18 October 2013 - Treasure Island Caravan Park, Berriedale, Tasmania

I could say we were short changed on time today but the truth is we should have risen earlier and been on the road by 8 am; we have become slothful in our retirement.

The itinerary for the day was to travel up into the Southwest National Park as far as the end of the road beyond Strathgordon, following the Derwent River upstream before heading off up into the Wilderness Areas, then to take our time on the return to explore the interesting points on the route, but how easy it is to become distracted.

Farmhouse near Bushy Park

The road on the southern banks of the Derwent River is all sealed and passes through charming landscapes; grazing land, vineyards, cultivated lands growing hops, raspberries, cherries and  apples. There are B&B’s and self-contained cottages, oast houses, run down farmhouses, scruffy villages, timber mills, abandoned or still in use and whisky distilleries.Everywhere hawthorn hedges grew high, wild and erratically, having almost turned feral. Broom bloomed bright along the river defying its weed like status.

The river was swollen from the rains we have had and here was evidence of the flood warnings for the Lower Derwent we had heard on the television. Interestingly we had seen no evidence of this same flooding near our camp on this same river; too close to the sea I imagine. The river seems to be navigable almost as far up as New Norfolk but remains significant all the way up as far as Bushy Park where we lost view of it.

The first settlement we came to was New Norfolk, settled in 1807, today a substantial rural centre with a population of over five thousand people. Just down river is the sizeable paper mill operation run by Norske Skog who is one of the state’s major employers.

Hop growing near Bushy Park

We travelled on through the small tired settlement of Plenty and on to Bushy Park where most of the hop fields and oast houses are to be found. While the little village is a rather shabby looking affair, the rural industry cannot but delight; heritage buildings everywhere alongside the tall string structures of the hops climbing frames. We had seen this sort of operation up the Motueka Valley in New Zealand’s South Island but not on such a scale. We were impressed and especially so, knowing that modern brewers have dispensed with hops in their beer, using alternative substitutes. Here in Tasmania however the emphasis is on boutique industry because they cannot compete with the grand scale of industry on the mainland. I imagine that the boutique breweries want to have the old fashioned authentic ingredients, hence this old fashioned cultivation.

As we passed through Westerway, the road met and travelled parallel to the flood swollen rushing rapids of the Tyenna River up through the valley of the same name. Forty or so kilometres west of New Norfolk, we turned into the Mt Field National Park. Here we could have continued up to the end of the road arriving at Lake Dobson from where one can set off on foot to the top of Mount Field West, a mere 1,434 metres ASL. This peak and others about were smattered in snow; a rather beautiful scene as we had travelled up the valley.

Russell Fals

The Mt Field National Park is one of Tasmania’s oldest and most popular parks, having been established in 1916 and covering an area of 162.65 square kilometres. There are several less formidable walks available, most including waterfalls. Time poor, we chose to take the short walk up and back to the Russell Falls. The falls are one of Tasmania’s best known attractions and I had seen several promotional pictures but none came anywhere close to the reality today. After the rains the falls were spectacular and very wetting to the casual photographer. The walk up the Russell Falls River through ferns under giant eucalypts and myrtle beeches was quite beautiful all by itself.

Back in the landcrusier we drove on, up through Maydena, a small settlement on the Tyenna River at 281 metres ASL with a little over two hundred folk now resident. The 3’6” gauge railway line which follows the road up the valley was once used for hauling timber and osmiridium (platinum related), as well as a way point for the dam builders up at Strathgordon. Now the track grows grass and a variety of wild flowers. The township nowadays seems to offer little else but accommodation for those skiing up by Lake Dobson in the winter.

Lake Pedder

On we went, climbing up into the mountains through the most amazing rugged country, crossing a pass near The Needles, the highest point on the road at 651 metres ASL, passing through the Gordon Forest and on into the South West National Park. We passed between a great number of peaks, most labelled with signs beside the road to impress us, but today most of those peaks obscured by rain cloud. Outside the vehicle a gale blew and it was so very cold.

Arriving on the shore of Lake Pedder just after midday, we joined four chaps standing in the high wind readying one of them for a paddle on the lake. Three watched the one head off with no intention of following suit despite the three kayaks lying idle beside the little tents. We watched their antics while we ate our lunch and did not envy them one bit.

Gordon Dam

We soon realised that we were beside the mouth of the canal, the 2745 metre long McPartlan Canal which links Lakes Pedder and Gordon. A radial gate controls the flow of the canal and ensures that the level of Lake Pedder does not vary more and one and a half metres, enhancing the scenic values and recreation uses of the lake, or that is the PA spiel anyway.

We travelled on through this amazing landscape until we reached Strathgordon, sitting high up at 322 metres ASL between the two lakes created to provide hydro-electricity for the state. The settlement was the “company” town for construction by Hydro Tasmania, opened in 1969 and wound down after the project was completed in 1974. Most of the buildings,  including two hundred and seventy houses for the two thousand people here, were removed and the area rehabilitated, however some remain and are now used as a lodge for tourists in the market for accommodation between hotel and camping standards.

Lake Pedder was once a natural lake before being expanded by the damming and now has an area of about 242 square kilometres and is considered the largest fresh water lake in Australia, but haven’t I heard that before?

The whole project is as impressive, if not more so, as the Snowy River Hydro Project in New South Wales with dams, tunnels, watergates, canals, pipelines and all the complex infrastructure of the power station itself. The four dams on this integrated power scheme are located to harness the waters of Tasmania’s mightiest river, the westward flowing Gordon and its tributary, the Serpentine, and to capture the headwaters of the Huon River, which meets the sea far to the south.

The largest structure is the 140 metre high concrete arch Gordon Dam which spans a deep and narrow gorge on the Gordon River, thus creating the massive Lake Gordon, which alone covers an area of 272 square kilometres.

In order to enlarge the capacity three rock fill dams, Serpentine 38 metres high, Scotts Peak 43 metres high and Edgar just 17 metres high, trap the water of the Serpentine River and the upper Huon, which are diverted into Lake Gordon through the McPartlan Canal. 

You will have guessed that I was quite fascinated by the scheme and the spectacular scenery all about. It was just a shame that the weather conditions did not enhance this experience. We headed home, still in the clouds until we came back down to Bushy Park where we discovered blue patches in the sky and sun peering through with little evidence of recent rain.

When we reached New Norfolk, we found our way to the supermarket to buy a few provisions and there found the Woolworths staff very friendly. Needless to say, such service made us feel warm and fuzzy toward New Norfolk.

We were soon home again finding the park bathed in sunshine but the wind little changed. We had travelled 325 kilometres, quite a distance for a day trip in this little State.  We are supposed to leave tomorrow morning however discussions during the course of the day suggest we may extend for a day or three. A definite decision will have to be made over breakfast and before checkout time. As usual, it will be another case of “watch this space”.

In the meantime, the fires in New South Wales have abated little; it is all quite distressing, isn’t it?