South Coast Track Tasmania

Hard to believe it has been 11 years today – how time passes when you are having fun!

We just returned from South Coast Track, Tasmania. The track was really too wet so mud, mud, mud up to our knees or worse for 7 days. Also track times and distances were much longer than quoted on track PR, so we walked for 10-13 hours every day. Gruelling. It was winter there so temperatures were maybe 10 daytime and 0 night time.

The track is also very dangerous in places and has undisclosed traps which you could only escape by retreating, but up to 6 days’ retreat would see you well out of food. For example, at Granite Beach you had to climb a vertical cliff with less than a metre of rocky beach at the bottom and 2 metre waves rapidly approaching as the tide rushed in.

At South Cape Rivulet the crossing was chest deep and intermittently swept by 2 metre waves. If I had not carried 45 metres of 2mm Spectra cord with a breaking strain of 400 kg I would never have got Della or Kerri across. Also nowhere to emergency camp and nowhere for a helicopter to land, so no alternative. I guess you could wait it out huddled under a tree with your tent draped over you until the tide went out and the stream went down. How long?

I would hesitate to recommend this track to most people.

The track crosses interminable button grass swamps which are really desolate and uninspiring. Most of the remainder of the time you are pushing through narrow tunnels of 3 metre high sword grass. For some reason the track goes straight up wherever it can to crests rather than saddles. These sections are watercourses.

It walks on the side of ridges whenever it could have stuck to the tops of same. When there might be a view it walks on the lee side of sand hills etc so there is no view of the sea (which was sometimes really beautiful). I thought it would be much easier than the Dusky Track in Fiordland where I was cautious of taking Della, but in fact it was much worse – and without the spectacular beauty or the opportunity to camp in dry huts of a night, or anywhere in between the designated camp sites.

Instead of comfy dry huts we camped in very wet bush and drank water which was darker than strong tea and often tasted yuck.The campsites are few and far between, particularly on the Ironbound range which took us 13.5 hours of steady walking to cross. I am really sorry I didn’t go to the Dusky again this year. Next year hopefully. Della has provided a much more detailed (and poetic) track description here: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/tasmanias-south-coast-track-hells-holiday/

PS: I wrote this when I was feeling a bit put off by the track (as you can see). In retrospect there were some nice bits to see and camp even if they were widely separated. I will let some photos of the trip taken in the direction Melaleuca to Cockle creek speak for themselves (the weather was lousy for photography – we had our raincoats on practically the whole trip; I can swear by the efficacy of event raincoats however):

Melaleuca

Melaleuca to Freney Lagoon

Freney Lagoon

Cox’s Bight

Looking back to Cox’s Bight

Crossing Faraway Creek

Faraway Creek

Faraway Creek

Those endless buttongrass plains

 

Louisa River Camp Site

Crossing the Louisa River

Leaving Loiusa River

On the Ironbound Range

Ironbound Range

Deadman’s Creek

Little Deadman’s

Partway along to Prion there is a pleasant rest stop.

Wildlife Prion Bay

Prion Bay

Prion Bay

New River Lagoon

Granite Beach

Granite Beach – a very steep climb to the camp.

Horizontal Scrub

South Cape Rivulet

Near Cockle Creek

Della’s version: Tasmania’s South Coast Track – Hell’s Holiday

PS: It simply does not compare to the South Coast Track Fiordland New Zealand

First Published Mar 6, 2011

PS: I used to be much more laconic back then – if I was writing it all now I would have included rather more (useful) detail, but if I edited it now it would have all the problems which memory is heir to. There were (many) hazards which were not (adequately) warned about. Some of these eg the defective steps off the beach after the South Coast Rivulet) have probably been fixed. Do take plenty of extra food (in case of delays) and a satellite phone in case you need to be rescued. I would still recommend the Dusky Track Fiordland as a alternative ( a million times better). Our next major walk (once my knee replacement is healed) will be there – hopefully autumn 2023.

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10 thoughts on “South Coast Track Tasmania”

  1. Thanks for reply, the reason for 23 kg was being advised to carry a 70 ltr rucksack and the kit list set down by the tour group, have brought a smaller rucksack and gone for what I need and lighter kit. Did the whole walk without using my trekking poles and always at the front, not bad for a 62 year old (at the time) 🙂 Unfortunately I’m restricted by my leave period otherwise I would love to see what else Tasmania can offer up. Doing it as a warmer in the bank with a guided tour group and ready for the Larapinta E2E next May and once I retire back out again in 2024 to walk the Bibbulmun track with a friend. Will be looking at something for next Xmas so will take your advice and look at the Victorian Mountains.

    1. OK Monty. Have a great time. I understand you might like groups but there are many adventures to be had by exploring yourself too. Cheers, Steve.

      1. Steve,
        New Zealand is even further to travel from Germany to spend a short time in the mountains, did have a butchers at Dusky track and it looks great, but it’s finding someone to travel with from here and with my old man kicking the bucket in the first year of Covid a free roof over my head in Sydney has gone. The Australian Alps looks impressive but have read it needs better markers along the trail. Main thing is I retire next year and If I can keep my Dad’s old friends sweet I plan to do a lot of distance trekking in Australia over the European winter months (Oct- March) before the back and knees give in.

        Monty

        1. You are over ten years younger than us yet we are still planning and doing such treks quite by ourselves. You could try NZ’s South Coast Track before you tackle the Dusky. The walks I am talking abut in the Vic mountains are entirely unmarked. Surely after many years in the military you can find your way around without the aid of little orange triangles on the trees – else we have no defence! There are many ‘circuits’ in the Vic mountains eg what I have called the Four Rivers Circuit – but it is just as nice to turn around and retrace your route when you have had enough as I usually do – after a week or two! I really love walking along the Wonnangatta River for example (which you can do for a week then retrace your steps). You will see no-one. Keep in touch. Cheers, Steve.

          1. Steve,
            Map ready was an important part of my Military trade (Artillery Observer) and representing the Regiment in Orienteering, problem is finding someone in my age group with the get up and go, my mates have seen me out tabbing with a 15kg rucksack and think I’m nuts 🙂 (I have a 6kph pace with rucksack). and when I show them photos from the Cradle Mountain trek and the STC they just shake their heads.
            I have lots of good Multi day walks around my local Area, Harz mountains, Saurerland and the Kalletal but it’s finding someone to walk with, been on local walking group web sites and I’d land up killing them 🙂 it’s a walk around the woods followed by coffee and cake.
            Have a brilliant weekend and take care.

            Monty

          2. Most of my life I have just gone by myself or sometimes with my wife. What is wrong with a solo hike? So long as you have a sat phone and some ebooks on your phone you will be fine. No company is better than bad company. Weekends are all the same to me as I have been a farmer most of my life. I rarely go up the bush on weekends as I prefer to have it to myself. Home on the farm planting trees today. Cheers, Steve

          3. Hi Steve,
            Wife passed away in 2015 and I’m quite happy been alone at home, but walking for days on end by myself doesn’t rock my boat, it’s nice to have company on the track which is why I enjoy organised trips, plus all the admin is done for me which makes life easier when travelling halfway around the globe to participate. Here wild camping is forbidden and if caught is very, very expensive 🙁 Multi day treks mean coming off the track to overnight in a guesthouse/hotel or if you’re lucky somewhere nearby is a campsite and then the following day getting back to where you finished the previous day and plodding on.
            Have a look at the Hexensteig or the Rothaarsteig and you’ll see what I mean.

          4. I am sorry to hear you lost you wife. I know I would miss Della terribly. You do get used to hiking/camping alone however. I have done a lot of it. I know I used to try to co-ordinate my trips with someone else but it was a lot of trouble so I just started going by myself and became quite content with my own company after a while. Usually if I encounter someone else I regret it! I realise lots of places camping/hiking except in designated spots is forbidden. This is technically the case in most of our National Parks here too, but I would/do just ignore such rules. I would go where no-one was ever going to find me anyway. If they did they are hardly going to be able to carry me out to a police station or know who I am anyway. I have flown over Germany. There is a lot of bush and mountains to hide away in by the looks.I have never been on an organised trip but I have hardly ever paid for a campsite or stayed in hotels etc either. Especially if you are equipped for hammock (as well as ground) camping as I usually am a short distance off the trail practically anywhere should hide you from sight. Some places the bush is very thick though. Fortunately I can think of a thousand places to go in the Victorian mountains which are pretty hard to beat anyway. Cheers, Steve.

  2. Brian (Monty) Mortimer

    Hi,
    trained hard and walked it in Dec 2019 carrying 23kg. After reading all the stories and looking at photos on the web I was ready for 10 days of hell, didn’t happen! weather was too warm, the track dry and rivers were low, there was some mud to plough through but nothing to worry about. Lost 4kg in body weight. The company I kept was brilliant with no teddy bears been thrown at any time on the track.
    Re booked then Covid hit, so have spent the last 2 yrs training to do it again this Xmas. Have got my pack weight down to 13Kg and looking at the current weather over that area I’m going to get my wish and hopefully be waist deep in mud and water.
    yes, spent 24 yrs of my life been paid to do this kind of thing(ex-Soldier) and now paying good money to do the same 🙂
    all the best from Germany

    1. Hi Monty, My wife and I were out walking (along the Mitchell River) the last few days here in Gippsland (where there are many better walks in my opinion – though not necessariy listed anywhere. You could try the Upper Yarra Track while you are over here, for example – see link on my site Here is another idea: https://www.theultralighthiker.com/2014/10/06/hiking-circuits-in-the-victorian-mountains/). It has been very wet so the rivers are just huge at the moment (no chance crossing them). My wife remarked (while we were away) that she would not want to be walking the South Coast Track at the moment wet as it is. Hopefully it dries out a bit for you. 13 kg is a much better pack weight and should be fine. It is probably a bit more than I would be carrying for the same trip. Do take a satellite phone (plus helicopter contacts and the ability to tell them precise map location if necessary) and a long length of stout cord (say 2mm spectra). If you have enough to reach across a stream with a double length (the centre looped around a tree where you start out) you will be able to much more safely cross a flooded stream – and recover your cord. Hope you have a great trip. Cheers, Steve & Della. PS: Feel free to make contact when you are over here.

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