South Coast Track in spring

[solo walker]

Hi All,

I am planning a solo hike on the South Coast Track over the holiday season and am looking for some advice. I have a lot of backpacking experience in the Rocky Mountains of Canada (where I live), but this will be my first extended trip in Tasmania. So I am looking for some more info on this particular track and others in the South West Wilderness area.

I have read that it usually takes around 9 days from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek and I am wondering if that is reasonable in the people of this forums opinion. I am particularly interested to hear how common it is to have to wait out bad weather and stream flooding.

Also, I am wondering how much route finding/navigation is required on the route. I had heard that there is a trail the whole way but wanted to confirm that.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks!

[JamesMc]

The track is well defined, you won't loose your way. A couple of sections are very muddy. You probably can't imagine how muddy. Mud will really slow you down.

River crossings could be quite problematic as there are no bridges to speak of.

9 days would give you time to sit out bad weather.

Nice walk though.

[north-north-west]

The track is well defined, you won't loose your way.

There are a couple of sections of track that are braided or have dead-end pads leading off that can be confusing. One on Flat Rock Plain, for instance, where that chap got lost a little while back. But for the most part it's pretty obvious.

[doogs]

Yer..maybe not quite as straightforward as JamesMc is making out. Over the last month I have heard of 3 or 4 helicopter rescues on the track which includes 1 person lost for 2 days. It is a remote area, I don't know Canadian trail markings, but at times in Tasmania the tracks which might appear to be easy to follow on a map are not so easy when you are on them..

[Azza]

s around 9 days from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek and I am wondering if that is reasonable in the people of this forums opinion. I am particularly interested to hear how common it is to have to wait out bad weather and stream flooding.

9 days is heaps of time.
It can be done in 5 days. 9 Would give you plenty of time to deal with any creek issues and explore.
The creeks tend to rise and fall quickly, so I think your unlikely to get held up for an extended number of days. (Still possible that it could happen though)
If you are going to camp near any of the creeks its worth being on the right side just in case it goes up in the night.
There is a bit of delay between rainfall inland reaching the coast. But there are only a couple of creeks / rivers that are likely to be problematic.

In terms of following the trail... there is a false lead coming down from the Ironbounds that seems to have got a few people lost in recent times.
And that bit over the South Cape Range. The problem tends to be braided trails, where people have tried to dodge mud and false leads have formed.
So the trick is not following a track, its following the right track.

So is worth keeping that in mind, what looks like a well trodden path could just be a false lead. It doesn't hurt to back track and have a look around if things don't feel right.
Even thought its a track, compared to other places in the world its probably better described as a route.

[L_Cham_67]

The SCT is of a good quality from Melaleuca to the top of the Ironbound Range, after that, it becomes a lot more overgrown, muddy, and rooty, until you reach South Cape Bay, which I believe is advertised as one of Tasmania's 60 short day walks (if walking from Cockle Creek). It's a great walk, but there are very few signs (i think the only signs on the trail are at the turnoff to Osmiridium Beach, and near Lion Rock, so keep an eye out for arrows and markers, especially when looking for the track when it leaves the many beaches.

I walked the SCT in January 2015, and the New River Lagoon had eroded a lot of the sand on the eastern side of the river mouth; it made for some difficult times trying to manoeuvre our way through driftwood.

[north-north-west]

I walked the SCT in January 2015, and the New River Lagoon had eroded a lot of the sand on the eastern side of the river mouth; it made for some difficult times trying to manoeuvre our way through driftwood.

The river mouth is always shifting there. You can never be sure where it's going to be when you arrive.