360° View from the top of Mt Donaldson in the Tarkine
360° View from the top of Mt Donaldson in the Tarkine
In December 2019, we (Trudy and Gernot) finally return to Cradle Mountain, 28 years after our first visit, which then had turned into quite an adventure. We are equally eager to explore the newish wilderness reserve of the Tarkine, known as takayna by the traditional owners and ongoing custodians. Knowing Tasmania's temperamental weather conditions, especially up on the high mountains, we choose the peak summer period for the trip to minimise risks.
We find that preparing for our climb to the top of Cradle Mountain is rather straightforward, given the well-defined and geographically limited area we are targeting, our past experience there, the plentiful, readily information available online, and the good availability of maps.
In contrast, we have very limited knowledge of the Tarkine; we struggle to string together 1-, 2- or 3-day walking tracks that can be undertaken by the non-initiated—until we come across Phill Pullinger's book takayna makuminya / Tarkine Trails published by the Bob Brown Foundation. Armed with the wealth and clarity of information in this book, finalising the middle section of our Tassie holiday becomes easier.
The final leg of our Tassie tour is a couple of days in the South-east serving as buffer before our flights back out of Hobart. We make no particular arrangements ahead of time and expect to use them for some exploring South of Hobart, if possible with some walking.
Here are our Tassie 2019–20 adventures in three parts as they unfold:
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