Walk 14.....Clark Cliffs Circuit 26/5/2011

Now the more observant amongst you may have noticed that I have jumped from walk number 11 to walk 14, for the less observant believe me it's true!   I did a quick count of the completed walks in my book and found that there are some listed walks that are actually incorporated into a longer walk.  For instance, the walk to Macgregor Peak is part of the Fazackerley Range Circuit (walk no. 4). So, taking this into account I have now completed 14 walks....woohoo!


Today is very much an indulgence.....a walk on a Thursday!!  My dear friend Janine is very enthusiastic about me completing this task that I've set myself and is also very enthusiastic in accompanying me on as many as possible....therefore she was my walking partner on today's trek.


The Clark Cliffs Circuit walk is graded as medium and timed at 3.5 hours for the round trip...in reality it is quite hard and took us over 4 hours to complete. While not one of my favourite walks it does provide a varied sample of the Tasman Peninsula's wet forest, a stimulating walk, and panoramic views from the inland cliffs. When I saw that this was a cliffs walk I naturally assumed coastal cliffs....knowing the topography of this area this was impossible....a blonde moment perhaps!  This is a great time of year to do this walk as there is a wide range of funghi on display with colours to rival an artists palette.

To access the track for this walk turn right off the Arthur Highway onto the B37 road just south of the Tasmanian Devil Park at Taranna.  Follow this road for approximately 4.5km and then turn left into Firetower Rd.  Travel for 5.5km along Firetower Rd to a junction and a sign marked Clark Cliffs.

Funny thing about this walk is that Janine & I did it in reverse to the way the walks book describes it....quite inadvertently.  When we arrived at the starting point (well what we thought was the starting point due to the quite clear signage) we started walking along the track, however after referring to the walks book realised after a while that the walk being described wasn't the one we were doing.  The start of the track described in the book was actually another 500 metres down the road. Anyway, once we discovered our mistake we decided to continue and describe the walk from the opposite perspective.  As can be seen from the above signage, we opted for the circuit walk.

The track begins as a fire trail which is very easy to follow....this continues for 15 minutes or so.  The first thing of note is the side track to a lookout with views over Koonya and Norfolk Bay.....well worth a look.

After admiring the view you will enter an area that was once a mill site and evidence of old selective logging is still visible with large stumps beside the track. These stumps have slots which were cut to support the boards on which fellers stood with their two-handed crosscut saws. The track now enters an area of remnant rainforest.  The canopy is dominated by Myrtle with the occasional Stringybark towering above.

Another little side track beckons....Musk Forest, this is a very beautiful area dominated by Musk and Blackwood.

The track now passes close to the summit of Mt Clark through regrowth forest before emerging onto the top of Clark Cliffs, a series of dolerite pillars, which provide views over  the southwest of the Peninsula.

From here on end the track follows Plummers Creek with the trail crisscrossing the tributary while descending very steeply through Dogwood, Bedfordia and Treeferns.  While in general the track is reasonably easy to follow, orange tape and tags mark the way.  

The next part of the track is the most challenging as it is descends quite steeply and is very wet and slippery.....I don't imagine that this changes all that much during the year due to being enclosed with vegetation.  Towards the end of this walk the track becomes very difficult to traverse, several sections of it have been overtaken by the tributary which would be the result of large amounts of water flowing through in times of heavy rain. For most of the year rain falls at least every second day on the Peninsula, there are more rainy days here than on the Central Plateau....average annual rainfall is about 1180mm. In saying this though, I have been very fortunate with the weather on all of my walks so far...the generally mild temperatures in this area are excellent for walking.

As I mentioned earlier this walk is probably not one I would recommend enthusiastically but that's because my preference is for coastal walks and the sensational coastline views.  However, like any walk, just being out exercising and enjoying our fantastic natural surrounds makes it so worthwhile.

Here's a small gallery of photos showing what to expect along the trail.  Happy trekking!

fire trail at start of walk

a trickier part of the track

one of these things is not like the others!

view of Norfolk Bay from the road back to Koonya

Walk 11.....Cape Raoul 20/5/2011

I have finally got back blogging after an absence of well over a month.  Haven't been lounging around contemplating my navel during that time though, a little walk on the Overland Track has been completed as well as a couple of fun runs. Today though have managed to indulge myself in one of my favorite activities and that's doing a walk on the Tasman Peninsula.  I was very excited when Janine & Julie (both fellow Overlanders) were eager to do the walk to Cape Raoul....and this is how it went.


There are many cliff top walks on the Peninsula and Cape Raoul is one of the most spectacular on the Peninsula, if not Australia.  This walk is one of the longer coastal day walks and can be completed in a walking time of 5 hours covering 15 kms for the return trip. It is advisable though to allow longer as the marvellous scenery is worth lingering over.

As can be seen by the above map, Cape Raoul is part of the proposed Three Capes walk....a 5 night/6 day huts based walk encompassing Capes Pillar, Hauy and Raoul...the proposal is currently being reviewed by the Resource Planning and Development Commission.


The start of the walking track is accessed by travelling 9 kms past Port Arthur to the Highcroft/Stormlea turnoff and travelling a further 9 kms along Stormlea Rd to a parking area for the Shipstern Bluff, Tunnel Bay and Cape Raoul walks.  The initial section of the track crosses private land before entering the Tasman National Park.

Follow the walking track through semi-open forest of Stringybark and Blue Gum with an understorey of Bedfordia, Silver and Prickly Wattle and with a ground cover dominated by thickets of Cutting Grass. After about 20 minutes and after crossing a small creek the track divides; straight ahead for Cape Raoul and right for Ship Stern Bluff and Tunnel Bay.After another 15 minutes or so walk through a much more open forest the track emerges suddenly onto the lip of the Raoul Bay Lookout. The sheer drop of over 100 metres should make you very cautious!  In saying that, there are some very spectacular views to be had from this vantage point which has an elevation of 400 metres.

You can see from the above photos that the mist was initally hanging around the top of the Cape but after 20 minutes or so was beginning to clear...this was at about 11.00am.  The middle photo shows Shipstern Bluff jutting out to sea with Tunnel Bay the next inlet further west.

After a short break for morning tea we continued on our trek...the track continues south from the lookout just behind the cliff edge and passes over the shoulder of Mount Raoul.  The track then starts to descend the southern slopes.  It passes through a more damp section of forest with taller trees.

Further views are obtained in places as the track winds along the western cliffs and then enters into low She Oaks and Bull Oaks,which provide a soft and sheltered path. Once the level plateau of the cape is reached, the track follows the  cliffs south to a point opposite Raoul Rock.  It then swings east and, marked with stone cairns, crosses an open area to a shallow lake.  While it would be very difficult to get lost in this area, you need to be aware of the taped markers on shrubbery & cairns to keep on the track....this is purely from a  conservation perspective....always stay on the track! Nearby is a south-facing inlet with 200 metre vertical cliffs.

Following the cairned track southeast through low coastal scrub you will then descend gradually to the head of a western facing gully in the cliffs.  At this point a track leads off to the left to a viewpoint east of the Cape and a seal colony is visible at the end.  Even if you don't see them the seals are very vocal.  Once you return to the main track continue for another 200 metres to the Cape itself. The 360 degree panorama takes in Mount Raoul to the north, Mount Brown, Cape Pillar and Tasman Island to the east.  In front are the rugged cliffs of the Cape and the sweep of the Southern Ocean with nothing but sea between you and Antarctica....awesome! From research I have discovered that the dolerite columns at the end of the Cape were used for target practice by the British Navy during World War 1, and as a result it is a little more rugged than it would otherwise be.

The return trip is via the same route.  

It is important to note that this walk features stupendous cliffs, and none of them have the slightest fall protection.  It is important to very closely supervise children at all times.  While the conditions were very mild on the day of our walk, high winds could make the cliffs more dangerous, therefore extreme caution is needed at all times. Don't let me turn you off doing this walk, the fantastic vista is something to behold and I would highly recommend this walk to everyone.