The Overland Track
A few years ago while living in Melbourne, Brodie planned a trip home to walk the Overland Track with his dad and brother Ryan. We’d been living in the city for about 6 years, only making it past the expansive suburban sprawl every now and then. The thought of walking 65kms without a shower seemed so unachievable, but I set my sights on it and hoped that I would feel strong enough to do it one day. Hearing Brodie’s recount of the trip made my heart ache for Tasmania.
We moved back home not long after, and feeling like I needed to reconnect with nature, we started planning. Dad had been working in Antarctica for almost a year and was due back just in time, so we roped him in to what would be his second Overland adventure. My brother Jayden, and Brodie’s family also joined the crew. I felt completely unprepared, and 100% excited.
Day 1
Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley: 11km / 6 Hours
We stayed in accomodation close to Cradle Mountain and woke up early, determined to make the first bus in to the park. Before beginning the Overland Track during walking season, you are required to sign in at the visitors centre where you will pick up your pass and have your gear checked (this is incredibly important and the rangers are fantastic in helping to make sure you’re prepared and self sufficient before you head off in to unknown conditions).
Before this, I’d never done a walk for longer than 2 nights, so I was filled with nervous excitement. Would I feel anxious being cut off for this many days? Passes swinging from our packs, we piled off the bus and set up a tripod to take a group photo, marking the special occasion.
As soon as my feet hit the track my nerves were replaced with contentment. It wasn’t long before we began the steady climb up to Marions Lookout and I stopped to feverishly rip a few layers of clothing off. I’d been told many times before that this was possibly the hardest part of the entire track, and it definitely came close! With a pack weighing about 19kgs (I can’t even blame this on camera gear, as I only had my little Fujifilm X100s for this trip), the steady climb turned in to a hard slog, pulling myself up the chains to finally make it to the top.
We regrouped at the lookout and continued on to Kitchen Hut, revelling in the expansive views of Barn Bluff and Cradle Mountain. Kitchen Hut was bustling with people and Brodie and I huddled inside to make lunch out of the wind. Re-energised, we headed off for the final leg of the day. The hustle and bustle of the day walkers faded in to the distance, and the loud silence of the wilderness started to surround us.
As we descended in to Waterfall Valley where we would camp for the first night, I started to dream about taking off my boots. The weather was beautiful so we bathed in the afternoon sun before putting up the tent.
Day 2
Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere 8km / 3 Hours
Day 2 is nice and short, giving you plenty of time to take in the views of dolerite mountains and never ending forests. Along the way, we dropped our packs off at a junction and made a little side trip to Lake Will. This stunning lake has beautiful king billy pines all along the shore, some over a thousand years old. The clouds had rolled in, and with them some steady light rain. We sheltered under the scoparias to make tea and lunch.
We arrived at Lake Windermere with the afternoon ahead to relax. We put up the tent and raced to meet everyone down on the shore of Lake Windermere. The water was surprisingly warm and a few of us dove in (I made it to my waist and called it a day). That evening we cooked dinner together in the hut before turning in for an early night - tomorrow would be a long day.
Day 3
Lake Windermere to New Pelion Hut - 17km / 6 Hours
We woke up to a beautiful, still sunrise. Barn Bluff stood proud in the distance, and mist rose from the lake. I sat at the door of our tent, gazing out in awe and wondering if life could get any better. After a wander along the shore of Lake Windermere, we packed up camp and got going.
Day 3 is the longest day of the trip and travels through a few different landscapes, from large open buttongrass plains, to dark, mossy forests. Thankfully the weather held it together and we made it to the top of the affectionately nicknamed “heartbreak hill”. It was quite a warm day and I was so excited to get to New Pelion Hut - my feet were aching like crazy and the promise of a creek swim was in sight.
New Pelion Hut is my favourite on the track. It’s beautifully designed with a verandah wrapping all the way around, nice open social spaces and plenty of rooms to comfortably sleep in. The view from the verandah is absolutely beautiful, overlooking the surrounding mountains. After resting our feet and recharging with a cup of tea, we went for a walk to find Old Pelion Hut. A little further on, we found the creek we’d all been dreaming about and had a well-earned, heavenly swim.
Another camper warned us that there was a giant tiger snake living under the toilet block (awesome, I thought! I didn’t need to pee ever again anyway). I hadn’t ever seen a tiger snake in the wild and I was very scared of them, so this was some alarming news. Luckily the snake didn’t show its face... I’ve had quite a few snake encounters since then and my intense fear has turned in to more of a cautious respect and fascination.
We explored around the hut for as long as the light would let us, watching wombats, echidnas and pademelons happily going about their business. We hopped in to our sleeping bags that night filled with contentment, no idea of what we were in for the next day…
Day 4
New Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut - 9km / 3.5 Hours
We woke up on day 4 to a very different scene. The mountains were all hidden in clouds, and the wind was fierce. We had breakfast inside while I came to terms with the fact that this weather wasn’t going to improve any time soon. We put on our rain pants, gaiters, rain jackets, gloves, anything we thought would help. I think about this day all the time as I so vividly remember standing on the verandah watching the weather turn, trying to psyche myself up. Walking out in to the open was like walking in to a washing machine. We couldn’t hear each other over the wind and my vision was blurred by the pelting rain. The next three hours was a hectic b-line to the next hut, stopping for a few minutes here and there to check in with each other.
We reached the most exposed part of the track and I madly chomped down a Clif bar as I jogged to keep up with the family. The rain was so heavy that my Clif bar was soggy and melting before it even reached my mouth, and by this point my boots were filled with water. Sleet and hail started to hit us as we began the traverse across Pelion Gap. Our packs were like sails, making it easy for the wind to catch us and throw us off the boardwalk.
Maybe I was delirious, but it was one of best days of walking I’ve ever had. For all three hours I couldn’t wipe the grin of my face and I found myself laughing out of pure joy when thunder rumbled above while we rushed through a section of dense rainforest.
When we arrived at Kia Ora Hut it was already pretty packed as a few groups had decided to stay put for another night and wait for the weather to pass. We struggled to find free space to hang all our wet gear. Every beam in the hut was used to hang dripping clothes, and tent ropes were tied in a giant clothes drying web. I was so relieved to change out of my cold, wet clothes. Exhausted, we hopped in to our sleeping bags to warm up. Sleep was so delicious that night.
Day 5
Kia Ora Hut to Windy Ridge - 9km / 4 Hours
I was disappointed to discover that my stuff had hardly dried overnight. The rain was still coming down outside so I knew I would be wet within no time anyway, and I reluctantly put on my wet clothes, socks and finally squealed as I slipped my feet inside my boots to find puddles still in there. By the time I’d packed up and had breakfast, I’d warmed up a little.
We set out in the rain, stopping briefly at Du Cane hut to take shelter for a snack. This beautiful old hut was built by a trapper back in 1910 and now remains a special bit of history, only to be used in an emergency. Our wet clothes had us cold as soon as we stopped moving, so onwards we went. Day 5 is mostly walking through dense rainforest, with a subtle, tree root covered track. It requires a bit more concentration to avoid slipping or losing your way.
About half an hour later, we got to our first side trip of the day, D'Alton and Fergusson Falls. These gorgeous waterfalls are on the Mersey River, and only a half hour return detour from the main track. The persistent rain only made them more beautiful. A little bit further down the main track we came to the second turnoff, a side trip to Hartnett Falls. Admittedly, the cold was really starting to seep in to my bones by now, so I raced to the falls, took in the view for a few minutes, and after a quick photo, raced back up the hill to continue on, leaving the rest of the family behind.
From Hartnett Falls it’s about another 90 minutes to Bert Nichols hut at Windy Ridge, but after walking for a few days in the rain, that 90 minutes felt like about 90 days!! We finally arrived and I couldn’t get in to my dry clothes quickly enough. It was finally time to bring out the big guns - my travel hot water bottle that everyone laughed at me for bringing.
We had a great night playing games and eating the treats we’d been stockpiling until now.
Day 6
Windy Ridge to Narcissus River - 9km / 3 Hours
We woke up to rain again but I didn’t mind. The wet clothes went back on and we warmed up making breakfast and getting our packs together. We’d planned to take the boat from Narcissus Hut back to Lake St Clair Visitors Centre instead of walking the length of the lake, making the day’s walk nice and short. The rain had been so continual for the last few days that it’d turned the track in to a creek and we all squelched along in our water heavy boots until we finally reached the last hut. I felt such a mix of emotions; exhausted, relieved, cold, proud of myself, but mostly sad we had come to the end of our adventure. I knew this was the beginning of a long love affair with hiking and I felt like I’d been shown a glimpse in to a whole new and wonderful world.
After radioing through to the visitors centre to confirm our pickup, we waited in the rain for the boat to arrive, frozen and shivering. As it pulled up to the dock we realised that it was my Uncle Michael at the wheel, such a nice surprise to see a familiar face. A choppy ride ensued, and we enjoyed a beer and some hot food at the other end before the drive back to Hobart.
In Summary
Where - The Overland Track begins at Ronny Creek near Cradle Mountain and travels through spectacular mountain, alpine and dense forest landscapes, ending at Lake St Clair visitors centre.
Difficulty - Medium. This walk is not an easy undertaking. If you are well prepared with a reasonable level of fitness though, it is a really achievable multi-day trek! The track is well built, many areas with boardwalk, and the hut facilities are great. The most challenging thing about our trip was the weather - unknown conditions are always a risk when doing such a long walk, and if you haven’t packed appropriate food rations and brought all the right gear for temperamental weather or emergencies, you could very quickly end up in trouble.
Distance/Time - 65km, taking us 6 days. There are many ways you can choose to do the Overland depending on how many side trips and mountain summits you want to do along the way. Unfortunately our trip was mostly confined to the main track, due to bad weather - just one of many good reasons I can’t wait to do it again some day!