Most epic hikes in Tassie?

[Channas]

Hey legends. I'm planning the trip to Tasmania again and I'm wondering, if there is anything possibly something similar (required experiences and overall difficulty wise) to Eastern and Western Arthur range? I've got Mt Anne in my itinerary and Frenchmans cap as that one I'd like to climb on a rope. I am not sure if I can ever come back so is there anything I shouldn't really miss? Something really challenging?

[north-north-west]

You want a challenge in Tassie, get off the tracks. If you have enough time, there's always the Eldon Range traverse. Or Denison - Spires.
Or the Prince of Wales.

[Channas]

Thank you! Very intriguing. Any known resources to reach out for me informations regarding these?

[Tortoise]

Surely POW would be it? Eastern and Western Arthurs of course can be tricky in violent weather, but they're on-track, and I'm capable of doing both. (Well, I'm still not sure about the summit of Federation, but lots of walkers have managed it.) Of course, they are classic walks for a very good reason. Stunning country.

Likewise the Anne circuit - not 'really challenging'. Eldons? Well, same thing, really. Nothing challenging in terms of climbing - not as hard as Anne and her Circuit in terms of scrambling. Just *&%$#! thick scrub if you don't get the right lines. And nasty bouldering days in rain, ice and mist. We had bluebird days.

Prince of Wales, on the other hand - well, there ain't no easy way. Frenchmans - well, easy peasy unless you go straight up the wall, which sounds like what you're planning, Channas. Yes?
A chance of never coming back to Tassie?? How long is your trip?

Edit: We went out via Pigeon House Hill - obviously more of a challenge if you go through to Lake St Clair.

[north-north-west]

Thank you! Very intriguing. Any known resources to reach out for me informations regarding these?

Yeah, search the forum for starters. Plenty of people here have done one or two of them. A few have even done all three. And there are threads discussing routes and hazards and sources of info.

i wasn't really serious about the PoWs. It would make the Arthurs look like a walk in the Botanical Gardens. Along with the West Coast traverse, it would be Tassie's (and hence Austrralia's) hardest.

[Paul]

You could consider Coal Head in Macquarie Harbour, to Ouse. Its been done.

Paul

[PedroArvy]

If you have been to Vanishing Falls you deserve to be worshipped.

[DaveNoble]

Lots and lots of walks much harder than the Arthur Range Traverse. Eg consider the Royal Traverse (King William Range and Prince of Wales Range and then Hamilton Range), or adding the Spires Range to that. But much harder than that would be the Princess-Nicholls Traverse. Harder, but perhaps pointless.....

[silvereye]

If you have been to Vanishing Falls you deserve to be worshipped.

I was going to say VF too!
Certainly fits the "challenging" criteria (though in a very different way to the Arthurs).
How are you in a pack raft, Channas?

[newhue]

Hi guys, I have done some searching for Prince of Wales and can only seem to find this thread. Have tried the search tab in Tasmania listing and board index. What have I done wrong. Really just wondering length, area, completely off track or partly, and remoteness. We have done the Arthurs and I hope to drag that kids along it next year, but be nice to have something really specie when they get a bit older.

[devoswitch]

http://www.david-noble.net/Tasmania/POW ... sMenu.html

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13442

Heres 2 I found on google for you.

[newhue]

Thanks devo, you beat me to it. Found the same two via the same method. Should have know to always google everything first.

[north-north-west]

You need to get some experience in off-track Tasmania before trying something like the PoWs.

[stepbystep]

Our trip report for the POW's is here viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13442

It remains the hardest thing I've ever done. It's not to be taken lightly!

[LoaferBread]

Whereabouts would be a good place to start getting some off-track experience in Tas before attempting the PoWs?

[pazzar]

Whereabouts would be a good place to start getting some off-track experience in Tas before attempting the PoWs?

Have you done any off track walking before?

My advice would be to start on shorter and easier off track walks. My first off track trip was just an overnighter in the Mt Field NP. Not really any scrub, but got my nav skills up to scratch. Places like the Central Plateau are good for honing nav skills, especially as there are few features to use as landmarks.

[tastrekker]

This account of a "Royal Traverse" has gotta be the most epic Tassie trip I've ever read about. Hitch-hiking from Sydney to Hobart via Broken Hill, Adelaide, Devonport and Queenstown then doing the rarely visited peaks west of Byron (Cuvier, Coal, Goulds, Manfred!) as a warm up!!! ...and that's all before the real trip begins.
https://www.subw.org.au/archives/press-on-regardless/a-royal-thrash/

The last few pages of Chapman's "South West Tasmania" are a good source of inspiration for epic hikes:
Mt Norold (11-13 days)
White Monolith Range (7-9 days)
Gorilla Ridge (11-13 days)
Mt Hopetoun (6 days)
Vanishing Falls (11-14 days)
Prince of Wales Range (just part of the "Royal Traverse": 12-15 days)

[bushwalker zane]

I agree with getting to know off-track before you tackle the POW. One day I'll get there

Here's my blogs on the Spires and the Eldons.

Spires: http://abelzane.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/the-spires.html

Eldons: http://abelzane.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/the-eldons.html

[newhue]

indeed, confident navigation, HD gear, and strong commitment. I liken a bit of a bash through mainland coastal scrub similar to jaunt through scarparia and whatever are those shrubs that fight back. Very tiring, particularly up hill, and misery on a cold wet day. I had a good mate who was quite adventurous always tell me, sometimes a track exists for good reason, just as much no track exists for the same reason. A stiff off track through walk can be nothing more than a done so, and no need to do it again.

[Azza]

Dragging 10+ days worth of food and equipment through Tassie scrub is a big commitment and *&%$#! hard work - it pays to keep weight down.
I do think a lot of people when planning for these big walks on the forum get a bit side tracked focusing on weight saving / technical / fancy gear etc.

For a laugh this is how I emerged from the Prince of Wales - a couple of kilos lighter, a broken tent, a big toe sticking through a hole in my boot and relatively pristine over trousers shredded by the scrub.

[Thylaseen]

I'd agree. Start with some easier ones & build up. We started doing three day walks , then longer 'established' walks, then off track walks. Would hate to have to pick between them - they were all classics in their own way! It helps if you can pick a weather window as well - makes a huge difference to progress, navigation, etc. Eg. we did a trip to the Spires, perfect weather except for a couple of days. Having said that we were blessed to get across the Gordon (last day - day 9), as the next day the weather broke and several parties were stranded, needing helicopter rescue!

See trip reports here:

http://www.andrewgaskell.com.au/bushwalking

[DaveNoble]

If you like the style of walking in the Arthur Range, then similar walking can be found on the Wilmot - Frankalnd Range Traverse (from Strathgordon to Scotts Peak Dam), but it is more like the same type of country but without a track (although you may find a few rough pads along the way).

If you want something quite different - then the Central Plateau is great. You can do long walks from places like Higgs Track to the Walls of Jerusalem, then continue to the Overland Track via a variety of routes.

Dave