The start of the Overland Track! Finally getting to tick this off the bucket list!
Today started with a 6.40am departure from the hostel in Launceston! I woke at 5 with a mixture of emotions: mostly anxious and excited. After a cup of coffee and some breakfast I repacked my pack and recharged my devices as much as I could. Although I can’t imagine any of them lasting too long out there in the cold!
The Overland Transport company picked me up at 6.40, there were just 8 of us in the van which was nice so we all had some space to spread out. The van was horribly silent almost the whole drive. I think people were nervous and some trying to snooze a little more. The driver was great though and offered loads of information and fun stories. He had hiked the trail over 20 times! Sheffield was our half way stop in the van for second breakfast and coffee! (Sheffield was the town with all the murals – my favourite town that I passed through on my bike!) Back in the van at 8.30 and we were headed to Cradle Mountain via Gowrie Park. Yep, I was now driving the same hilly roads I had just cycled last week! We get to the visitor’s centre at 9.30 and sign in. There’s probably about 20 of us at this point, ready and waiting for the Overland Track briefing at 10. We get a briefing from the police and the park rangers and get our overland passes and bus passes issued. After waiting for a few buses that were already full we were finally headed to Ronny Creek!
After the obligatory photo at the start, I head onto the trail. The first m is relatively flat so a nice start and mostly on duckboard. Only a few minutes into the trail there’s a wombat just off the trail, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wombat out in the wild. Not one that is alive anyway.
Within half hour the trail started going up. and UP and UP towards Marion’s Lookout (1250m/4100ft) This was to be the highest part of the trail! Glad to have fresh legs, as with a full heavy pack it was pretty hard work. It was a rocky ascent – glad of the handrails that had been installed for sure, and that I had invested in some hiking poles – pretty sure my knees will thank me later! At least today the track was dry, it would have been a total different story yesterday with the downpour we had all day, surprisingly though the trail was pretty dry. The ‘Overlanders’ were pretty spread out already from the start – some were powering on to conquer Cradle Mountain summit today before the clouds were gonna roll in, and some were headed for a slow and steady hike to the hut! After Cradle Mountain you felt like you had the trail to yourself, not really seeing anyone between Cradle and Scott Kilvert – I was also pretty early going down to the hut as I was skipping the summit as I had already got up there last week during my bike ride.
Marion’s lookout was beautiful, looking back down on Dove Lake, and seeing Cradle Mountain in all its beauty! From Marion’s lookout you get to Kitchen Hut (an emergency shelter) and then the junction for the summit. It was packed full of people, and I was happy to walk on by and continue to the Scott Kilvert (detour) hut. It was another 4km along the Overland Track before a steep descent on the Lake Rodway track to the hut. This track was hard, it was wet, and it was steep. The 2km felt like about 10 and took about an hour and half! By the time I got to the lake and the hut the clouds had really started rolling in, the summits of both Cradle and Barn Bluff were full of heavy clouds. YUCK.
I was glad to be Rolling into Scott Kilvert early. I set up my tent just outside the hut in a nice little spot between the trees (looked way more comfier than the platforms!) After I got my tent up I dumped my stuff in the hut and took my stove, water, and some food and headed to the lake edge to cook up some pre dinner soup!
The hut was pretty quiet with a few trekkers warming up and making food. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the hut was AND the toilets! The only downside was the grumpy old man hanging around, who had been staying the previous night and again tonight.
I made my dinner out by my tent, choosing to be anti-social. It had been a long first day with the early start and I was feeling exhausted already! I hadn’t even climbed a mountain yet! There were little Pademelons (Wallabies) surrounding the camp ground and hut which were cute – I didn’t mind them, it was the possums I was nervous about! The temperature sure dropped once the sun was down. After chucking some layers on I was ready for my first night in the tent! Tomorrow was Barn Bluff Summit day so Im hoping to get a good sleep!
Day 1 – is a success! Pretty sure I was asleep by 8pm. Ready for an early start!
