The Gordon River Road

[-Evan-]

This past week a friend and I tried to get to Gordon's Dam without a car. If anyone else is interested in this endeavor I'd like to give a few tips, and a general 'head's up' as to what to expect at the stops along the way. I made place names bold, don't know why =P

-Tassielink will get you as far as Gretna (Rosegarland is actually a better option if you ask to be let off there). When you arrive at the start of the Gordon River Road, hitchhiking is very easy. There are cars going in fairly frequently and we were picked up in no time (although making a funny sign did help).

-Keep in mind that Maydena, the last town before Strathgordon, is the last place to stock up on food (There is nowhere to buy food in Strathgordon, so be sure you have enough).

-Cars leave Maydena fairly frequently, however most of them are either hydro employees (who, we found, don't pick up hitchhikers) or people going to visit the Hippy Blockade, which is about a 20 minute drive west of Maydena.

-In case you haven't heard about it, the Hippy Blockade (I took to calling it that, it's not really the generally accepted designation) is a group of large tents and an improvised lounge room set up to prevent further deforestation. Although a few of the protesters are a little crazy, they are all very friendly and will be happy to help you out and let you stay with them (they even have a fire and a guitar!).

-Unfortunately, after the Hippy Blockade, we found cars became very scarce. We would see one every half hour at most. As mentioned before a lot were hydro workers who would not pick us up. It is still possible to get a lift, however, and we managed to score a ride all the way to Ted's Beach. Keep in mind though that it is just as difficult to get lifts back from areas west of the blockade.

-Ted's Beach is a small clearing on Lake Pedder one hour's walk east of Strathgordon. There is a stone shelter with electric barbecues (don't try to use them to dry your clothes though, they'll catch on fire...) and running water. It's better to camp here than Strathgordon and the shelter proved to be a great asset (especially when the wind took the tarp off our tent at five in the morning).

-Strathgordon is completely equipped with food and rooms, however unfortunately government bureaucratics (as we were told by the head of the tourist office) means the canteen is always closed and the rooms are not maintained, or available for rent. If you ask nicely however (as we did), they'll let you stay in the rooms for a night, but there is literally nowhere to buy food.

-After Strathgordon there are virtually no cars. We saw a car every hour if we were lucky. The walk to Gordon's Dam is about 3.5 hours from Strathgordon.

-At Gordon's Dam (much to our dismay), there is currently no shelter or facilities. The visitor's center has been shut down and locked indefinitely, meaning there is nowhere to rest or seek refuge from the rain/hail. If you can manage the 7 hour walk to and from Gordon's Dam, good on you, however if not, you're very low on options.

-However, there is one other option. About 1km before the Dam itself is a small Power Grid off the main road in which there are generally a few power station employees working. Generally they leave from Strathgordon early morning and return in the afternoon. Although there are signs in front of the Power Grid insisting that only 'authorized personnel' are allowed in, when we showed up soaked and cold they happily let us hitch a ride back to Strathgordon with one of the hydro workers, and I'm sure they would do the same for other weary travelers.

-So, in short, Gordon's Dam is reachable without a car from Hobart, although the journey depends largely on good old Tasmanian hospitality. Hope this helps!

A few notes:
-We went in late September, cars may be more frequent past the Hippy Blockade in summer.
-There is a point at which the road forks, and a second road goes south towards Scott's Peak. I would not advise taking this route without a car, seeing as cars are probably equally as infrequent, and (I've heard) that there are no facilities anywhere along the road.
-Watch out for logging trucks! They tear along the road and have been known to show reckless disregard for walkers.
-If anyone has any other questions about this route I'll be happy to help.

[GerryDuke]

Thanks for the notes Evan. It's not an easy place to visit without a car. The chalet was open to the public up until May 2009. Stayed there a few times.

It's a beautiful drive. Spectacular walk across the Gordon Dam. I think it could have been promoted a little better with things like fishing rod or kayak hire provided etc. It's not easy as it is a fairly long drive in with the need to return the same way. Port Arthur is another non drive through venue but there is plenty of interest on the Tasman Peninsula to attract visitors.

Gerry

[tas-man]

I made my first trip to the Gordon Dam a few weeks ago after a conference in Hobart found me with no rush to return to Launceston on the Saturday. I decided to break the promise I made to myself when I moved to Tassie 16 years ago, to never drive out along the Gordon River Road and view the "new" Lake Pedder which I visited in 1971. From Maydena to the Gordon Dam and back, I passed only four cars the whole day. I stopped a lot to take photos and try to match my memories of my drive to the Scotts Peak Dam site in 1971 with the road today, but very difficult with the forest growth of 40 years softening the scars of the original roadworks. The weather was misty rain, with occasional sunny spots rapidly crossing the terrain. The overall effect upon arriving at the Gordon River Dam was sombre to say the least. The deserted visitor centre and rusting steelwork of the infrastructure looked like an abandoned movie set. I walked down to the dam top and tried to imagine this chasm without the dam. I took a vertical panorama of the view from the centre of the dam looking down river, and have attached that below. On my drive back, I stopped at a tourist shelter that gave boating access to "Fake Pedder", and in between showers caught a glimpse of the eastern end of the Franklands where I took this photo from in 1971. download/file.php?id=6869&mode=view

Had lots of time to think about what I had seen on the drive back home to Launceston.

[tas-man]

The late afternoon sun made for some interesting photo opportunities.

Looking South over Pedder to the Frankland Range

Last summer's fires expose old track to Pedder.

Rainbow's end!

Sunset on the Sentinals

A spotlight on the wilderness!

Last edited by tas-man on Fri 08 Oct, 2010 9:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Nick S]

Good stuff Evan, more than just a few tips but an interesting account of your trip. Made me smile a few times
For the record I would have picked you up.. hold on. what do you look like I've never stopped at the blockade either, I'd imagine they're a colourful bunch.
Hmm I've been down the Scotts peak road about 5 times for trips to Mt Anne and the Arthur range but at this stage have never gone straight ahead to check out the dam.

Ian that last photo is awesome.

[Taurë-rana]

Interesting account Evan, thanks. I spent a summer working down there a bit over 20 years ago, and stayed quite a bit at the Chalet which was very nice. I think it disgraceful that it is not utilised for tourism - in spite of the lakes being man made and I'd like to see the original back, I think that the "new" Lake Pedder is incredibly beautiful. And the dam is an awesome site, I never fail to marvel at it. The thing that had me in tears last time I drove back from Strathgordon was the blatant logging scars on the side of Mt Wedge. And staying in Maydena, the sound of the trucks rumbling past in the early hours of the morning wasn't pleasant either.
I really don't understand why such an amazing area is not promoted more by the government as a tourist destination. Yes it's an in and out, but the few people who get there are impressed.

[stepbystep]

It's funny how everyone has a different take on things given their different experiences...
Agree with the movie set analogy tasman, these are 2 of my favorite pics from this area, I took an engineer friend there who nearly wet himself with excitement, I was less impressed

What human impact???

dambang.jpg (296.3 KiB) Viewed 6281 times

Vertigo anyone...

Having said that this road has taken me to some of the best experiences of my life, way too many to mention
....and yep Rachel the govt should hang it's head in shame about how they deal with this region, but then it's kind of nice to have it all to ourselves......

BTW nice pics tasman.

[-Evan-]

Great pics guys! Here are a few of mine, although I generally use video as my cathartic medium.

Just an FYI, I put the trip footage up on youtube, please excuse the funny accent and tacky special effects =P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4wVXYWdiNg

Cheers!

[pazzar]

love the second pic there Evan. You must have been lucky with the weather out there

[vagrom]

Evan, that was an excellent and witty account. Don't be suprised to hear from Lonely Planet.
As a mainlander, I help boost the economy when I turn up with " a clean shirt, a $10 note, and don't change either while i'm here". Thankyou Mr Gray. So I turn up with twenty.
But the hospitality is by and large enormous. Less of the breakneck pace of the mainland. In some ways they're more like Kiwis, without the sheep. People go fishing, shooting or bushwalking. In the smallest, most decentralised state, economies of scale have failed the triumph of the Megaplex. Redline don't even have an office in Burnie, dammit!
I got a lift with a Hydro bloke who passed me coming home the evening before ; New Norfolk to Tarraleah. The funny hand signs are worth the trouble but I do like to keep walking so for safetys sake, you have to choosesafe spots. I got to Lake Vera by midday (some walking was involved), after sleeping in a pump shed. Tassielink Friday problem. I think hitching's a real option. No one's "seen hitching in years", so that's the kick-off topic. The backpack is your bona fides.
At Ted's Beach, the jakes are special. When you sit down, your toes only just reach the ground. Useless information? Try it sometime.
Tims Track, home of the protest site, is now off the SW Tassie map. Strange, as up till recently it was recommended as a tourist draw and a great walk down to the Florentine it is; the old huts and broken bridge grown through and moss covered, the old route to Adamsfield and Gordonvale.
As the only way to Scotts Peak now is by charter, then surely hitching's the go. Summer traffic would support it. Resupply at Melaleuca and home from Cockle Creek.

[-Evan-]

@ Pazzar: On the way into the bush it was gorgeous, but after Ted's Beach we saw nothing but hail and snow, apparently much more than what is usual for the region. While passing Strathgordon on the way out of the bush, the director told me that "his coworkers were insisting that the Canadian hurry out of the bush, because I clearly brought all the snow with me".

@ Vagrom: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Seems like you had quite the adventure yourself. It certainly is a pain that there is no real bus service into that area of the island, and it's true that the Tassie government is overlooking some tremendous tourist potential as a few in this thread have pointed out. That said, I feel that this certainly adds some mystique to the south west, and if it were any more accessible, you and I probably wouldn't have had such an adventure. I will definitely be back in the South West someday, and I will try for Scott's Peak next time. In the winter the snow and infrequency of cars would make it dangerous, but I'm sure it would be a great destination in summer.

Last edited by -Evan- on Sun 10 Oct, 2010 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Tims Track, home of the protest site, is now off the SW Tassie map. Strange

That comment in itself pretty much suggests who is wearing the pants in Tasmania atm. You think parks or some other like organisation would remove a place like that off the maps?? It REEKS of FT.

[north-north-west]

Tims Track, home of the protest site, is now off the SW Tassie map. Strange

That comment in itself pretty much suggests who is wearing the pants in Tasmania atm. You think parks or some other like organisation would remove a place like that off the maps?? It REEKS of FT.

It's easy enough. Create a super Lands Management Department, incorporating Parks, Forestry, Lands, Mines, etc. Always appoint a pro-exploitation CEO and Minister. voila The Parks Service is emasculated, and development is all the go.