Leeaberra Track access

[Thornbill]

Hi folks

Has anyone walked the Leeaberra track this year and can give an update on access to the start of the track?

The PWS website says "Please Note: Vehicle access to the northern entrance to Douglas-Apsley National Park (via the E-Road) is currently not safe. Because of dangerous road conditions, the Parks and Wildlife Service advises all visitors to Douglas Apsley NP accessing via the E-Road to please leave vehicles 1km from the start of E-Road and walk in to the start of the Leeaberra Track (5.5km from Tasman Highway). Please do not walk the Leeaberra Track from south to north, as this may spread phytopthera into the northern parts of the NP." But it has said this for a fair while.

Hoping to walk the track in a few weeks and wondering how far we can get in on the road in a 2WD. Also, anyone know roughly how much extra time to budget for the first day if we have to walk in to access the track?

[whynotwalk]

Hi Thornbill - I walked the track a few years ago, and I believe the condition of the road/bridge is still the same. The first creek on the "E" Road - only a couple of hundred metres from the A3 turnoff - is only passable by 4WD. I understand the bridge was a Forestry Tas bridge, but they no longer log in that area, so when the bridge was damaged by flood, they had no reason to replace it. I suspect some argument was being made for forest peace deal money to be spent on it, but who knows where that will go now!

We walked the 5km+ up the surprisingly steep hill to the start of the track. I described it like this in my blog

The three day walk normally begins at Thompsons Marshes, inland of the east coast town of Bicheno. But severe flooding in recent years had taken out two bridges on the access road. Without a four wheel drive vehicle to get us to the track head, we were forced to walk an extra 5.5 kilometres up old logging tracks.

The rest of the walk is described here http://www.naturescribe.com/2011/10/good-walk-spoiled.html and in following blog posts.

cheers

Peter

[whynotwalk]

PS - it added 3.5 hours to our first day, but it was a very hot day. 3 hours should see you there.

[Thornbill]

Hi Peter

Cheers for that. An extra 3 hours walking along a logging road doesn't really appeal, but the rest of the walk sounds great, so no doubt worth the extra effort

[whynotwalk]

Yes, very worthwhile Thornbill. In a few places the track is overgrown and a little indistinct, and there are lots of windfalls. But there's no scrub to speak of, and those rivers, waterfalls and campsites are beautiful. I'd forgotten all about the boring start by the end of day one, and everything after that was a bonus,

cheers

Peter