Thursday 18 February – Monday 22 March 2017

Photos by Donna, Gerri, Rodney, Helen and Lesley

Led by Jill and John, the 5 week Tasmanian Safari commenced at Launceston, and headed down the east coast to St Helens and the Blue Tiers, starting with a series of shorter walks suitable for all participants.  The group then moved further south to Coles Bay where they explored the Freycinet and Douglas-Apsley National Parks, and then on to Triabunna, the jumping off point for Maria Island walks.

Boardwalk through Tamar Wetlands to Tamar Island near Launceston

Group at St Helens

Geoff, Xiou, Annie and Bob on Mt Amos overlooking Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park

Heather, Kay, Gerri, Dave, Lesley, Elaine, John and Donna at Wineglass Bay Lookout, Freycinet National Park

John, Helen, Barry, Lora, Sandra, Lyn and David on track to Wineglass Bay Lookout, Freycinet National Park

Dave and Jan at Little Gravelly Beach, Sleepy Bay, Freycinet National Park

Elizabeth, Bob, Denise, Heather and Susan in Apsley Gorge, Douglas-Apsley National Park

Maria Island

Helen and Joan on Maria Island

Painted cliffs on Maria Island

Next stop was Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula and the wild cliff and coastal walks of Tasman National Park.  The next camp at Snug just outside Hobart gave the group an opportunity to explore the delights of Tasmania’s capital and the Huon Valley, and also take the ferry over to Bruny Island for the day.

Then it was on to wilder country in Mount Field National Park, with its marvellous waterfalls and alpine tracks.

Towering stone column at Cape Raoul on the southern most tip of Tasman Peninsula

Donna at Cape Raoul

Dolomite pillar cape of Cape Raoul

On the track to Bivouac Bay coastal and cliff walk

Bivouac Bay, Tasman National Park

The Isthmus on Bruny Island

Iconic Tasmanian scenery at Russell Falls, Mt Field National Park

Helen and Bob at the small cirque Lake Nicholls in Mt Field National Park

Tackling the Tarn Shelf in fog, Mt Field National Park

One of the string of tarns on the Tarn Shelf, Mt Field National Park

Next stop, Cynthia Bay on Lake St Clair which is the end of the famous Overland Track and features many watery walks.  From there the group travelled to Strahan on the west coast and the wild Gordon River.  No trip to Tasmania would be complete without a visit to Cradle Mountain National Park where the Overland Track starts, and where there is a bushwalk for everyone.

Last section of the Overland Track from Echo Point to Cynthia Bay

Elizabeth, John, Elaine, Geoff, Jean and Lesley on Shadow Lake Walk, Lake St Clair National Park

Giant tree on Shadow Lake track

Rodney at Forgotten Lake, Lake St Clair National Park

Safari Leaders, John and Jill with Bob, Lesley, Elizabeth and Geoff on the Gordon River near Strahan

Dave takes time out from bushwalking to try some local theatre in Strahan

Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain

Group sets out for Marions Lookout in Cradle Mountain National Park

Elizabeth and Jill do some track maintenance

Stan on Cradle Mountain above Dove Lake

The two final stops were at Stanley near walks in the Rocky Cape National Park and then Mole Creek, the nearest town to the wild and remote Jerusalem Walls National Park,  and the waterfalls in the Mole Creek Karst National Park.

The Nut, Stanley

View from the top of The Nut, Stanley

Cathedral Rock Circuit, Rocky Cape National Park, near Stanley

Geoff, Elizabeth, Jill and Bob on Cathedral Rock Circuit, Rocky Cape National Park near Stanley

Happy Hour at Mole Creek Campsite

Gillian, Sarah and Helen on track to Westmorland Falls in Mole Creek Karst National Park

Geoff, Rodney, Stan, Jill, Bob and Mary at Trappers Hut on the track to The Walls of Jerusalem

Walls of Jerusalem National Park located on a high plateau in the centre of Tasmania, and inaccessible by road

One of a string of mountain tarns called Solomon’s Jewels in Walls of Jerusalem National Park

This Safari is John and Jill’s third for Batemans Bay Bushwalkers – they have previously led Safaris to New Zealand and Western Australia.  They also co-led a Safari to Victoria with Margaret and Hugh about 11 years ago, and we are very grateful for all the worry and work they put into making these expeditions so enjoyable for all the participants.