Little Fisher Valley

[Thomas]

Hey all,

I'm new to the forum, just signed up today.....

I live in Launceston with my wife & two kiddies, plus one on the way.

My love for the Tassie wilderness has been re-ignited recently when i spent a day toddling thru the central walls via trappers hut....top day!!

Since then i have purchased a Canon DSLR camera & have completed a couple of other short walks, one of which was to Rinadeena Falls (Little Fisher Falls). Unfortunately, due to fading light, i didn't get much time to explore the surrounding area, so am planning on returning early August.
I'm aware that the track continues onto Long Tarns, & i was hoping that someone could advise me as to what side of the little fisher river the track continues from. When i was there in May, i had a one track mind to get to the falls & back, & spent the little time I had there taking pics....

Any info would be very much appreciated

Regards,
Thomas

[NickD]

Hi Thomas. Welcome to the forums.
I'm pretty sure you stay on the Western side of the Fisher river, I haven't been there since 2005 when we climbed up the slopes of Mersey Crag.
I can give you more details by Wednesday next week as I'm heading there on Monday for 2 nights, hoping to camp at Long Tarns and visit the surrounding lakes and peaks.

Enjoy.

[tastrekker]

I reckon it's been 15 years since I walked that track so I look forward to NickD (or someone else) confirming whether my memory is correct. I believe the track climbs up through the forest on the west bank. It then crosses to the east bank in the clearing between Mersey Crag and Turrana Bluff and stays on that side for the final climb up to the watershed overlooking Long Tarns.

[Thomas]

Hi Thomas. Welcome to the forums.
I'm pretty sure you stay on the Western side of the Fisher river, I haven't been there since 2005 when we climbed up the slopes of Mersey Crag.
I can give you more details by Wednesday next week as I'm heading there on Monday for 2 nights, hoping to camp at Long Tarns and visit the surrounding lakes and peaks.

Enjoy.

You lucky bugger....wish i was heading that way for a couple of days. Ah well, i will have to make do with a full day early August, headed there with a party of 4 people (including me!!) Please let me know for sure about the track, that way i wont have to waste any time searching or trying to cross the creek!

Plan is to explore the area above Rinadeena.....I look forward to sharing with you all soon!!

Clayton

[Son of a Beach]

I walked up there last year. The track stays on the west side of the river pretty much all the way up to Long Tarns from what I can remember. I can't actually remember crossing the river at all, but may have done near the top when it was just a small creek - I seem to remember doing the last bit of the ascent to Long Tarns sidling along the east side of the valley.

Here's a photo (from the topic linked to above) looking down the Little Fisher valley. I think that might be the Little Fisher in that darker line of vegetation to the right, which places it to the East of the track where this photo was taken from just a little below the Long Tarns.

EDIT: You probably already know this but just to be on the safe side... Rinadeena Falls is not on the Little Fisher River itself, but on a tributary. The track definitely does cross this creek well below the falls, and keeps going, but does not cross the river below anywhere near here.

[Thomas]

Thanks Nik......

One other thing....does the track leads on from Rinadeena falls itself, you don't have to actually double back at all?? When i was there in may this year, i spent what little time i had taking pics & didn't even give the continuing track a second thought.

Regards,
Clayton

[pazzar]

The track continues from Rinadeena, it passes up through the forest, into an open valley, with Turrana Bluff to the east. A really beautiful walk. There is a fun little rope climb section, I'm not sure if its before or after Rinadeena.

Cheers,
Jared

[Son of a Beach]

Yes, as pazzar says, the track crosses over the creek (Rinadeena Creek?) a bit lower down below the falls and just continues on following the general direction of the nearby Little Fisher River. So to go directly up to Long Tarns, you do go past the falls, just a tad downstream from them.

[Ultrarunner]

I have fond memories of the Long Tarn area and the numerous lakes and tarns nearby , I used to make day trips up there(started in the dark and came back down in the dark).

The walk is well worth it and is not that long anyway, at least not in my opinion. I used to spend the day with my fly rod exploring the numerous waters in the area. I caught some real lunkers, in fact I caught my first trout in Butters lake (just over 5 pound) anyway bit off topic - sorry.

Its a great walk and well worth it

[vagrom]

Could you let me know if the fallen tree of some time back has been removed. It meant you had to park early and walk the last ~3 km's. It was there for quite a while and I wondered if it was being left on purpose.

[SueOfTheSouth]

Not sure how far back you mean when you say a fallen tree was over the road. We were there at the end of February and it was all clear to the end of the road. We did a circuit, Long Tarns-Tiger Lake-Clumner Plateau and out via an old track coming out at Rinadeena Falls. Great Walk.

[vagrom]

Thanks Sue,
no, i'm talking a few years back but I contacted Parks at the time and went back months later to find it unchanged. I wondered at the time if it was access they were wanting to reduce. But it seems not. Since then I keep a quality trimming saw in the boot.

[Thomas]

Hey all,

In regards to the tree across the road, in May this year access was all good right to the car park. There is one small tree across the road at the start of the 4km drive from Little fisher road to the falls car park, but was easily shifted to get a vehicle in.

Clayton

[tas-man]

I reckon it's been 15 years since I walked that track so I look forward to NickD (or someone else) confirming whether my memory is correct. I believe the track climbs up through the forest on the west bank. It then crosses to the east bank in the clearing between Mersey Crag and Turrana Bluff and stays on that side for the final climb up to the watershed overlooking Long Tarns.

It's actually closer to 18 years since that walk together tastrekker! I have been planning to scan all the slides I took on that 5 day circuit trip - fantastic memories. My digital diary notes from that trip were easily found and here's the first day's notes to jog our ageing memories of that fantastic trip!

14/12/92
========
-Up at 6.00am, weather overcast. Breakfast at 6.30am when Clinton arrived. Left finally at 7.30am. Arrived at old logging bridge over the Little Fisher River about 9.45am. Light rain started falling as we set off in parkers over the river at 10.00am. Walked along old logging road through eucalypt forrest for a few kilometers enjoying the profusion of red warratah flowers. Entered the beech forrest and followed the course of the river to Rinadenna falls. Continued along the RH side up a few steep pinches, one which had a rope left in place to assist on the slippery moss covered rocks. Reached the end of the moss forest where the river flowed from a small valley, and the river bubbled between carpet grass mounds. Made our way up to the top of the valley and stopped for a break below the top where we saw a dead black swan apparently strangled by catching its neck in the fork of a small sapling. Its lifeless body swung gently in the wind as though trying to sustain the impression of life. I took the opportunity to examine a slightly sore spot developing on my LH heel and patched it with plaster to prevent a blister developing. We made our way through low but dense heath which hid from view but not from our ears the many small tributaries creeping over the rocks in the saddle. A little higher and we were able to see the first of the tarns which were the start of the Long Tarns. Stopped at the watershed of the Little Fisher and Mersey rivers and found a lunch spot with a comfortable rock to sit on. Lunch 1.00 to 2.15pm Vita wheats, salami and cheeze and mountain tarn water - delicious. Intermittent showers from low clouds and sunshine patches. Left the tarns and headed up along the ridge that separated Long Tarns from ???. Very open rocky country with heath, scaparia, etc. No tracks, just following our own course heading for Mt. Jerusalem. Discovered small hidden tarns as we traversed the undulating ridges. Coming off the ridge brought us into eucalypt scrub growing in between large boulders, which proved awkward to traverse, so headed lower toward the river and button grass flats for easier, if wetter going. The basin was crossed by threading our way across the peat jumping the water as much as possible until we started moving parallel to Mt. Jerusalem and up the valley. Beautiful sunlight effects on the north wall of Mt. Jerusalem as we made our way over the snow grass which had been grazed by a large wallaby population by the extensive droppings visible. The top of the ridge seemed elusive as we squelched up what appeared to be the final slope, so we stopped for a breather next to a clump of pencil pines to soak in the view as well as the moisture under bottom. The slope became broken up into small gullies and ridges and we followed one of the ridges which brought us to the top of the saddle. A faint track became discernable as we started decending slowly with the Temple silloueted to our right with pencil pine forest clothing the lower slopes. The foot pad we were following kept to the left of the forest through low scaparia, and before long the Dixon's Kingdom hut came into view, sitting on the edge of the pencil pine forest. Time 6.00pm.