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Guidebook to Tasmania's iconic Overland Track. Described over 7 stages, the 80km trail from Cradle Valley to Lake St Clair takes in glacier-carved valleys, vast buttongrass moorlands, mossy rainforests, rugged peaks, thundering waterfalls, alpine meadows and peaceful lakes. Adventurous side trips are also described.
Seasons
Summer (December, January, February) is the best time for hiking the track as many plants are flowering and the long days make sidetrips more feasible. Tasmania has four distinct seasons, however it's rare that an Overland trip doesn't include rain, hail or strong winds, and snow can occur even in summer.
Centres
Located in the Cradle Valley-Lake St Clair National Park, the Overland Track starts at Ronny Creek in Cradle Valley and ends at Cynthia Bay on Lake St Clair. Along the track are a series of basic huts and camping platforms.
Difficulty
The main track is well marked and maintained with a network of basic huts, boardwalks above boggy ground and bridges over creeks, which makes the track suitable for hikers of average fitness. There are plenty of challenges for experienced hikers too, with sidetrips to mountain peaks and into wilderness areas like the Labyrinth.
Must See
Jagged profile of Cradle Mountain across Dove Lake; panoramic views from sidetrip summits including Tasmania's highest mountain, Mt Ossa; dolerite columns of Mt Oakleigh; tranquil Lake St Clair; thundering cascades of D'Alton, Fergusson and Hartnett Falls; mossy rainforest en route to Pine Valley Hut; eclectic range of endemic plants and animals including Tasmanian devils
This guidebook covers the iconic Overland Track in Tasmania's stunning Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. The well-maintained 80km route from Cradle Valley to Lake St Clair is described over seven stages, along with optional sidetrips to the area's many accessible peaks including Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain. The track can be completed in between 5 and 9 days, depending on fitness and whether hikers undertake sidetrips.
Each stage features clear 1:50,000 mapping and profiles alongside detailed route description. The guide also includes essential practical information about booking onto the track and arranging permits, as well as comprehensive notes about the facilities available at each of the Overland huts. The extensive plant and animal section provides photos and descriptions of the eclectic range of wildlife that can be spotted along the track, and many of these fascinating species are found nowhere else on Earth.
The Overland Track crosses Tasmania's spectacular wild landscape, travelling through buttongrass moorland and rainforests, passing tranquil lakes and impressive waterfalls. Although more physically and technically challenging than the main route, the track's sidetrips are well worth the effort in good weather for the panoramic views they offer of the stunning Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.
Table of Contents
Contents Introduction Location History Geology Plants and animals Planning your trip When to go Ways to hike the track Hiking direction Doing the hike with kids Permits Booking your hike Signing in Getting there Accommodation and facilities at the start of the track Accommodation and facilities at the end of the track Accommodation and facilities on the track Planning day-by-day Using this guide What to take Food and water Waymarking Maps Sidetrips Health, safety and emergencies Phones and Wi-Fi The Overland Track Stage 1 Ronny Creek to Waterfall Valley Huts Stage 2 Waterfall Valley Huts to Windermere Hut Stage 3 Windermere Hut to New Pelion Hut Stage 4 New Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut Stage 5 Kia Ora Hut to Bert Nichols Hut Stage 6 Bert Nichols Hut to Narcissus Hut Stage 7 Narcissus Hut to Cynthia Bay Plant and animal guide Plant guide Animal guide
Appendix A Useful contacts Appendix B Suggested clothing, gear and food Appendix C What now? Other hikes in Tasmania
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Reviews
I’m impressed... I really couldn’t fault [this guidebook]
I’ve walked the Overland Track three times, but many years ago, way before the internet and the myriad of reports and You Tube videos that are out there, you basically picked up a brochure at the visitor centre in those days and headed off. So, I was interested to read the book to see if there’s anything that I’d missed... I’m impressed... I really couldn’t fault it. Warwick’s put an awful lot of effort and research into this handy pocket guide (well, if you had a big pocket).
The first 70 odd pages are devoted to preparedness, to ensure that anyone embarking on this adventure knows what to expect, what equipment to take and Warwick directs readers to additional research. Having seen one walker on the trip drag out a Bunnings gas stove out of his pack at a hut, I cannot stress the importance of this section.
The next 70 odd pages gives a comprehensive overview of each stage of the Track, an elevation graph, topographical map with track route, named features and side trip routes. The inclusion of the topo map snippets eliminates the need to carry the full topo maps.
The final 70 odd pages cover Flora & Fauna – the usual animals and plants, but the author has listed them from smallest (animal) to largest, so if you come across a really small bird you don’t have to hunt through an alphabetical listing to find the right one. The flora is arranged according to where you find it (alpine, sub alpine, grassland etc). I believe this section of the book would be particularly helpful and might change my feelings about packing a book (which, up to now, I’ve never done).
There’s a lot of history included in the content, fleshing out the early explorers who found the route, the early pioneers and the huts along the track.
Size: At 204 pages it is substantially more than the other book that I found available (68 pages). At 115cm x 170cm and 12cm thick, it’s not too big to have in your pack for easy reference.
Weight: 230gm – a little weighty for those of us who are light-weight walkers, BUT, you’d want to refer to the content often so that would offset its weight.
I’d always said that I didn’t need to walk the Overland Track again, after all, three times was probably enough, however, having read Warwick’s book I’ve realised that I missed a lot. I had said that I would “raffle off” the hardcopy of the book on my Facebook page, and am regretting that now, it’s a book that I’d definitely like to keep in my library!
Warwick Sprawson lives in Melbourne, Australia. After studying engineering he spent many years working and hiking in England, Ireland, Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and Costa Rica. Returning to Melbourne, he studied Australian Land Conservation and Management, subsequently working as a bushland regenerator. Since 2008 he has worked full-time as a writer, including as a regular contributor to Wild and Great Walks magazines.