TextTimothy Bunge

PhotosJen Merrett

Lake Oberon, a long way down. We camped at the big clearing

Fulfilling a dream at Lake Oberon in TasmaniaJen Merrett invited 12 female friends to walk the Three Capes Track in Tasmania to celebrate her sixtieth birthday in 2018, including long-time friend Nicole Briese and my sister Julie Krause.

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Nicole, Tim and Jen ready for the adventure on day 1

for the faint hearted, inexperienced, unfit, or poorly prepared. Most walkers take 6 to 8 days for a walk to the range from Scotts Peak Dam at the southern end of Lake Pedder in Tasmania’s south-west, the ascent of Moraine Alpha, and the rugged traverse east to a descent on Moraine Kappa. Some take a few extra days for the full traverse beyond Moraine K to the range’s highest peak, West Portal with an exit via the Crags of Andromeda and the soggy Arthur Plains.

Jen wisely decided that she should just tackle the least arduous and most improved section of the traverse, from Moraine A up Mount Hesperus and on to Lake Cygnus then to Lake Oberon, returning via the outward route. The traverse gets a lot tougher beyond Lake Oberon, and there are guided walks available for less gung-ho walkers just to Oberon and back.

Jen paid a deposit for herself and friends to join a guided walk company for the walk to Lake Oberon. However, COVID-19 caused the planned walk to be delayed, and delayed, and delayed. By the time it was possible for the walk to be undertaken, the company said there were insufficient walkers, and they would hold the deposits until a quorum of walkers was reached.

Jen tried hard to find that quorum, but to no avail. Her long-time fit mutual friend Nicole Briese from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland had just completed the 1001 kilometre Bibbulmun and 150 kilometre Cape to Cape walks in Western Australia with me from October to December 2022. Nicole suggested that Jen ditch the dithering walking company and utilise my experience to complete the walk safely. I had climbed all but two of the peaks in the Western and Eastern Arthur Ranges and was very familiar with the challenges and fickle weather encountered when walking in the Tasmanian wilderness.

Oberon bookedJen secured our bookings for mid-January 2023. The track has become very popular since John Chapman wrote a detailed route guide in his best-selling South West Tasmania in 1978. Coupled with the more recent

Day 1 - Looking back from the top of Moraine Alpha

Day 1 - Jen crossing Junction Creek

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“Instagram effect”, Tasmanian NPWS now require bookings for the Western Arthurs and several other popular walks in the south-west.

I had barely re-entered Tasmania after a wonderful six month break from work as a community mental health clinician, bushwalking 1700 kilometres across four states and the Northern Territory before I was joined by Jen and Nicole in Hobart for Jen’s bucket list adventure!

Jen, Nicole and I met in 1988 in Portland, an historic small city in south-west Victoria. I had worked as the senior occupational therapist in the local hospital and Nicole was employed as a teacher in the Lutheran Primary School where Jen’s sons were students. My sister Julie and brother Peter also lived in Portland at that time, and we were all friends. Portland is still home to Jen and her husband “Megsy”.

Day 1: Scotts Peak Dam to Lake Cygnus, 15.3 km, 11 hoursWe drove from Hobart to Scotts Peak Dam and commenced the undulating trek from Huon Camp through attractive rainforest over

muddy buttongrass plains and scrubby creeks to Junction Creek. At the Junction Creek campsite we encountered an enthusiastic ranger giving a pep talk to walkers. We were warned not to take the route and the weather lightly. Tips were given on protecting the environment and a “poo tube” for carrying human waste was shown! Some young people scoffed at his warnings, but then proceeded to go the wrong way on McKays Track and did not arrive at Lake Cygnus until 10.30 pm!

At the base of Moraine Alpha, we met a pair of wise older walkers who decided they would tackle the climb first thing in the morning. We headed up. It is a steady climb that takes most walkers a few hours, and it has boulders and scrubby alpine vegetation to negotiate. We were blessed with warm weather during our six day walk; many hikers encounter rain, snow or fierce wind traversing the Western Arthur Range.

Almost 65 years old, Jen pushed on uphill with great encouragement from “young” 58-year-old Nicole. We finally made the alpine

Day 1 - Alpine meadow at the top of Moraine Alpha in the evening

Day 1 - Nicole ascending Moraine Alpha

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meadow at the top of the range. We were treated to a beautiful sunset with golden light among the rocky tors as we followed the hardened path in an undulating route to Lake Cygnus. My experience on the range came in handy as we made the final descent to the Lake Cygnus campsite by torchlight in gathering cold and mist.

Day 2: Lake Cygnus to Lake Oberon, 4.2 km, 8 hrsThe rugged climbing up and down the range crest on Day 2 created a strenuous eight hour walk for Jen. After breakfast and visits to the “poo pod” that NPWS drop in by helicopter to protect the sensitive alpine environment, we ascended the steep track up to the main ridge for our walk sidling the slopes of Mount Hayes. I responded positively to requests to stand on rock pillars for photographs!

Lake Cygnus campsite on days 1 and 4

Day 2 - Swimming in Square Lake

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A wonderful day’s walking ensued up and down the ridge, with glorious views of some of the 32 glacial lakes along the range. They included Lakes Pluto, Neptune, Triton, Nereid, Ceres, and Square Lake. Square Lake is nestled under the cliffs of Procyon Peak and Mount Orion and invited a refreshing swim. There were myriad beautiful alpine flowers en route.

It was with a great sense of anticipation that Jen made the final climb up to the saddle between Mount Sirius and Mount Orion. This revealed the amazing view of Lake Oberon, Mount Pegasus South and Mount Sirius that had inspired Jen in the Dombrovskis book.

Jen was fit from swimming daily in the ocean at Portland (she is a member of Blue Tits International cold water women’s swimming group) but slogging up and down steep mountains required a whole new level of exertion!

Day 2 - Jen, Nicole and Tim on the Sirius-Orion Saddle, overlooking Lake Oberon and Mount Pegasus South

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Sunset on Lake Oberon

Day 4 - Tim

I was able to assist with lowering the ladies’ packs on some of the vertical sections of the descent to Lake Oberon, which is a taste of the “goat track” ahead on the range. We arrived at Lake Oberon and set up by the lake edge, as all the platform tent sites cut into the bushes were completely full. A swim in the beautiful lake and dinner by the beach created a wonderful finale to our day.

Day 3: Pegasus day trip, 10 km, 12 hoursJen and Nicole relaxed by Lake Oberon and swam in a tarn full of tadpoles on the Pegasus Saddle, while I took the opportunity to complete a 12-hour hike over Pegasus, sidling past Lakes Uranus, Titania and Ariel and over Mount Capricorn to Dorado Peak, which lies an hour off the main track to High Moor camp via a scrubby peak. It was wonderful to reach one of two of my unclimbed peaks on the Arthur Ranges; Mount Shaula awaits another hike one day!

Day 4: Lake Oberon, Mt Hayes, Lake Cygnus, 4.2 km, 8 hoursThis day dawned sunny and mild. We made the steep climb from Lake Oberon to the range crest and traversed back along the range, with a detour up Mount Hayes for amazing views. We had time for another refreshing swim in Lake Cygnus that afternoon after setting up our tents on a platform well

protected by the scrub. We chatted to a friendly summer ranger and other hikers. The sun setting over Lake Cygnus and lighting up the rugged peaks was sublime.

Day 4 - Ascending the steep track from Lake Oberon

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Day 5: Lake Cygnus, Mt Hesperus, Junction Creek, 7.3 km, 5 hoursIn hot weather we meandered past Capella Crags and Lake Fortuna to the summit of Mount Hesperus. Superb views were revealed south to Bathurst Harbour and Port Davey and north to Lake Pedder and the Mount Anne-Mount Sarah Jane massif. A steady descent down Moraine A brought us back to the Port Davey and McKays Tracks and a busy campsite on Junction Creek. A group of muscular SAS soldiers seemed a little bemused by the ranger’s pep talk on bush safety!

Day 6: Junction Creek to Huon Camp, 7 km, 3 hoursDay 6 simply required a final walk through the mud and on to the boardwalks with the two memorable sections of rainforest to enjoy. A planned postscript walk to Lake Judd was shelved when we heard the campsite by the lake was full. The sunset and sunrise reflections on Lake Judd of the cliffs of the Eliza Plateau and Mount Anne are sublime.

The Western Arthur Range has over 21 rugged peaks over 1000 metres in elevation. It should only be walked by people confident in navigating serious heights, steep descents, rock scrambling and extreme weather. Fortunately, there are always handholds, but care does need to be taken every step of the traverse. The return walk to Lake Oberon presents less challenges than the full traverse but is still a magnificent ramble that leaves the walker feeling very fulfilled.

Day 6 - Forest near Huon camp

Timothy is a 61-year-old writer, photographer and keen bushwalker from Bellerive Tasmania. He squeezes in wilderness adventures between working as an occupational therapist in three adult community mental health teams in Hobart, Tasmania, being a dad to three wonderful adult children, firefighting as a volunteer with the Tasmania Fire Service (Collinsvale Brigade and the Remote Area Team), completing Park Runs and fellowshipping at St Mark’s Anglican Church. He cut his teeth wilderness bushwalking in the 1970s in the Grampians near his family’s farm at Konongwootong North in south-west Victoria, and he loves to return to those beautiful mountains.

Day 5 - Jen at Junction Creek camp

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