Tarkine rainforest trail access

Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion.
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Tasmania specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby trmj » Sat 26 Dec, 2020 1:37 pm

Hi All,
I'm hoping to walk the Tarkine rainforest trail (as described in Phill Pullinger's book) late Jan '21.
The last I've read about access from Farquhar's bridge is that it is a temporary bridge built by a company with mining lease (uggh) and is fenced off - but climbable.
Or can alternatively start from Hilders crossing.
Does anyone have any advice on where to best start?
Can you cross at Farquhar's bridge without use of the bridge?
Cheers
trmj
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Re: Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby Eott » Wed 06 Jan, 2021 12:06 pm

Farquar's bridge, the one put in by the mining crowd, was washed out in the 2016 floods.
I did the walk in 2017 with a mate and got over with a kayak.
We caught up with one of the paying groups along the way and the guides said they were crossing via another track further down stream by wading across, I would caution that this would depend on water levels.
Navigation once you get off the old forestry roads is quite challenging. Because it doesn't get much traffic there is no pad to follow, and flagging tape showing the way was quite old and disintegrating in places and having to deviate itaround tree falls made for slow going. Of course it may have been retaped but I doubt it as I think the guided crowd rely on their GPS and experience.
Going backwards from Hilders Bridge crossing would be far easier as the last two days are well flagged.
Looking up Tastrekkers posts on this would be of great value to you.

Cheers Mark
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Re: Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby trmj » Thu 14 Jan, 2021 7:21 pm

Thanks Mark - I've had a read of Tastrekkers posts.
I did contact Tarkine Trails and they indicated they had not done the walk for some time.
So my plan at present is to start/finish at Hilders Bridge - crossing up to 500m downstream as Tastrekker did. Quite happy to float packs across if the current not excessive.
(I do have a packraft i could bring - but weight/space on flight across from Adelaide might be too difficult - i'm doing 11 days on SW Cape circuit before Tarkine walk)
I would intend to do the circuit clockwise, doing the possibly less interesting part along Keith River Rd for a start.
Although I imagine finding the branch off track might be difficult - from Keith River Rd before reaching Farquars Rd - any idea on how visible this is?
It sounds like the walk from this point to the falls will be the most difficult to keep to the 'track'.
How thick is the scrub through here - ie how essential to keep to the track? I plan to keep to it - but just good to know (I have tackled scrub at times - walked into vanishing falls last year)
I have just under 3 full days and 2 half days (so 4 days) of walking time, so potentially a bit tight to do the loop.
Cheers Trevor
trmj
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Re: Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby Eott » Tue 19 Jan, 2021 8:08 am

Hi Trevor, we did the walk in 4 days both of us reasonably fit and both in our fifties, did have one 20+ km day but about 10kms without packs walking up to the lookout. Going in the reverse direction is probably a safer option it was probably over taped to the third camp (sorry lent tarkine trails book so lacking reference guide), then you could always backtrack out the way you came in if the trail is too hard to follow. It was pretty easy bush to walk through it was just finding the tape markers and if Tarkine Trails haven't been for a while it's probably worse than when we did it.
Cheers Mark
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Re: Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby trmj » Wed 03 Feb, 2021 7:42 pm

Ended up with an extra half day, so we did the circuit without difficulty. Sometimes there was just an over abundance of tags spread out not in any line, but all over the place.
Our 2nd day was forecast for significant rain, so we started from Hilders crossing (only calf deep) and went in anti-clockwise direction so we could get over the Lyons river (which was a simple crossing) before any rain. And have the option of just coming back out same way if we wanted - as you suggested.
We were confused by the map going to the Lookout - we walked to the knoll where the track on Phil's map ends - but no view, followed the tagged track down towards the creek for a bit but gave up on it. Only later realised that the lookout must be on the knoll up the other side of the ck. Next time!
We also walked across to the falls on the ck to the NW from Tarkine Falls - they also are very nice.
The circuit was a beautiful walk. Very meandering thru the lovely forests. Didn't see anyone else over the 4.5 days.
I was curious that the notes say shouldn't drink from the Arthur River - do you know what the issue is with it?
trmj
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Re: Tarkine rainforest trail access

Postby north-north-west » Sun 07 Feb, 2021 11:08 am

trmj wrote:I was curious that the notes say shouldn't drink from the Arthur River - do you know what the issue is with it?


Some rivers in the Tarkine are unsafe due to run-off from mining operations. Was not aware that that included the Arthur but it is possible.
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