Disappearing Tarn II

[Stibb]

lol, I'll go somewhere else then. Thanks

[Strider]

Anyone been here recently? Keen to go and have a look, but not much point if its going to be empty when I get there...

[iaindtiler]

Went up and around to Disappearing Tarn last Sunday,3rd. Heavy snow on the walk, so was not too hopeful to see the Tarn. But while only a very low level of water, was still nice to see in the snow

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Disappearing Tarn

a dis tarn 1 s.jpg (505.12 KiB) Viewed 28334 times

[Strider]

More than was in it the day following my previous post! It must need a really good rain event to fill up. Has there been much snowmelt yet?

[iaindtiler]

Sunday snow at Tarn

a snowy boulders s.jpg (463.11 KiB) Viewed 28304 times

Most of the snow has melted on the slopes, plateau still appears capped.

[devoswitch]

I'm hoping for some heavy rain next week as I have Friday off an am wanting to get up there an check it out on my way to the falls

[Overlandman]

Disappearing Tarn full once more
From ABC

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-15/h ... on/9761688

[doogs]

I reckon it'd be pretty empty by now, I was there yesterday and the level was down about 2 metres on the level in those pics in the story..this was yesterday 9am..

[johnw]

I visited Disappearing Tarn last time I was down and it was completely dry. I'd love to see it full, the water colour looks superb.

[iaindtiler]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-44134289

[Pteropus]

Views of the tarn from last weekend showing its unique colour - note, I didn't go for a swim! Water proof camera at the edge of the tarn!

Reflected under the surface

Deep down below

After a bit of rain

[ILUVSWTAS]

Beautiful shots. I especially like the second one.

[Nuts]

Last one's an awesome pic. The tarn has been all over the news... it's now famous! Someone should point a documentary camera to the surrounding bush and vantage points.

[Pteropus]

Beautiful shots. I especially like the second one.

Thanks ILUV. I’m probably pointing out the obvious, but the line across the centre of the photo is the water surface! I'm just not certain it's completely obvious.

Last one's an awesome pic. The tarn has been all over the news... it's now famous! Someone should point a documentary camera to the surrounding bush and vantage points.

Yeah, apparently it’s “Insta-famous.” Many people went up there in the wet weather last weekend. Apparently HCC complained on ABC radio about all the people ignoring closed tracks and potentially damaging the mountain, yet as far as I know only the road was closed to vehicular access and the Pinnacle Track closed for upgrading. We went in via Fern Tree and saw no track closure signs, walking up to the Springs, and the Milles Track was in better condition than when I last walked it, around mid-2015.

[L_Cham_67]

I'm not a professional photographer or anything, but these are a couple of shots from the day after the floods (May 11, 2018).

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[Overlandman]

From ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-24/ ... n/12385980

As the rain continues to fall in southern Tasmania, flooding roads and inundating homes, the downpour has caused one of Hobart's most mysterious gems to reappear.

[ILUVSWTAS]

From ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-24/ ... n/12385980

As the rain continues to fall in southern Tasmania, flooding roads and inundating homes, the downpour has caused one of Hobart's most mysterious gems to reappear.

And thanks to these stories hundred of people made the trip up in one day to get their Instagram shots.
Apparently the track is now a mud bath. People had DOGS up there and were even swimming in it.

All in a water catchment area.

Is the media ruining some of these special pristine places??

[GPSGuided]

So the location isn’t such a secret.

[Azza]

Its a bit like secrets falls, it's now listed on Google Maps.
Also shown on listmaps.

[bushwalker zane]

Is the media ruining some of these special pristine places??

Yes. Social media has a lot to answer for with degradation of wild places, too.

[Mechanic-AL]

[quote="bushwalker zane"]

Yes. Social media has a lot to answer for with degradation of wild places, too.[/quot

I wish there was some way to reverse this situation but think that we are now all just going to have to live with the mess we have made.

The whole issue of masses of people trampling remote places because they are plastered all over social media is just going to spiral out of control.

[Nuts]

There must be 000's of these temporary perched tarns for intrepid explorers. I don't see the desire for posting yet another pic of the same one, but maybe that's a good thing.

[TentPeg]

With the money the council has collected in parking fines at the start of the walk they will be able to fund an all-weather path surface for the next down pour.
And also we now have hundreds more people who have connected with our amazing outdoors who will no doubt be motivated to help save it when we need them.

[Tazz81]

Also the nice people who run Lost Freight have had a bumper week!

[bushwalker zane]

And also we now have hundreds more people who have connected with our amazing outdoors who will no doubt be motivated to help save it when we need them.

This is a good point. Connecting people with place is a fantastic way to champion conservation. I try to tell myself this when I see over crowded places.

Alas, I had an experience recently while going up my local mountain that made me re-think my optimism. It would normally be a high traffic day to see 5 other people walking this track, but due to the 30km distance restriction amid COVID lockdown, we saw above 70 people. When we counted to the mid 60s, we just stopped counting. Most of whom were trampling on the fragile plants, littering (I went up again a few days later and picked up a bunch), and generally not following the leave no trace principals.
When we got to the bottom there was some walkers who had come down the wrong path (two different access routes to this mountain) and were highly critical of how gross the mud was, and how they weren't going to back to find where they'd parked their car, instead they'll just call a friend to come pick them up and ferry them to their car.

... How you manage to walk an extra hour in unfamiliar terrain, following signs to a different road, and still think you're going to end up at your car is quite amazing to me.

I don't believe many of those people will be voting to protect wild places. All about that insta.
I hope I'm wrong.

[Jon MS]

My partner and I were some of the many who went out to Disappearing Tarn yesterday.

Yes, there were huge numbers of people there but the vibe was very positive. I have seen estimates of over 500+ people visiting it over the day, which means 1000s will visit before it retreats back into the boulders, probably over this weekend. With the exception of one person who pushed through during the walk there, people were being very considerate to each other, chatting about how pretty the tarn was and clearly having a very good day. To the amusement of the rest of us, some people were having very quick swims. I was also struck by the lack of rubbish left behind.

Looking at the clothing and footwear that most people were wearing I suspect that the overwhelming majority of people were not "hard core" bushwalkers, but they were still willing to do the about 3 hour return walk.

If only a small percentage of the people who walked out there over the past few days increase their appreciation of the mountain and support its protection then there will be a very positive outcome from these visits.

In my opinion, what these visits really showed was how important the mountain is to Hobart and why we need to keep it open, protected and available.

The only negative aspect of my visit was how hard it was to get a people-free photo!!! But I managed - almost, there is a person in the photo below...

But, I was also disappointed to read the opinions of the Tasmanian National Parks Association (see: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-27/ ... a/12399072) which were, as they normally are, all negative.

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[stepbystep]

And also we now have hundreds more people who have connected with our amazing outdoors who will no doubt be motivated to help save it when we need them.

This is a good point. Connecting people with place is a fantastic way to champion conservation. I try to tell myself this when I see over crowded places.

This is an old way of thinking. Bob Brown made the line "to see it is to want to protect it" famous, and it was true in the 80's but now that line is used ad nauseam as a greenwashing statement to justify environmental degradation. Tasmanian Walking Company use it to justify their luxury lodges along the Overland and on the Three Capes - they have plans to build more in The Walls, Frenchmans, lake Rodway and to double their OLT footprint. We need to stop using it and resist the urge to satisfy our FOMO. As much as I wanted to visit the tarn this year as I do most times I can when it fills I simply couldn't justify it this year when I saw what was happening.

The fact is (from reports of friends who went) the track has been cut up badly, there is litter, the vegetation has been impacted, mosses and lichens have been rubbed off the boulders, dogs have been taken in as was at least one drone. A decent exploration off the track will undoubtedly find toilet flowers.

I contacted my old employer - the head of news at ABC Hobart and put in a formal complaint about their blanket coverage of all things tarny - that possibly resulted in the 'balance piece' yesterday. The fact our national broadcaster has jumped on board this social media scourge is hugely depressing. They also share photos of precious places like the Western Arthurs and The Walls with no reference to the fragility of the landscape or the dangers involved in visiting these areas.

The Western Arthurs had a situation last summer with 30 people at Oberon on the one night including groups of photographers, also with a drone. I've pleaded with the ABC and photographers to at the very least attach messaging about Leave no Trace and avoid giving locations - I very much feel like a lone voice in the wilderness while every one is frothing over their insta-moment. I don't for one second believe anyone that visited Disappearing Tarn over the last week will chain themselves to a bulldozer to protect kunanyi unless they were already pre-disposed to doing so.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Thanks Zane and SBS. I was starting to think I was a minority in this line of thinking.

[Nuts]

It was old thinking by the mid 80's when used, in spite, bolstering an excuse to offer a tender for exclusive huts.

[TentPeg]

Seems to me that Bob got it right. Let them see and they will appreciate.

The alternative view put above is that we should lock up our wilderness and let no one in. It is not one I subscribe to.

There may be a number of people prepared to chain themselves to bulldozers but the campaign will be won by the support of the masses.

If those who value the wilderness call to lock people out or limit access to the bush we will alienate those who will tip the balance in the times we need them.

It was the combined effort of active protesters and green voters in marginal seats that saved the Franklin. Learn the lesson of the 80s and apply it to the social media of the 20s and strengthen the message not weaken it.

There are more people out there with the capacity to get to our wilderness. Embrace that and help manage it. My favourite example - would you go to Paris and not look at the Eiffel Tower?