Tasmania – Central Plateau Walk – 30 December 2019 – 5 January 2020

I headed up onto the Central Plateau for a very pleasant walk in one of my favourite environments. I was walking by myself and wanted a relaxing walk that would give me a lot of time to explore the environment.

My sister and brother in law dropped me off at the start of Higgs Track near Deloraine. It was forecast to be a hot day, so I only intended to walk up onto the plateau and stay in or camp near the Lady Lake Hut. This is a climb of around 550 m, but only takes about 90 minutes or so with a few photo breaks.

I found the top part of the track had been rerouted and it comes up at a different spot on the escarpment. Apparently it allows the old original track better, and once on the plateau, there is some new duckboard that crosses the fragile bog.

It certainly was hot on the tops. It was forecast to be around 40° C in Hobart that day. It was not quite that hot where I was, and  relatively cool inside the hut. I could also cool off more by swimming in Lady Lake which is about 250 m from the hut.

I had the whole afternoon to spend photographing and relaxing. Very pleasant. Near the hut, the alpine moor is really what is called a patterned peat bog – and made up of a series of lakes, called flarks, and the often thin strips of land separating them called strings (or strangs). The recent drought in Tasmania had made the flarks very low and many were completely dry.

At Lady Lake, there is a nice patch of scoparia which was starting to burst into flower.

At dusk, and dawn, the moor was the place where a flock of about eight Bennett’s Wallabies would congregate to eat. Welcome Swallows were also flying around after insects.

Next morning, I got up early for dawn, but it was not particular special.

After breakfast, I set off for Lake Nameless. More easy walking in a reasonable track. This took me up through light forest, and then across more moors to the beautiful Lake Weston. I rested at anime grassy campsite at the lake, and took a few photos. I spotted a Flame Robin soundings is territorial call. I was not quick enough to photograph it however. But I thought it may be worth camping there on my return.

I then passed Lake Lucy Long, and soon arrived at Lake Nameless. I walked around it and notes how low the flow was when I crossed the outlet stream. Sometimes in the past this has involved a deep wade. Now the water was a long way below rocks.

The track goes to Ironstone Hut at Lake Nameless. I stopped there for another break and to read the logbook.

I then continued on my way, around the lake a bit more, then crossed some scree to reach a broad sloping moor. I climbed up through a nice scoparia garden to reach a very gentle saddle. I knew from previous trips that there are nice camping sites around here.

It was about only about noon when I stopped. I decided I would camp in the vicinity. It was just so beautiful. Incredibly beautiful! It would be a shame not to spend more time here. I found a very nice spot to camp. It was not too sheltered but I knew the forecast was good.

That afternoon, I spent the time resting and wandering around looking for photo spots where the light improved. It was nice to have plenty of time available for this. Small groves on pencil pines, masses of cushion plants, alpine gardens, rock gardens, tarns, isolated boulders, rock slabs scared by glaciers – so much wild beauty. Here are some of my photos –

Next morning I packed up, reluctant to leave such a beautiful spot. Like the day before I only intended to walk a short distance and take plenty of time to explore and take photos. My goal was to reach an area I have been to before many times, a place I call the “Rim Lakes”. It is an area of Pineapple Grass structures around a part of a lake. In wet times, pools would form in these structures – that would look like the rim lakes in limestone caves.

I had been to that spot any times before, but this time I chose a different route. On this part of the Central Plateau, it is a labyrinth of lakes, small thickets of scrub, boggy moors and alpine gardens. As long as you are careful with your navigation, it is possible to walk almost anywhere.

I arrived at the Rim Lakes area around 11 am. The lake there was almost empty.

The Rim Lakes feature was also devoid of water. It may require a snowfall to fill them up? From previous trips, I knew there was a reasonable campsite just above the lakes. I had never had the opportunity to camp there however.

I found the spot, and set up my tent just as it was starting to rain. A front was passing over, but the rainfall was minimal. I was soon able to wander around once more with my camera. More beauty to record.

I wonder if the Rim Lakes are unique? I have spent a fair bit of time over the years wandering around the plateau and have never seen this exact type of structure before. At this particular lake, it occurs in three spots close to each other. The middle example is by far the best and most extensive. I have seen another Pineapple Grass structure on the side of Lake Ball. It is similar but not the same.

Next morning was still a bit wet. But certainly not bad walking weather. This day, I intended to start my walk back towards Higgs Track, but in keeping with the spirt of the walk – I would take my time. I had no intended campsite picked out, but decided that if I came across a nice area, I would stop there. And again – I chose a different route to what I had previously followed on my earlier excursions on the Plateau.

At one spot I thought I was walking between two lakes, but found myself at the end of a long promontory. I had to walk all the way back and then round. Not much of a hardship.

I walked up a small valley filled with lakes and tarns. More small thickets of pencil pines, more cushion plants, more bogs, more incredible wild beauty.

Around noon, just as the weather was starting to clear up, I found myself walking through an amazingly nice campsite. I was not going to stop, until a little further on, I saw that it was above a series of lakes and it offered incredible views nearby. So I walked back and set up my tent. Another early stop.

Again, I spent the afternoon exploring the area with my camera. On the far side of the main lake, I spotted another tent. Later, I saw that it was a fisherman camped there.

I explored up the valley behind my campsite. It took me into a world of more wild beauty.

On the hill high above my campsite however, things were different. Dead trees. Not much vegetation. A wildfire? Yes – but one that occurred in the 1960’s. Regeneration is lamentably very slow in these fragile alpine environments.

Back at camp, I spent a vey pleasant evening in the calm weather.

Next morning, it was fine but a little frosty. Tiny wisps of mist were in the depressions.

I was up in time to watch the sunrise.

After breakfast, I leisurely packed up, letting my tent dry in the warm sun. I the set off towards Lake Nameless. I walked ashore way and picked up a series of old cairns. These mark and old cattle track – Ritters Track. The track is no longer  there, but many of the cairns still remain. I have seen these on earlier trip and followed them a bit, but they offer no advantage. You end up spending a lot of time looking for the next cairn – and many are fair way apart, and the country is so easy to walk through just following a general compass bearing and carefully following your progress on the very good 1:25,000 maps. A GPS could be used to confirm your location, but is just as easy to see the shape of a lake near you and then pick it out on the map.

I climbed up a gentle valley and soon passed my first campsite after Lady Lake.  Then a gentle descent to Lake Nameless.

I again called in at the hut. This time there was a tent pitched outside and people’s gear inside. But no one around. They must have been away on day trips.

I walked back around Lake Nameless and then stopped not far past it at Lake Weston. Again, it was only an easy half day of walking, but I wasn’t being picked up for a two more days. And like before I spent the afternoon doing photography.  But this the focus was more on the local birds rathe than landscapes. I again was serenaded by the Flame Robin’s call.

And his mate appeared –

And there were also some other birds –

It was a very pleasant spot to spend a few hours.

I was on the lookout for a platypus. I did see some ripples and walked closer with my camera ready – but it turned out to be fish.

The Bennett’s Wallabies were also around.

Next morning, it was very smokey. I had a small radio with me and had been following local fire alerts .I knew there were no fires close by. There were bushfires burning in the North East, but according to the news the smoke blanketing Tasmania was from fires in Victoria. And those fires have been very bad indeed.

After packing up, I set of for the short walk back to Lady Lake Hut.

At the hut, I met a party of two walkers from Canberra. I had met one of them on a previous trip at Echo Point. They were being picked up at the Higgs Track carpark in a few hours, and had just completed a nice walk from Lake Bill.

During the afternoon, the weather deteriorated somewhat as a front passed over. It brought a lot of wind but little rain. Lady Lake become very choppy.

Later on it calmed down, and at dusk all the Bennett’s Wallabies were back out.

Next morning, I only had the short walk down to the Higgs Track carpark, were I was being picked up. This was the end of a very pleasant walk in amazingly beautiful country. I hope that it never suffers from bushfire.

A lot more photos are online starting from this page  on my website.