scotland on 24th June 2011 for three weeks...yeh, yeh I know its winter but that's when my son can get some time off work! Anyhow, I am very OK with Scottish winter conditions and have read all about how its unpredictable there, just like here, can change anytime from sunshine to blizzards and wind chill like your ?!@$ fall off. Also been in Rockies, Atlas and Caucasus so like a bit of adventure.

We'll be in the St Clair area for 3/4 days and I've read a good bit and got the 1:100,000 map for the location and we'll have our winter 5 layers etc. but never bush walked/trekked in Tassie before, I wanted some advice:- what's the best route up Mount Olympus? any tracks/paths once off the overland trail or cuvire valley track on the route? can I expect to do it in a day round? what snow and ice to expect - will we need crampons? how hard is the bush walking off track? Also could I do Rufus and Hugel ridge in a day round at that time of year or is that stretching it? any other good advice apart from don't be stupid!

Maybe bump into you....................see you soon.....David

Coming from Scotland the weather conditions shouldn't have any surprises in store for you.

For starters you'll want to 1:25k Olympus map - the 100k isn't going to be detailed enough for Mt Olympus IMHO.
Being Tasmania the big difference you'll notice is the scrub. Its hard going if your not used to it, don't under estimate it.

A lot of people go up offtrack from just north of Echo Pt on the overland. I'm not sure if that is going to be much fun this time of year.
It'll be wet, cold, slippery and full of leaches. I've been up there in summer. It made a nice relaxing overnight walk.
The days are too short this time of year to sensibly attempt it in a day.

Maybe up from Byron Gap if there is snow around. Tassie snow tends to be very wet and slushy - always melting.
I'd be thrilled if I could get my crampons out, the reality is that you'll probably not need them. But I wouldn't completely discount it.

The Cuvier valley track is a bit overgrown at the start - we had a bit of trouble find our way a few weeks ago in fresh snow, but once
you get out on the plains its easy going. The approach from that side is meant to be okay. Its probably not the most scenic route.

You should be right to do rufus OR hugel in a day. Both in a day might be pushing it - summer would be fine.

Thanks Azza, if you were coming like us for a few days, what would you recommend? I like going to the top of things and it sounds like Olympus might not be a good idea this time of the year unless very good weather? Any suggestions as alternatives? It sounds like Rufus or Hugel would be OK? Anything else?

Great to have some help and advice.

David

Rufus is a good idea, Hugel not so, Little Hugel would be worthwhile and achievable, from Little Hugel you could head towards Hugel as the plateau provides fantastic views to the north.
In that area I'd give Mt King William 1 a go, I have done this in deep snow and it is quite achievable. If you have a clear day the walk on the plateau out from King William 1 is recommended and Mt Pitt and Milligans Peak can be included on the same walk.

Are you not going to Cradle Mountain? Plenty of good walking there and the same goes for Mt Field, both have excellent daywalks to various peaks.

Enjoy

If this is going to be the limit of your Tasmanian walking, I'd suggest you forget Mt Olympus. Certainly forget about Cuvier Valley. The track has been deliberately let go back to nature and the whole valley will be a trackless bog. Lake Petrach is superb but the most notable thing about the Cuvier Valley is the number of leeches.

Do something really special. Better to take the boat to the NW end of Lake StClair and go to the Pine Valley area. You'll be able to leave the tent behind and stay in the Pine Valley Hut and do some great day walks. (Note that a lot of Australians have hang ups about not carrying a tent so someone will probably arc up about this suggestion.)

JamesMc

JamesMc wrote: (Note that a lot of Australians have hang ups about not carrying a tent so someone will probably arc up about this suggestion.)

JamesMc

Yup you're spot on there (arc arc)

let me just ask a question.... if you were say halfway up the mountains in Lochaber in wintery weather and there was no room in a hut would you want to be tentless?

or worse - there was room.... next to a bunch of school kids etc etc!

room in huts is NOT guaranteed in Tasmanian parks and other walkers may get pissed off if you force them out due to your lack of equipment / planning / consideration.... It is a first there gets the bunk ( but safety takes preference in the end of course)

that said you may be fine. your choice....

i think the easy walk around Lake St Clair is underrated here - lots of stunning "enchanted fairy forest" without navigation challenges, and a shelter part way along.... but time might suggest the boat into more challenging areas...

I would always advise carrying a tent in Tassie.

Although having said that there's a few of us heading into a hut in July, I dont think we are going to be taking tents. The large amounts of Alcohol and other luxuries will have to act as earplugs.

Liamy77 wrote:
i think the easy walk around Lake St Clair is underrated here - lots of stunning "enchanted fairy forest" without navigation challenges, and a shelter part way along.... but time might suggest the boat into more challenging areas...

Everyone should walk the lake at least once....

Azza wrote:

Liamy77 wrote:
i think the easy walk around Lake St Clair is underrated here - lots of stunning "enchanted fairy forest" without navigation challenges, and a shelter part way along.... but time might suggest the boat into more challenging areas...

Everyone should walk the lake at least once....

I would suggest our English friend MODERATING HAT ON... careful he's comming from Scotland - you may have an angry Celt visiting ya! (i know my mum's Welsh... NOT English Liam) would enjoy the lake walk, one way at least, and JamesMc is correct that Pine Valley would be a pretty cool 2 or 3 day option, but I'd take my tent, huts are usually pretty rank to sleep in at the best of times, and downright awful most of the time.

Thanks everyone, great stuff, especially about day trips/tops and leeches etc. Back to the maps I think for a day or two and then watch this space! I like the site and you guys/gals seem to have much the same challenges as a night in a Scottish bothie - smells like hell but who notices after a few drams. And we don't chuck people out...just squeeze in more!

huts are usually pretty rank to sleep in at the best of times

My wife (who is a bit of a clean freak) stayed in all the huts on the Overland, with the exception of Echo Point/Pine Valley.

We didn't seem to think they were rank at all! Especially Pelion/Bert Nichols which were fairly new. Probably the dirtiest one was Kia Ora, but it was still quite good.

South_Aussie_Hiker wrote:

huts are usually pretty rank to sleep in at the best of times

My wife (who is a bit of a clean freak) stayed in all the huts on the Overland, with the exception of Echo Point/Pine Valley.

We didn't seem to think they were rank at all! Especially Pelion/Bert Nichols which were fairly new. Probably the dirtiest one was Kia Ora, but it was still quite good.

Generally it's the occupants that make it rank IMO but each to their own, the more people in the huts the better the choice of tent sites

Apologies re the English thing David, an understandable sensitivity, I'm positive you'll love Tasmania, you may never leave.........

South_Aussie_Hiker wrote:My wife (who is a bit of a clean freak) stayed in all the huts on the Overland, with the exception of Echo Point/Pine Valley.
We didn't seem to think they were rank at all! Especially Pelion/Bert Nichols which were fairly new. Probably the dirtiest one was Kia Ora, but it was still quite good.

Its not what you can see.....
There is actually quite a significant gastro problem associated with the overland track huts.
Particularly around the drinking water / toilet washing facilities and table tops.
I've never had gastro in 20 something years of walking in Tasmania till recently both times involving Bert Nichols hut.
Which had a single water tank with people putting their poo hands all over the drink water tap.
First time our group of 8 about half of us ended up with gastro either during the walk or shortly after getting home.
Lets say I'm a lot more cautious these days, but I wouldn't say our hygene was bad except for one of us.
He decorated the toilets at Lake Windemere - he is now known as the Windemere smear...
unfortunately when you've got people spraying feceal matter up the walls it makes avoiding catching stuff just that bit more difficult..

Azza wrote:

South_Aussie_Hiker wrote:My wife (who is a bit of a clean freak) stayed in all the huts on the Overland, with the exception of Echo Point/Pine Valley.
We didn't seem to think they were rank at all! Especially Pelion/Bert Nichols which were fairly new. Probably the dirtiest one was Kia Ora, but it was still quite good.

Its not what you can see.....
There is actually quite a significant gastro problem associated with the overland track huts.
Particularly around the drinking water / toilet washing facilities and table tops.
I've never had gastro in 20 something years of walking in Tasmania till recently both times involving Bert Nichols hut.
Which had a single water tank with people putting their poo hands all over the drink water tap.
First time our group of 8 about half of us ended up with gastro either during the walk or shortly after getting home.
Lets say I'm a lot more cautious these days, but I wouldn't say our hygene was bad except for one of us.
He decorated the toilets at Lake Windemere - he is now known as the Windemere smear...
unfortunately when you've got people spraying feceal matter up the walls it makes avoiding catching stuff just that bit more difficult..

Bert Nichols Hut has three water tanks including one at the Toilet for hand washing (as do most OLT toilets now) ,do not handle the cup in the rice hulls bins nor the toilet Lids ,never put food or cutlery directly on any hut table and use a hand sanitizer when ever possible as your own personal hygiene is a good gastro preventative.
On my last trip none of the huts were rank but some walkers are very lazy and dont clean up properly but that is the same as most aspects of life
corvus

*adds latex gloves to list for mandatory OT gear*

north-north-west wrote:*adds latex gloves to list for mandatory OT gear*

They were allways part of your kit wern't they NNW?!

Only if I'm walking with someone else.

edit: someone male, that is.

north-north-west wrote:*adds latex gloves to list for mandatory OT gear*

No real need just very careful handling if you are concerned twig to lift toilet lid , small handfull of hulls if you must ,jumper sleeve for the lock and so on, been doing the OLT from various points for over 25+ years (even prior to hand sanitizers) and because of "personal hygiene" have never suffered gastro nor have any of my walking companions so what has changed ???
corvus

its good to exwrcise the immune system every now n then eh?!

Bert Nichols Hut has three water tanks including one at the Toilet for hand washing (as do most OLT toilets now) ,do not handle the cup in the rice hulls bins nor the toilet Lids ,never put food or cutlery directly on any hut table and use a hand sanitizer when ever possible as your own personal hygiene is a good gastro preventative.
On my last trip none of the huts were rank but some walkers are very lazy and dont clean up properly but that is the same as most aspects of life
corvus

Exactly.
I would never touch anything in the toilets. Ever.
Shoe or stick to open/close toilet lid and lock/open door.
My own toilet paper (clean!) between my hand and the rice hull cup.
Once outside, hand gel sanitiser.

Two hand gels minimum - one for toilet, the other completely separate for before food preparation/eating - and labelled so!
Never put food on the benches, or touch the benches with utensils.
Avoid touching hut doors, taps, benches wherever possible, if not sanitise immediately after.
Try to dry utensils in the sun (UV light) and fresh air, generally hang my cutlery on the outside of my pack.

I remember walking the Overland when some French guy woke up at Waterfall Valley with chicken pox, so decided to stand under the water tank and wash his whole body in just his jocks, turning the tap on and off with the same hand.

Obviously the chicken pox didn't just "wash off" (DUH!), and he probably gave it to everyone else.

We found water enroute that day and aquatabbed our way to safety at Windermere.

A level A biohazard suit is an absolute must for the OT.
It's not all bad, they are warm, saves you carrying a rain coat and can be had for under a grand.


Or you could just act normal, not put your hands in your mouth and use hand sanitizer when it is sensible to do so (i.e. after toilet, when cooking etc.).

do you all sanitize your seat on the bus / doors of shops / boil your money for 10 mins???? the cleanliness thing can go too far here i think.... just wash your hands and you ought to be fine

I think you can go to far, I wash and sanitise after using toilets on the OT. The washing facility is outside the toilet so wash your hands and then a dollop of aqium. I ensure that any utensils do not touch tables in huts or anywhere else. I have a loop on the end of my spork so I can hang it whenever I dont need while preparing or cooking, usually hang it off my water bottle.

Roger

Would be simpler to avoid the huts.

north-north-west wrote:Would be simpler to avoid the huts.

Or the track, plenty of other amazing places to visit without the crowds.

Liamy77 wrote:do you all sanitize your seat on the bus / doors of shops / boil your money for 10 mins???? the cleanliness thing can go too far here i think.... just wash your hands and you ought to be fine

Plus 1 vote for sensible precautions. Washing hands after toileting, wash again before handling food.

Get a grip, there are far too many people who are overclean, they are the MOST susceptible to all sorts of infections because their immune systems have never been asked to get exercised.

Old saying I recall from my childhood early last century - "you gotta eat a peck of dirt before you die"

Just remember ... every product that "kills" 99.9% of bacteria - LEAVES 0.01% behind alive without any competition to build up resistances to our "sanitary" products.
Also as you don't build up your immunity, as said you will also be less able to fight stuff off.

Hi all and thanks for the posts...I'm back after a bout of gastro just listening to (and imagining!) all this and thinking I might bring a medic with me just to be sure - though by the sound of it he'd (or she'd - got to be correct) get the runs first if he's (or she's) too particular! Gosh I never thought I'd trigger a full on 'hygiene' debate...brings a new dimension to what to prepare for and pack! I've been in the Neltner hut in the Atlas and the 'new' Pruit hut on Elbrus and they were pretty rank - anyhow... I get the message on hygiene (never was one for going OTT on this - washing hands and cutlery works wonders!) - moving on...any more suggestions for 1day routes from south end of St Clair that take us onto peaks without getting leeches where it might be painful or getting lost? I like the look of the lake circuit too. We leave on Friday so looking forward to bumping into one or two of you somewhere en route.