Hartz National Park

Tuesday, January 02, 2024
Brooks Bay, Tasmania, Australia
Today was our 36th anniversary. We were greeted by two frolicking rabbits and a blue fairy wren outside our window. A nice start to the day.
We decided to head to Hartz National Park to do a walk. This was on my to-do list, to get into the natural landscape of this beautiful state. It was a winding road to the visitor's centre, the vegetation changed as we headed up the hill. We passed big trees, beautiful palms and scrubby bush. The weather seemed like it was going to be fine, if a little cool.
We arrived at the visitor’s centre, which is really just an information hut. Ken paid our parks pass online, covering all of us in the one car. Then we headed up the path. We decided to do the shorter walk to Lake Esperance.
The walk was so enjoyable. The scenery was fabulous as we walked uphill. The lower sections were heavily treed, but opened into a scrubby landscape further up the hill. Some parts were a little challenging as we scrambled up muddy rocks, but mostly we had a wooden path to follow, which was covered in chicken wire to stop it getting slippery. Genius. Clare entertained us with her commentary as walked along. She’s not keen on climbing rocks.
We saw some birds, but not other animals. We could see evidence of wombats, with their distinctive square scat on the side of the path. 
The fog rolled in as we walked. We could see it drifting across the sky as we ventured up. By the time we got to Lake Esperance, it was completely enveloped in fog. We couldn’t see very far at all, but it was still and quiet and beautiful. Just as we thought the fog was clearing, we watched another front roll through. We sat for a while and enjoyed the atmosphere before deciding we could go further and headed towards Ladies’ Tarn.
This part of the walk gave us a chance to see the most beautiful Tasmanian Cushion Plants, growing their own micro community. They are slow growing, very fragile and such delightful little works of art.
A tarn is a little mountain lake and I’m sure it was a little mountain lake, but we were so fogged in we could only see a little mountain puddle. We perched on the rocks for a while, enjoying the stillness before heading back down the hill. I’m sure the climb further up to Hartz Peak was not going to be worth it on such a foggy day. That’s our excuse anyway.
The walk down was busier, as more people headed up the hill. The climb down the rocks was a little more difficult at the mud got more and more trudged through. 
Back at the car, we chatted to a few people ready to head off, asking about our walk. With the amount of fog about, not many were keen to head to the top.
We had our roast lamb sandwiches ready for our lunch and stopped a short drive away at the Arve Falls. It was a 10 minute walk down the the falls where we were greeted with the spectacular sight of the falls over an amazing valley below. It was a peaceful spot to stop and eat, with only one other couple popping in briefly. Another walk out and we were back on the road.  
We stopped in at the Dover RSL to check out the dinner options. There is not much available in town in terms of eating out, especially at the beginning of the week. The RSL looked ok, and we headed home. Tony drove us along the coast road, following the Huon River to our house. This is a spectacular place. The little bays are all so pretty. We could see the big salmon farms set up along the way. It is a very large enterprise.
Back home and we relaxed in the hot tub on the verandah, with views over the river. It was very luxurious as we rested our sore muscles. It was tempting to stay in, but we had dinner to get to so we rallied and were back on the road. 
The RSL was busy when we got there and we were told there would be quite a wait for our meals. We enjoyed our drinks and toasted our anniversary, taking in the salubrious surroundings, which were definitely surpassed by the views outside. Our meals were delivered by an exhausted waiter, who made no secret of the fact that she was overwhelmed tonight. But she was friendly and didn’t direct any of her frustration at us. The meals were good. We decided to pass on dessert, not sure that order would have been welcome - we could hear pots and pans being tossed and banged in the kitchen as they began their clean up for the night.
Outside, we took in the views across the water before heading back home to our house where we watched the end of the cricket and planned for the next day.
It had been a great day.

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2025-02-15

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