Vale Of Rasselas Track to Adamsfield

[Ultrarunner]

Can somebody tell me the name of the track that extends from Butlers Gorge and ends in the vicinity of Cavalier Creek?

And also is there a track that extends from the southern end of the Vale of Rasselas Track to meet up with the Adamsfield Track?

I am going off an old map (current only to 1988 because Tasmap havent done a later edition)

[ILUVSWTAS]

Not sure if it has a name. We did a walk on the King William range last year from this track. It's slightly overgrown in places, but still followable inj MOST places. Gets very vague the closer you get to the Gordon river where it stops.
Access is the issue. The hydro will not allow people through and we had find our own way over/through the gates.


There was an old pad I believe that led to the old airstrips in the Northern part of the vale, but this is to all reports now so overgrown it barely exists. Treat the area like it's off track, as you would probably waste more time trying to stay on the track than it would be worth.

At the Southern end of the vale there is Tims track, but this is also very overgrown and while it is tagged it is a very hard slog through some HUGE buttongrass clumps. I did a trip to the Gordon river along this track a couple of years ago and it was a very very hard days walking.

[Buddy]

The track from Butler's Gorge was originally a min. ex. track put in by a Hobart real estate agent, one Charles Johnson. It culminated in an air strip not so far from the Spires. The bulldozer that made it is still in there (holed piston). 4WDs were sometimes used to access the claim as well. Prospecting in those days often consisted in scraping the ground with a bulldozer blade. Wouldn't get away with that now! They were searching for gold, unsuccessfully.

[Ultrarunner]

Thanks for the information,

I am planning to go from Butlers Gorge through to the Vale then onto the Adamsfield Track and then the Saw Back Track to the Gordon Road.

So I am working out the best route to take, anyone that has done this route I would love to hear from.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Not many at all have been this way. Theres been a few HWC parties that have done it in the past, it's slow and scrubby from all reports.

Be sure to report back and let us all know how bad it is!!!

[Azza]

I reckon you're best way to get through this bit unimpeeded would be to head down the florentine valley from wayatina on the forestry roads, from there you can get over the tiger range to the Vale of Rasselas using the Richea Creek track that gets you into Gordonvale and the Denison Range. That way you'd at least know that the scrub wasn't going to stop you.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I suggested the same thing Azz. He wants to use minimize the use of roads where possible though. From the 2 trip reports I have read in recent years of parties going to the airstrips, the track (which was never all that long to begin with) has been eaten up by the scrub.

[JamesMc]

In the min 1980s a friend and I walked in along Timbs track to Denison Ra, across to Spires then out to Butlers Gorge via what we new as the "Bombadier Track". Bombadier is the name of an Austrian (?) company that makes bulldozers, snow mobiles, trains etc. At that time Timbs Track was OK though there was lots of fallen timber, and there was a (now crippled) flying fox at Gordon Bend. However, the southern section of the Bombaider Track was virtually impossible to follow. In some places we just took a compass bearing in the direction we thought it went, and when we reached a creek we would walk up and down stream to find where the track had been cut into the creek bank. It was pretty open button grass most of the way - I don't think it was worth the effort trying to find the track. Of course button grass can grow a lot in 25 years.

A great adventure for my second summer in Tasmania!

The region east of the King William Range is remarkable for the size of its leeches.

JamesMc

[ILUVSWTAS]

The region east of the King William Range is remarkable for the size of its leeches.

JamesMc

2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th and 10th that!! Within 30minutes of walking Ollster had several underneath each of his gaiters.

[ollster]

2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th and 10th that!! Within 30minutes of walking Ollster had several underneath each of his gaiters.

About half a dozen on each leg. It was then that I decided to tuck my thermals into my socks...

[north-north-west]

They can work their way through that. It just slows them down a bit.

[Liamy77]

anyone know what the florentine crossing is llike at the "flying fox" - its dismanteled now right? how is it to cross now?

[ILUVSWTAS]

I crossed it a couple of years ago while in flood. There is a tree (it was semi under water or me) you can shuffle across. I only got marginally wet. I believe it's wadable when the water is low.

Yes the flying fox is long gone sadly

[MJD]

Pretty sure the cable was still there last time I looked. It's a bit upstream from the crossing. The crossing - is it a tree or the remains of an old bridge? Or both? Hmm. Anyway, I just found a picture of the cable from early 2007.

[JamesMc]

Is this flying fox on the Florentine or the Gordon? IThe issue is with the flying fox on the Gordon and I recall the Gordon being a slightly larger river.

JamesMc

[ILUVSWTAS]

Yeh I must confess I was referring to the Little Florentine. On the Timbs track.

Thanks MJD for posting that pic.

[MJD]

It's the Adamsfield Track crossing the Florentine. You go down Timbs Track, turn left onto the Adamsfield Track and reach the Florentine in less than a kilometer. The wire is out of sight and upstream from the the crossing.

There is still a wire across the Gordon as well. It just happens to be close to the eastern end of the gorge near where the Huntley Rivulet runs in and the Bombardier Track ends. Got a photo of that as well .

However, I'd be sending the Ollster over first to confirm that the strutures were still load bearing as neither gets any maintenance.

[ILUVSWTAS]

However, I'd be sending the Ollster over first to confirm that the strutures were still load bearing as neither gets any maintenance.

Lol. A solid plan


Hmmm the fox at the gordon bend was in pieces by the edge of the river 2-3 years ago, is that the one you were referring to??

[MJD]

NO - It just happens to be close to the eastern end of the gorge near where the Huntley Rivulet runs in and the Bombardier Track ends.

Edit - over two kilometers downstream from the one you are thinking of.

[Liamy77]

However, I'd be sending the Ollster over first to confirm that the strutures were still load bearing as neither gets any maintenance.

Lol. A solid plan


Hmmm the fox at the gordon bend was in pieces by the edge of the river 2-3 years ago, is that the one you were referring to??

hopefully not overly "solid" eh ollster (not that i have seen ya in the flesh)?

[MJD]

And coming from me, it's probably a case of the kettle calling the pot black.

[ollster]

hopefully not overly "solid" eh ollster (not that i have seen ya in the flesh)?

There's enough of it to ensure that if a bridge holds me and a pack it'll hold anyone.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Sooo MJD.. your telling me 3 years ago I crossed this river.. on this log... in freezing water. flooded, got very wet, cold, scared.... when there was a cable crossing a few hundred meters upstream???



At this spot near the old hut yeh???

[Liamy77]

nothing like a bath for smelly walking companions eh?

[ILUVSWTAS]

:lol: nothing like a bath for smelly walking companions eh?

True, only on this walk I was solo. And further insult was I got to the gordon bend hours later to find that river TOTALLY uncrossable. So I walked back to here and camped the night.... great trip that one.... Rhona fail No.1

[MJD]

ILUVSWTAS: Sooo MJD.. your telling me 3 years ago I crossed this river.. on this log... in freezing water. flooded, got very wet, cold, scared.... when there was a cable crossing a few hundred meters upstream???

Correct. The cable is upstream from there. No flying fox on it though.

The one at the Huntley did still have the flying fox though.

PS: that's a lot of water in the Florentine.

[lyndoor]

Don't know if this helps but a few weeks ago I walked to Lake Rhona via the Richea Track. This came off a car park on Terry Walsh Road. We had to cross the Gordon River by means of a slippery wet log over fast moving water. There was talk of a flying fox there that had been dismantled but we didn't see anything that day.

Fallen log over the Gordon River

Big tree over Gordon River (Small).JPG (69.24 KiB) Viewed 12145 times

Emma & Wendy crossing (Small).JPG (106 KiB) Viewed 12145 times

[MJD]

Very handy tree that one. Apparently it has been there a couple of years. Mind you, the fording point wouldn't have been very deep with those water levels... but dry feet are dry feet.

I'm not aware of there having been a flying fox at that point. You may be referring to the same one ILUVSWTAS mentioned that was at the Gordon Bend - downstream several kms. Then it's another couple of kms downstream to the Huntley Rivulet where there is (was in 2007) a wire across the Gordon.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Quite right MJD. The Richea creek track is quite new. The flying foxes were installed waaaay before that track existed.

[lyndoor]

Thanks MJD. My mistake

...and nice to know we wouldn't have drowned if we'd fallen in, still it would have taken a bit of convincing - the old knees were shaking!!!