Bastion / Hidden Falls area

[Matt_22]

Hi all

I am finding this site to be full of info & experience from fellow walkers, a great resource for bushwalking in Tassie!

I’m after some info in relation to the bastion falls / Hidden falls area, after reading a few previous topics / posts on this area a few members mentioned they utilised a guide for there trip. What’s the best way to make contact with a guide for this area? Does anyone have contact info?

After viewing some of the pictures of this area it appears to the a landscape photographers dream area (well especially for me). I would love to get access to the hidden falls for a few snaps (lol or a couple of hundred in my case).

Any info would be greatly appreciated, feel free to PM me as I realise this is a sensitive area.

We are defiantly blessed to live in a state such as Tasmania, some of the world’s best wilderness at the reach of our finger tips

Cheers

Matt

[Tasallan]

Hi Matt

This is a magnificent walk and easy to follow - you do not need a guide. Friends and myself did the walk about 3 weeks ago. The best way is to walk to the Stone Hut first, this is a pretty steep climb and takes about an hour to reach, if you come in from the start of the Bastion Cascade track it is a much more severe climb.
Whilst the track is often hidden by ferns it is clearly marked with the red/orange pointers that FT and Parks use. You walk through some magnificent rain forest and the huge sandstone cliffs at Crowdens Croft are really magnificent. http://www.molecreek.info/bastion_cascade_walk.htm This will give you directions and an idea of the walk.If you have a 4WD or SUV you can drive to the start of the track which saves quite a bit of walking, plenty of room to park. We are four old farts and the entire walk took us about 3 hours 45 minutes, a great walk.
Trevor

[whiskeylover]

Minor Moderation to remove personal comment in line with forum rules.

Although you are right about the Stone Hut - Bastion Cascades Circuit which is well marked and beautiful. Hidden falls and other features in this area are "hidden" and have no marked track and it would certainly be better to have a guide. This is not a place you could explore easily without local knowledge. No matter how well you can read a map or use a compass you would be lucky to find all the features in this area without as guide as there are a lot of drop offs, cliffs and impossible routes in a very small area, making the way a matter of remembering it well enough or the two steps forward, one step back, are we geographically challenged? (not lost) approach. On an encouraging note, there is good mobile phone reception at the top of hidden falls and some other cliffs in the area, but having to ask for help when geographically embarrassed is best avoided by taking an experienced and local guide (then they can be embarrassed). The other important point is that the non-track, sensitive area is challenging both physically and mentally, especially if you have a fear of heights or a fear of getting lost.
I for one would prefer not to see this area tracked as due to the steepness and dampness it would deteriorate very quickly if more people began to visit it.

[walkinTas]

Since Whiskeylover (who knows this area) suggests that some off track walking is in sensitive areas, then forum rules require that this information is not posted publicly. To protect sensitive areas, please use PM messages about actual off-track walking, thanks.

[Matt_22]

Thanks for the info

Hi Matt

This is a magnificent walk and easy to follow - you do not need a guide. Friends and myself did the walk about 3 weeks ago. The best way is to walk to the Stone Hut first, this is a pretty steep climb and takes about an hour to reach, if you come in from the start of the Bastion Cascade track it is a much more severe climb.
Whilst the track is often hidden by ferns it is clearly marked with the red/orange pointers that FT and Parks use. You walk through some magnificent rain forest and the huge sandstone cliffs at Crowdens Croft are really magnificent. http://www.molecreek.info/bastion_cascade_walk.htm This will give you directions and an idea of the walk.If you have a 4WD or SUV you can drive to the start of the track which saves quite a bit of walking, plenty of room to park. We are four old farts and the entire walk took us about 3 hours 45 minutes, a great walk.
Trevor

From what I’ve seen online it appears to be a beautiful place Trevor, it's hard to believe we can drive a little over an hour and be in such a destination, looking forward to getting out to the stone hut / cascades loop for a look and a few snaps with all the recent rain the water should be up! (Just have to con the better half in using her 4wd to cut some of that walk time off)

Minor Moderation to remove personal comment in line with forum rules.

Although you are right about the Stone Hut - Bastion Cascades Circuit which is well marked and beautiful. Hidden falls and other features in this area are "hidden" and have no marked track and it would certainly be better to have a guide. This is not a place you could explore easily without local knowledge. No matter how well you can read a map or use a compass you would be lucky to find all the features in this area without as guide as there are a lot of drop offs, cliffs and impossible routes in a very small area, making the way a matter of remembering it well enough or the two steps forward, one step back, are we geographically challenged? (not lost) approach. On an encouraging note, there is good mobile phone reception at the top of hidden falls and some other cliffs in the area, but having to ask for help when geographically embarrassed is best avoided by taking an experienced and local guide (then they can be embarrassed). The other important point is that the non-track, sensitive area is challenging both physically and mentally, especially if you have a fear of heights or a fear of getting lost.
I for one would prefer not to see this area tracked as due to the steepness and dampness it would deteriorate very quickly if more people began to visit it.

I totally agree with you whiskeylover in relation to it not being tracked & the use of a guide, when using a guide it provides to some degree of control / restriction on how much the area is visited. And as you said it would no doubt deteriorate quickly with heavy use. And also the use of a guide for safety reasons wouldn't be a nice feeling having to dial those three magic digits for help in an unknown location!

Do you know when the cascades area was discovered? How long has the loop track been operational for?

Thanks for your replys and info

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and safe new year

Regards

Matt