Bushwalk Australia

I'm a bit confused as to whether SE Cape is officially accessible or not. About eleven years ago I walked through from Scotts Peak to Cockle Creek and I'm sure that on the last day we saw signs indicating a track to SE Cape, presumably on the Lion Rock to Cockle Creek track.
Down that way again recently and there was no sign of such a track. Am I imagining things or was there an official track and now there isn't?
I understand that it is possible to access this area but that's not my question.

I think you were imagining it

No official track track to SE Cape, no signs at all.

stepbystep wrote:I think you were imagining it

I was afraid you'd say that! Has there ever been any signs to an alternative location along the Lion Rock/Cockle Creek stretch?
Only other thing I can think of is that we discussed the possibilities of visiting SE Cape and the intervening years have turned the conversation into a track. That'd be the way to build tracks!

I've heard of 2 trips to the cape 1 party made it and the other didn't. Both reported horrendous scrub... There has probably been more though.

HWC went there not so long ago, there's an old track.. it's not too bad from reports.

I've heard its good. The upper reaches got washed away or something, so you need to walk along the beach first.

ILUVSWTAS wrote:HWC went there not so long ago, there's an old track.. it's not too bad from reports.

Is an old track, a really old track, or is there some hope for my sanity? Could it have been there in 2001?!

rupert wrote:

ILUVSWTAS wrote:HWC went there not so long ago, there's an old track.. it's not too bad from reports.

Is an old track, a really old track, or is there some hope for my sanity? Could it have been there in 2001?!

No, sorry. Your insane.

I think it's a very, very old track.

I remember reading a report on a trip to SE Cape many years back - I assume in Tasmanian Tramp - that described it as a very tough scrub bash.

Mark F wrote:I remember reading a report on a trip to SE Cape many years back - I assume in Tasmanian Tramp - that described it as a very tough scrub bash.

Are you sure that's not the SW cape??

ILUVSWTAS wrote:
No, sorry. Your insane.

Thanks for that. I've suspected it for some time but it's good to have it positively confirmed!

Ok I just contacted a mate who's been there, I suspect Mark F is thinking of the SW cape which has a reputation as being scrubby andnot worth the effort, chapman says the same in his book.

I asked my mate about the "track" his response was....

A great day. The track was very good 95% of the way, just a couple of brief stretches overgrown with bracken but they are taped. There were a number of people on the walk who had done it before & they knew where the start was - in the ........... you come to, roughly ......... along the shore. Would be easy to find again. We were able to walk on the shore there and back as low tide was at midday.

I blanked out the details in line with the forums "rules"

Thanks for that. I also have some information on the current access and can fill in the gaps in your post. Doesn't sound like it ever intersected the South Coast track which confirms your earlier diagnoses.

The tough scrub bash was to South Cape I'm pretty sure- from memory it was a fairly recent article.

No worries!! If you want further info or to double check your info, feel free to PM me for details.

mjdalessa wrote:The tough scrub bash was to South Cape I'm pretty sure- from memory it was a fairly recent article.

South cape as in the one in the middle? Not SE or SW cape??

Yes there are 3.....

ILUVSWTAS wrote:There were a number of people on the walk who had done it before & they knew where the start was......

I reckon that would be a great start...

ILUVSWTAS wrote:I blanked out the details in line with the forums "rules"

If there's a taped route, that wouldn't be against the forum rules, unless of course someone from parks specifically requested not to publish due to environmental / degradation concerns. My suspicion was that there was no published route as it was quite horrendous, but perhaps I'm wrong.

Tastrax?

ILUVSWTAS wrote:No worries!! If you want further info or to double check your info, feel free to PM me for details.

Thanks for that, I may take you up on it one day. It's somewhere I'd like to visit but it's not up the top of the list. My query was inspired by not seeing a track that I thought was there.
Your insanity explanation, combined with a terrible memory, seems to be a credible explanation. I can only think that we discussed why there wasn't a track and the passing years has morphed that discussion into there being a track.
All rather confusing really!

tasadam wrote:

ILUVSWTAS wrote:There were a number of people on the walk who had done it before & they knew where the start was......

I reckon that would be a great start...

ILUVSWTAS wrote:I blanked out the details in line with the forums "rules"

If there's a taped route, that wouldn't be against the forum rules, unless of course someone from parks specifically requested not to publish due to environmental / degradation concerns. My suspicion was that there was no published route as it was quite horrendous, but perhaps I'm wrong.

Tastrax?

Yes, you are wrong. From all reports it's quite pleasant and open. but it passes through dunes which shore nesting birds use to nest, therefore parks (and landcare and others) dont like people walking through there.

ILUVSWTAS wrote:Yes, you are wrong.

Me, wrong? That led me on a search, I got curious because I could vaguely remember reading something a long time ago...
Here it is - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2157&p=18440#p18440

Nice one sleuth!

Hmmm well for once Phil is also wrong (maybe doing his job well as a PWS???) as i've seen the photos, and there is no scrub..... :p

Actually, let me re-phrase that.... as Im learning what I call scrub, is TOTALLY different to what most people call scrub, and what's there may well indeed by considered scrub by many.

ILUVSWTAS wrote:

mjdalessa wrote:The tough scrub bash was to South Cape I'm pretty sure- from memory it was a fairly recent article.

South cape as in the one in the middle? Not SE or SW cape??

Yes there are 3.....

Yes, South Cape. I can try and dig out the article if your interested. It looks like an interesting place with some very high consistent cliffs.

Hi All

I'm new to forums but, if you are interested, my son and I walked to South-East Cape in Feb 2011. A very pleasant day out. Trip report is at http://ajwatton.customer.netspace.net.a ... 0walk.html

Cheers

tonyw180

tonyw180 wrote:Hi All

I'm new to forums but, if you are interested, my son and I walked to South-East Cape in Feb 2011. A very pleasant day out. Trip report is at http://ajwatton.customer.netspace.net.a ... 0walk.html

Cheers

tonyw180

Great post thanks Tony. That's settled that then

rupert wrote:

ILUVSWTAS wrote:No worries!! If you want further info or to double check your info, feel free to PM me for details.

Thanks for that, I may take you up on it one day. It's somewhere I'd like to visit but it's not up the top of the list. My query was inspired by not seeing a track that I thought was there.
Your insanity explanation, combined with a terrible memory, seems to be a credible explanation. I can only think that we discussed why there wasn't a track and the passing years has morphed that discussion into there being a track.
All rather confusing really!

rupert wrote:

ILUVSWTAS wrote:HWC went there not so long ago, there's an old track.. it's not too bad from reports.

Is an old track, a really old track, or is there some hope for my sanity? Could it have been there in 2001?!

Just spotted this thread.

Been there quite a few times, but not in the last 3 years.

The the track/route was there well before 2001.

AFAIK there's never been a clearly marked turnoff. It used to be quite "spottable" though if you knew what to look for.

There's quite a nice campsite not very far from the turnoff. We've used it as base for day walk out to the cape a few times.

HWC's Greg D took me on it the 1st time, he has explored the area quite a bit.

dq.

I believe I led the first walking party to the most southerly point in Australia. South East Cape. That was in the early Seventies with my wife and I think 3 walkers from HWC. Very scrubby. Could not walk along at water level so we scrub bashed along the ridge. Can not remember if we camped out on the end of the ridge or back at the beach. Built a large cairn of rocks at the end as a little ego trip but it has since been dismantled.
Visited South East Cape again a few years ago as a nostalgia trip and to my amazement there was a super highway out to the end.
Had a lot of fun in Tassie.
Those were the days.

Barney Pig wrote:I believe I led the first walking party to the most southerly point in Australia. South East Cape......

It could probably be called the most southerly point of mainland Tasmania but certainly not Australia as there are jags of island further south that are still part of Tasmania/Australia. Macquarie Island being the largest (I think) at about 54 degrees south.

There is always one.