Bookings for Three Capes Track now open

[Lophophaps]

Lost said "National parks aren't solely there for the benefit of people or a select few companies to make quite a few dollars." My take on that observation is that national parks exist for several reasons, including preserving the environment. This is why there are reference areas, where very few people are permitted.

The Three Capes development has compromised that objective, is too much for the region, lacks character, has a boring track, and cost too much. There should have been the absolute minimum done to allow more people commensurate with safety and maintaining the place. It's like bush McMansion. To modify Spock from Star Trek, "It's a bushwalk, Jim, but not as we know it."

If you are arguing for the proposition that no judgment of the value of national parks can be separate from HUMAN interests/needs then I agree. But this, of course, compromises any view that the environment is valuable "for its own sake". So, if the latter is your view I would be interested to hear how you arrived at this judgment (without it being merely an opinion!)

I make no argument as cited above. A holistic long-term approach is suggested, balancing short- to medium-term issues. It seems to me that it is an axiom that the environment should be protected. Some parts of our parks cater for a large number of visitors, and others are much wilder. There's room for both. In my view, Three Capes has been over-developed, reducing the ambiance. It would have been very easy to adopt a minimalistic approach and retain the charm while allowing many people to visit without degrading the track. The main views are excellent, the tracks are often not.

The pictures of the old and new tracks are interesting. While some parts probably needed decking, it seems for the pictures that many did not. All that was needed was to cut back the encroaching trees. Do the huts have air locks? It seems not, and if so this is disappointing.

[Nungulba]

Yes, I think it is generally agreed that the execution of the development plan was a bit heavy-handed. Perhaps the 'aesthetic' and 'utilitarian' aspects of the project could have been better coordinated. The old huts on the Overland Track had plenty of "ambience" but the chimneys generally 'smoked' and the rats weren't 'house-trained'!

[Lophophaps]

Yes, I think it is generally agreed that the execution of the development plan was a bit heavy-handed. Perhaps the 'aesthetic' and 'utilitarian' aspects of the project could have been better coordinated. The old huts on the Overland Track had plenty of "ambience" but the chimneys generally 'smoked' and the rats weren't 'house-trained'!

LOL, yes, you have described the situation rather well. I've seen huts with far too much ambience, such as gaps in the walls, dark corners, floors with holes, and even a dirt floor. Good design works in a functional and aesthetic way to combine to give a pleasing result. One of the best huts I've seen was in NZ, possibly Angelus Hut. It had a simple construction, many windows, no drafts and lots of room. The air lock meant that no heating was needed, cosy on a very cold windy day. PWS in Tassie should mimic this design.

One track with a very high volume of walkers is the Main Range walk in Kosciuszko NP, with bricks, rock slabs laid down, and bare earth. The variety is nice. The OLT has this sort of variety and appeals. It would be sad indeed if all tracks and huts were the same. I had hoped that PWS would learn from the unfortunate Windy Fridge design. Maybe third time lucky.

[Lost]

These fit in better with the environment and fit in with the NP "leave no trace" mantra. these are from a National park in NW China.

[Nungulba]

Dear Bohwaz,

Thanks for your excellent photo-documentation of the Three Capes track & "infra-structure"! I have to admit that a lot of it is (honestly) farcical, especially the futuristic "art works" - one looks like an outdoor "urinal", the other resembles a "minimalist" version of a Tasmanian Waratah (?)
Anyway, despite opinions to the contrary, this may be a Sign of the Times! At least it will quarantine "wilderness tourists" for the foreseeable future. And I don't expect there will be a rash of similar extravaganzas on the island, because with Liberal/National governments in power in Tasmania & federally such "adventurist" projects are less likely. The "accommodations" reflect the sort of clientele targeted by the commercial interests involved. The tracks may be "over-engineered" in some areas, but no worse than in other parks. The space-age "loos" look like an architect's nightmare, but once again I saw something similar on the O.T. near Narcissus Hut (c. 2004).

At least, the Three Capes enterprise will be a talking point for a while yet!

[Lost]

"And I don't expect there will be a rash of similar extravaganzas on the island, because with Liberal/National governments in power in Tasmania & federally such "adventurist" projects are less likely. "

You would be wrong. http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/tourism-opportunities

[north-north-west]

"And I don't expect there will be a rash of similar extravaganzas on the island, because with Liberal/National governments in power in Tasmania & federally such "adventurist" projects are less likely. "

You have to be joking. This state government is committed to screwing up as much wilderness as it can - be it private tourism ventures or forestry/mining. Anything where the select few can make a few dollars.

[Nuts]

Nah, he's probably correct. This government will be big on ideas, unsettling us all, and low on $ shown as spent (or, of course, responsibility actually taken). Still kinetics at play, just involving more bodily parts.

[Nungulba]

"And I don't expect there will be a rash of similar extravaganzas on the island, because with Liberal/National governments in power in Tasmania & federally such "adventurist" projects are less likely. "

You would be wrong. http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/tourism-opportunities

Yes? Well let's see how the next stage of the Three Capes project develops shall we? It's one thing for a government to have a policy, quite another for that project to be executed. The only reason that the Three Capes got off the ground was that both State & Federal governments agreed to pour big bucks into the project. It's arguable whether such "largesse" will ever be repeated!
Besides, Tasmania has always had two natural advantages: isolation & climate! It's why commercial interests have tended to look elsewhere for investment. Also, Tassie's relatively small population which has hindered local development. If Tourism is to become the Great White Hope of Tasmania's economy, all the afore-mentioned factors, as well as a restricted infrastructure, will need to be overcome.

[Nungulba]

"And I don't expect there will be a rash of similar extravaganzas on the island, because with Liberal/National governments in power in Tasmania & federally such "adventurist" projects are less likely. "

You have to be joking. This state government is committed to screwing up as much wilderness as it can - be it private tourism ventures or forestry/mining. Anything where the select few can make a few dollars.

Once again, I agree with you! If past examples are anything to go by, Tasmanian wilderness has a lot more to fear from its traditional threats, F & M, than from tourism development (See also, my reply to "Lost")

[creeping_moses]

Just a message as I just finished the Cape Pillar Circuit as described on the Three Capes track (Fortescue Bay -> Wughalee Falls -> Cape Pillar -> back to camp -> Fortescue Bay). I've never been to the area, just been to Fortescue Bay/Bivouac Bay 3 years ago, but didn't have a tent to do overnight hikes at the time.
...
The cabins don't look nice, the track looks butchered, the landscape has been bulldozed and finally the feeling of the place is just odd and out of place. I cannot believe how they can market this as "eco" or "environmentally-sensitive". This is everything but sensitive, it is a poor job of protecting nature but a good job of destroying it. I don't even see how it can be a profitable business as the huts will need to be staffed all year long and I don't think there will be much visitors in winter (only a dozen people in huts this time).

Interesting reading your report Bohwaz. I just did a very similar walk. We did Fortescue Bay -> Wughalee Falls (afternoon loop walk up to the new Retakunna hut and back to the camp via the old track from 1/3 of the way up Mt. Fortescue) -> next day we went to The Chasm and The Blade -> back to Mt. Fortescue -> Cape Hauy -> Fortescue Bay.

I mostly disagree with your take on the situation down there. Yes, the new track can and will be described like a scar. People describe various developments in this way all the time. Like Zero Davey Hotel, the tower on Mt. Wellington, IMAS etc. I suppose there is some truth in this as scars occur after (often rapid) change and are a new addition to the status quo. Scars are not necessarily bad. A fine surgeon will leave a scar after a possibly life-saving or modifying operation, but I digress. I found the track super quick to walk which I think is good and I definitely did not think the cabins were odd and out of place as you found them to be. I was actually pleasantly surprised by their design and appearance. I could not see Munro or Retakunna prior to actually arriving at them and I think saying the whole thing is a good job of destroying nature is frankly hyperbole. Whether is it profitable I have no idea, but I did meet many very chuffed elderly couples, families with children (very young through teenagers) and a disabled couple walking the new experience. I found everyone I met and talked to to be agreeable and on for a chat. They were as interested in us (non- experience walkers) as I was in hearing their thoughts and views on the whole thing. I do have gripes with costs as Tasmanians pay our taxes, park fees and then are expected to pay another lump sum for certain walks... I find this less than ideal but I personally am watching the progression and I hope success of this 3 Capes venture closely.

Finally, something I think is important is something I think we all already know and may have been alluded to in this thread prior: that not everyone will see things like we do and we should consider the echo-chambers we all too often place ourselves in to comment on such matters.

[bohwaz]

We personally only saw old people (50+) on the track, about a dozen only, huts were mostly empty.

I agree that it is visually horrible when it's new but can get better with time, but I saw other new tracks and none looked that bad, from what local rangers and track workers said there was a huge political pressure to open the track as quick as possible so they literally had to cut corners, and this explains why the route of the new track hasn't been really well thought.

Actually before going I was thinking it would look quite commercial, a bit like the Overland and Cradle Mountain: lots of constructed track, but beautiful and nice to walk, but it did in fact look much worse than what I expected and the experience was very deceiving.

The main problem for me is that they did great damage a National Park, which for me is mainly for conservation, and I would even be a proponent of limiting access to some areas for bushwalking as walking already has a great environmental impact. The basic idea of a National Park for me is to preserve an area for the future, and building new tracks and buildings, clearing plants and cutting rocks is not preservation, it is the exact opposite. And it's not even like the Overland, Frenchmans Cap or the Great Walks in NZ where they build the tracks to protect the area because of the high visitors numbers, here it's considering that a National Park is just an opportunity to make more money and satisfy local tourism companies, and this for me is outrageous, much more than the actual look of the track.

[Tortoise]

We personally only saw old people (50+) on the track

I'm an old person? I never even realised. *Sigh* But I digress...

[north-north-west]

We personally only saw old people (50+) on the track

I'm an old person? I never even realised. *Sigh* But I digress...

We're middle-aged, Torts. Remember, you're only as old as the man you feel.

[Nuts]

Ahem

The main problem for me is that they did great damage a National Park, which for me is mainly for conservation, and I would even be a proponent of limiting access to some areas for bushwalking as walking already has a great environmental impact. The basic idea of a National Park for me is to preserve an area for the future, and building new tracks and buildings, clearing plants and cutting rocks is not preservation, it is the exact opposite. And it's not even like the Overland, Frenchmans Cap or the Great Walks in NZ where they build the tracks to protect the area because of the high visitors numbers, here it's considering that a National Park is just an opportunity to make more money and satisfy local tourism companies, and this for me is outrageous, much more than the actual look of the track.

I feel the same way, as do others, as i'm sure has been covered. The details don't matter so much as the example and, like tax on cigarettes and pokies, if successful (which is the whole point right, the making of $) .. a potential addiction insidious in that otherwise worldly people, even some oldies, even some with nothing or any link to anyone with anything to gain.. actually see 'good' or are prepared to accept certain degrees of 'bad'.

[bohwaz]

We personally only saw old people (50+) on the track

I'm an old person? I never even realised. *Sigh* But I digress...

Sorry, I first wrote 40+ years old and just realised that I'm getting there in about 9 years so yeah being old will shift with my own age

It was just to show that it was not the same tourists that you meet around Tasmania usually, probably because of the hefty price. As a tourist I would prefer to spend those 500 bucks in a real lifetime experience like doing the Overland (+300$ for buying a high end tent!), white water rafting, canyoning, scuba diving…

[Tortoise]

Sorry, bohwaz, I couldn't resist!

We're middle-aged, Torts.

Yeah, yeah. It struck me when I hit 50 that I was unlikely to live >100, soooo I reckoned I'd best update my thinking. But do I know women (and a few men) in their 70s and 80s who still do fantastic walks? You betcha!! But yep, they've had the privilege and joy of being able to take on the challenging ones for decades, while the majority of people (some of whom can now do the 3 Capes Track, no matter what I think of how it's been done) have never had the opportunity for one reason or another.

[Nuts]

New walking experience for the Three Capes Track

13/05/2016

Three Capes Lodge Walk Pty Ltd, owned by the principles of the Tasmanian Walking Company (TWC) Rob Sherrard and Brett Godfrey, were successful in their bid for the new walking experience after an Expression of Interest process was advertised.

TWC has a strong reputation as a provider of high-quality walking experiences and have successfully developed and operated iconic walking experiences such as Cradle Mountain Huts and the Bay of Fires Walk.

The new walk will involve new high-quality huts and a guided bushwalking experience that will ensure the track provides a walking experience for a wide range of ages, abilities and comfort requirements, giving it a wider market appeal than most other bushwalks in Tasmania

More than 6,100 walkers have booked to walk the track since it opened in December 2015, and the new walk will further cement the Three Capes Track as one of the top bushwalking experiences in Australia.

[north-north-west]

We need a *raspberry* (to be polite) emoji.

[DanShell]

New walking experience for the Three Capes Track

13/05/2016

Three Capes Lodge Walk Pty Ltd, owned by the principles of the Tasmanian Walking Company (TWC) Rob Sherrard and Brett Godfrey, were successful in their bid for the new walking experience after an Expression of Interest process was advertised.

TWC has a strong reputation as a provider of high-quality walking experiences and have successfully developed and operated iconic walking experiences such as Cradle Mountain Huts and the Bay of Fires Walk.

The new walk will involve new high-quality huts and a guided bushwalking experience that will ensure the track provides a walking experience for a wide range of ages, abilities and comfort requirements, giving it a wider market appeal than most other bushwalks in Tasmania

More than 6,100 walkers have booked to walk the track since it opened in December 2015, and the new walk will further cement the Three Capes Track as one of the top bushwalking experiences in Australia.

Another set of huts?? Why? The infrastructure they have in place now is too much. Money would be better served reserving extra tenting areas for the independent walker imo.

[north-north-west]

Another set of huts?? Why? The infrastructure they have in place now is too much. Money would be better served reserving extra tenting areas for the independent walker imo.

Because the toffs who are paying even more to go with a private company do not need to be polluted by the overnight company of the hoi polloi.
.

[DanShell]

Because the toffs who are paying even more to go with a private company do not need to be polluted by the overnight company of the hoi polloi.
.

I resemble that comment


EDIT: Um, the Hoi Polloi not the Toffs!!

[beardless]

I have added a trip report of the Three Capes Track March/April this year if anyone is interested: http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=23307

[Thornbill]

Just because I'm curious, and because its a nice part of the world, I'm planning on heading out to do the "Free Capes" track sometime over winter. I've done the walk from Fortescue a few times before, but camped at Hurricane Heath or Perdition Ponds (I have fond memories of a cracking sunset from atop the nearby cliffs). I've also camped at Wughalee Falls, where the new walkers campsite is and, to be fair, its not the greatest spot. Cold and wet. For a leisurely 2-3 days walk, I'd much rather camp elsewhere. Does anyone know the latest situation regarding walkers camping on the capes? Are we restricted to Wughallee Falls? I did hear rumors on this forum of perhaps a second walkers campsite?

TIA

[GPSGuided]

More than 6,100 walkers have booked to walk the track since it opened in December 2015, and the new walk will further cement the Three Capes Track as one of the top bushwalking experiences in Australia.

So they are running around 80% capacity. I note that there's plenty of space on their booking site.

[tasmaniac]

Why are we calling it the Three Capes Track anyway? Let's just call it the Two Capes Track for now and just wait and see.

[bohwaz]

Just because I'm curious, and because its a nice part of the world, I'm planning on heading out to do the "Free Capes" track sometime over winter. I've done the walk from Fortescue a few times before, but camped at Hurricane Heath or Perdition Ponds (I have fond memories of a cracking sunset from atop the nearby cliffs). I've also camped at Wughalee Falls, where the new walkers campsite is and, to be fair, its not the greatest spot. Cold and wet. For a leisurely 2-3 days walk, I'd much rather camp elsewhere. Does anyone know the latest situation regarding walkers camping on the capes? Are we restricted to Wughallee Falls? I did hear rumors on this forum of perhaps a second walkers campsite?

TIA

When I was there in March Perdition Ponds was still accessible (you have to follow the "old" track, not the new boardwalk) and no sign in place against camping there. Hurricane Heath is right on the new track, closed and covered with branches (but no sign either).

[PeterJ]

I met two hut wardens when I was there in April and they said you can camp where you choose as long as not within 500m of the huts.

[Thornbill]

Excellent. Thanks for the update folks. Nice to know there are a few options.

[Nuts]

I met two hut wardens when I was there in April and they said you can camp where you choose as long as not within 500m of the huts.

That's an odd thing for hut wardens to be saying.