A Traverse of Southwest Tasmania

[Cam H]

Hey guys,

This is my first post here on the Bushwalk.com forum.

Between February 27 and March 22 of this year I completed a traverse of southwest Tasmania, combining the west coast south of Strahan with the Arthur Range.

My twenty-four day journey started at Cape Sorrell and finished at the Farmhouse Creek trailhead. It basically consisted of two main stages (see the links provided for more details):

Stage 1 - Cape Sorrell to Scotts Peak Dam. This initial section took 17 days to complete and I carried all my own food for the entire stretch (i.e. no food drops). I crossed the Davey River between Piners and Settlement Points on my Thermarest Neoair, with my pack floating behind attached to my right leg with about six foot of guyline. I then joined up with the Port Davey Track (via the Lost World Plateau) and headed NE to Scotts Peak. Here’s the link to the trip report from stage 1:

http://www.thehikinglife.com/2016/05/so ... est-coast/


I subsequently hitched into Maydena on the 18th day, picked up a resupply box at the post office, before getting a ride back to Scotts Peak that same afternoon.


Stage 2 - Scotts Peak Dam to Farmhouse Creek Trailhead. This second and final section took just over six days and included a traverse of both the Western and Eastern Arthurs as well as a side trip up Federation peak. Here’s a link to the trip report for stage 2:

http://www.thehikinglife.com/2016/05/so ... hur-range/

The first stage trip summary includes an overview map of the entire trip, with place marks denoting points of interest/campsites etc. along the way.

I'm attaching a few of my favourite photos from the trip below.

Cheers,

Cam Honan

http://www.thehikinglife.com

Attachments

[stepbystep]

Hooley dooley, that's fast and flippin' fantastic. Thanks for the share Cam. I've looked at that route and estimated around 40+ days!!!

[bumpingbill]

Wow what a walk.

Thanks for posting great write up!

Did you ever consider flying your food into Melaleuca, and picking it up there before continuing east to the Arthurs? (Ie do the eastern, then the western, then out to Scott's Peak Dam?)

[Cam H]

Thanks for the kind words.

From the outset I liked the idea of going in one direction from west to east. I'd originally planned to have a day off in Maydena after picking up my resupply packages. However, as I mentioned in the Stage 2 trip report, when I heard there was a window of fine weather, I beelined it straight back to Scotts Peak to begin the second stage.

Cheers,

Cam

[Mechanic-AL]

Amazing, awesome, crazy, epic...........so many adjectives need to be used to comment on this trip !!
This must be the holy grail of bushwalking that so many of us dream of but only a select few will ever complete.
I cant imagine the flood of emotions you must have been experiencing on the final day.
Well done Cam.

(and a huge pat on the back to the remote beach clean up people !!! ).

[GPSGuided]

Fantastic tale! Thanks for sharing it with us.

One question. Were you ever worried about your method of river crossing with the floating pack tied to your leg? Would that be a risk should there be a mishap and may lead to trapping. Did you consider tying it to a more accessible part of your body so that in an unexpected situation, you'll be able to release and free yourself from it?

BTW, this thread probably will be better preserved in the trip report section.

[walkabout]

Cam,

Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable report, I smiled all the way through. Even though this old duck has no hope of ever doing what you have done, and probably wouldn't want to (if I was 30 years younger, well! .....) it almost felt as if I was there!

[weetbix456]

BEAST!!!

[durks]

Between February 27 and March 22 of this year I completed a traverse of southwest Tasmania, combining the west coast south of Strahan with the Arthur Range.

Great trip; and great write-up: thanks.

As a somewhat banal question: your pack looks *tiny* for the length of the trip - any chance of some info on the gear you were using, and how you managed to keep the weight and volume down so well?

Edit: cancel that! I see you've already got a list up at http://www.thehikinglife.com/2016/05/ta ... gear-list/

[Cam H]

Thanks again everyone for all the positive feedback.

To GPSGuided: In regards to your pack floating question, no I wasn't concerned. I'd used this same method before on a couple of other trips. The crossing of the Davey River between Piners and Settlement points is very open and slow moving.

I had all of my gear & the remainder of the supplies inside two large trash compactor bags, which were securely tied off, thus making the pack very buoyant. I prefer to have the pack attached to my leg, as that way it doesn't impede my paddling or swimming (i.e. on certain crossings I didn't use the mat).

Cheers,

Cam

[Mark F]

What a fantastic trip - most inspirational. I am curious as to whether walking a bit further inland could reduce to problems with the gulches.

GPSg - remember Archimedes - a 40 litre pack will be buoyant if it weighs less than 40kg. 1 litre of water weighs 1kg.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks for the responses on the floating pack. Yes, I understand the Archimedes principle and that wasn't my concern. I was thinking back to some of the NZ river crossing discussions we had here some time back where the point was made that tying of ropes at river crossings can be dangerous. Applied here, I was considering the risk of the floating back being stuck on something or through a puncture, it sank and getting caught by a current underneath. Hence, I was thinking that a line tied to a position closer to the trunk so that it can be untied or cut in an emergency may be safer. Of course, no big issue on slow flowing water courses where there are few on and under water obstacles.

[Cam H]

To Mark F: In regards to the gulches Vs inland bushwhacking conundrum, it was sometimes a case of "pick your poison." The scrub's pretty thick on some of that west coast section; as I mention in the gear list article, I don't think I've been on a trip where my gear took such a beating.

Cheers,

Cam

[Lizzy]

Congratulations and thanks for the trip report! You don't muck around do you- that was some quick walking. Amazing effort

[johnk1]

Well done Cam and great trip report. Unbelievably quick. Going solo helps with that though.

[DanShell]

Epic Cam. I stalk you on Facebook, it's nice to see you here.

[philm]

One of the best write ups for a long time
Came out of the blue as well
Some of the distances you covered in the time are incredible
A legend!

[greyim]

+ Epic... fav pics "infinity pool", and "not mauled by a tiger"

[Nuts]

Crikey!
A jolly big effort.
I tried that once with a thermarest, it went submarine on me
Lovely pics, nice colour.

[Jon MS]

Having walked all of the coastline between Cape Sorell and Port Davey several times, and hence know it well, its clear that what you did was huge!!!

For the past 10 years I have done a 2 to 6 week walk each summer on that section of coastline (plus lots of trips in earlier years). But, I have never done it in 17 days. My fastest trip was about 25 days.

I tell people that its a 4+ week trip from Cape Sorell to either Melaleuca or Scotts Peak, that the ~15 km section between Endeavour Beach and the Mainwarring R takes 5 or 6 days and is the hardest walking in Tas (my normal plan is to pick up food at the Mainwarring R so my pack weight is as low as practical through this section).

Having said that, I think its the best coastal walking in Tas. Great beach after great beach with great campsites every night. In all my trips on that section of coast (at least 20 trips longer than 2 weeks since the early 1990s), I have only ever met up with 1 other walking party (who had rafted down the Spero R) and seen 1 other party from the air when putting in food drops.

One of the reasons I have been spending so much time on that coast in recent years is doing beach weeding (although I was walking there well before I got into weed control). So far, we have reduced to amount of sea spurge and marram grass by about 99% but still have a few more years to go.

[icefest]

Having said that, I think its the best
One of the reasons I have been spending so much time on that coast in recent years is doing beach weeding (although I was walking there well before I got into weed control). So far, we have reduced to amount of sea spurge and marram grass by about 99% but still have a few more years to go.

Are you one of the SPRATS managers?

[Jon MS]

Yes, helped set up SPRATS in 2007 following a 42 day walk from Cape Sorell to Cockle Ck via SW Cape. I did a detailed survey of beach weeds whilst doing the walk plus compared the amount of sea spurge in 2007 with previous surveys in 2002.
Jon

[Cam H]

Having walked all of the coastline between Cape Sorell and Port Davey several times, and hence know it well, its clear that what you did was huge!!!

For the past 10 years I have done a 2 to 6 week walk each summer on that section of coastline (plus lots of trips in earlier years). But, I have never done it in 17 days. My fastest trip was about 25 days.

I tell people that its a 4+ week trip from Cape Sorell to either Melaleuca or Scotts Peak, that the ~15 km section between Endeavour Beach and the Mainwarring R takes 5 or 6 days and is the hardest walking in Tas (my normal plan is to pick up food at the Mainwarring R so my pack weight is as low as practical through this section).

Having said that, I think its the best coastal walking in Tas. Great beach after great beach with great campsites every night. In all my trips on that section of coast (at least 20 trips longer than 2 weeks since the early 1990s), I have only ever met up with 1 other walking party (who had rafted down the Spero R) and seen 1 other party from the air when putting in food drops.

One of the reasons I have been spending so much time on that coast in recent years is doing beach weeding (although I was walking there well before I got into weed control). So far, we have reduced to amount of sea spurge and marram grass by about 99% but still have a few more years to go.

I just googled SPRATS. It's amazing to see the work that groups such as yourselves and the South West Debris Cleanup team are doing. Hats off for all your efforts.

In regards to the stretch between Endeavour Bay and Rhueben Creek, it was definitely the toughest section of the trip. Very slow going. That being said, it was a great feeling each and every time I would break through the dense scrub and emerge on to one of those beaches - a mixture of elation and relief.

As for the time taken (17 days) for the west coast stage to Scotts Peak - I hiked long days, my pack was "relatively" light, I didn't have any rest days, and overall I think I was fortunate with the weather. I originally thought it would take me 13 to 15 days to complete that segment, but I realised after the first four or five that it was going to take longer and rationed accordingly. Speaking of the SW Debris Cleanup crew, an unexpected bonus on the food front came when I met them at Mulcahy beach on day 14...........they kindly gave me two oranges, a banana and some pumpernickel bread!

Cheers,

Cam

[icefest]

Yes, helped set up SPRATS in 2007 following a 42 day walk from Cape Sorell to Cockle Ck via SW Cape. I did a detailed survey of beach weeds whilst doing the walk plus compared the amount of sea spurge in 2007 with previous surveys in 2002.
Jon

Thanks Jon!

Over the past few years it seems there's always been a few students from our club helping you guys!

It's a magnificent job that SPRATS has done. Thankyou!

[eggs]

Just looked up Sea Splurge - and then checked some photos.
It appears on the dunes on Yorke Peninsula, SA (my home territory)
Just how bad is it?

PS - loved your write up - and blown away by your light weight setup Cam

[robl]

Sea spurge is not widespread on the far south coast of NSW as a result of constant vigilance by Parks NSW, volunteers and some bushwalkers.
It is very common and out of control in Victoria. (particularly remote places like Wilsons Prom and Croajingolong)
It can be controlled by pulling and discarded outside the tidal limit.
Some years ago a few of us pulled about 250 mature plants at a remote beach in Nadgee. A few years later about 40 were found and last time I was there the count was less than 20, all small. If they don't seed then the only source will be from seed washed from elsewhere. I must go back to that little beach sometime and see what has happened.

[nickthetasmaniac]

Amazing effort Cam!

I've been following your website for a while (from memory you were the inspiration for my Sarek trip in Sweden) - great to see you made it down these parts for an adventure!

[Mountain Rocket]

Great write up! That 40k day must have been a big one

Having just been out to Federation in April seeing those photos really took me back. Spectacular place! Really want to come at it from the EAs, this report has given me an even bigger approach route to consider

Also very impressed you fit all that food into your pack. I have the same sized HMG Porter and can appreciate how tight it must have been. No way I could do it with my tent ... maybe I do need a mid after all

[Cam H]

Amazing effort Cam!

I've been following your website for a while (from memory you were the inspiration for my Sarek trip in Sweden) - great to see you made it down these parts for an adventure!

Thanks, Nick.

That's very cool you made it up to Sarek! Such a beautiful area, that's still relatively unknown.

Cheers,

Cam

[Cam H]

Great write up! That 40k day must have been a big one

Having just been out to Federation in April seeing those photos really took me back. Spectacular place! Really want to come at it from the EAs, this report has given me an even bigger approach route to consider

Also very impressed you fit all that food into your pack. I have the same sized HMG Porter and can appreciate how tight it must have been. No way I could do it with my tent ... maybe I do need a mid after all

Hi Robert,

Funnily enough, the 40 km day was the easiest of the entire traverse. No bushwhacking, no scrambling, good weather, easy to follow trail.

In regards to the food, on the first day of the trip my pockets were filled with six boiled eggs I packed out from Strahan.........I literally couldn't fit them in the pack.

The Solomid was a good choice for this trip, though in hindsight I should have brought along an inner for the west coast section, as the mosquitos were worse than I expected some evenings.

Cheers,

Cam