Tasmania

Well I made it to Tasmania and back in one piece

A friend of mine Jose was going out there to meet some friends and do some climbing so after checking the cheap Jet Star flights a plan was made and we ended up flying to Tasmania on Saturday the 14th march..

After arriving and checking into the hostel which had been previously booked on-line we discovered than no record of the reservation had been received.. So I ended up sleeping on the Sofa which would have been fine apart from the rowdy drunken group who were half cut when we arrived at about 22:30.

After Jose checked in we headed for Pizza and I decided to stop out for a few drinks to give the noisy people in the hostel a chance to quieten down as I was sleeping in the communal lounge which had been fairly busy when we went out..

I arrived back shortly about 12:45 to find out that the group had made no attempts to quieten down and were being ejected from the hostel. I was also informed of the car which had been burnt out in the hostel car park and decided that a peaceful nights sleep was out of the question.

I awoke about 8:45 the next morning.. Jose had gone to locate his friend from the US Gabe who is studying in Australia so I unfolded myself from the sofa and we all met up and went for breakfast which was nice but exceptionally overpriced but gave us a chance to chat and formulate some form of plan.


We met up with some fellow climbers and travellers and got the local take on where would be best to head... it didn't look good and the rain appeared to be moving in but our time here was limited and we wanted to make the most of it.. we jumped into the hire car and headed out towards Freycinet, a small peninsular on the east coast which is mostly national park.

On the way we stopped at Anaconda (the big Australian outdoor store) in the hope of finding the climbing guide as all efforts had failed due to shops not opening on a Sunday, we also looked at the chances of obtaining some camping equipment.. Whilst we couldn't hire any form the store one of the employees, Drew with a pink mohawk said he could lend us a tent.. winner...

So with our recently acquired climbing guide and camping kit we headed of to Freycinet, however as the first night was raining we decided to stop at the hostel on the camp site which also proved to be useful as we were able to liberate a number of cooking utensils which were to come in most useful.

The first day in Freycinet we went for the tourist walk up and over to wineglass bay then back through the bush to the other side of the peninsular and around to the car park.. the sun came out by the time we started and we enjoyed wonderful weather and views and resolved to go climbing the next day.

We camped that night on the beach and the wind picked up and it rained but the tent held and the grey morning invited us to change our plan but we knew the weather was blowing through and it would clear so we packed up and spent the next 4 hrs. trying to find the Crag which was only 1.5hrs walk in.. however due to unmarked paths a guide book written by someone who cant tell the difference between feet and meters and a hillside full of cairns leading in every direction but the one we wanted it turned into a hike to the top of Mt Amos which overlooks the hazards range and down to wineglass bay and the circuit we had walked the previous day..

After our failure at climbing on what we would have liked to be a climbing trip we ran to Launceston and spend a few days at the sports climbing venue of Hillwood a short 45 minute drive away. This proved to be just what was in order however there were serious doubts about the solidness of the rock but a few classic lines were sent and we had a great time before we left for the delights of Cradle mountain. Perhaps the must see area in Tasmania. The drive along the winding road took us past a small town called Sheffield so I stopped for a photo or two and we went past Mt Roland with a great 350meter easy climb up the shoulder which promised to be a great adventure for the willing.. however due to the state and condition of various ankles a bit of inexperience and lack of helmets on we opted to spend the next day walking the start of the Overland trail up to Cradle mountain.

We could not have picked a better day. It is said that the summit of this peak is in cloud for over 320 days per year and we didn't see a cloud all day. The peat bogs and moorland plateau that runs south through three national parks is stunning and the vista provided from the summit was fantastic. This day was the highlight of the trip so far and made any disappointment about the decision no to do the multi pitch on Mt Roland rapidly dissolve.

The 5 or 6hr walk was completed and we stopped of at the camp ground to cook dinner before a long drive through the evening back to Hobart where we were offer accommodation in a house of climbers.

The next morning we raced of to the Tasman Peninsular to take a look at the Famous Totem Pole. Which is a great finger of rock although dwarfed by the candle stick that sits next to it, its steeped in climbing infamy.

We were also greeted by the view of a huge pod of dolphins over 50 strong swimming around the coastal waters and playing, I assume they were in pursuit of a school of fish but it made the walk and the experience all the more rewarding when looking down from the cliffs to the clear ocean with such a scene laid out before us.

After camping the night and cursing all the possums that tried to creep up on us as we made out meal we left for Hobart and the flight back to our respective homes.. Iv now done my washing an am packing some things to send home before my last trip.. this one to Mt Arapiles where I hope to get some climbing done before my return to the UK.

photos are also now on flickr..