Thurs, 22nd Jan, 2015 Geeveston RSL Memorial Park (forest & lake walks)

Overcast morning and a lot cooler. After the hot night I had to go looking for the blankets in the early hours.

Headed off to check out the other walks along Arve Road we didn’t get to do the other day and walk up to Lake Osbourne in the Hartz Mountains. Along the way are these distance markers, 17km from Geeveston.

The old guy was gone from the picnic area but someone else had put up a tent there. Stopped at the West Creek Lookout but it had a closed sign on it – the lady didn’t mention that one was closed too. Shame, that makes 3 walks closed. Seems they are spending all the forestry money on Tahune instead.  Further along is the Zig Zag Track. Well maintained of course!!!

Shame they have let these walks deteriorate. I can’t make out the rings to count them.

Of course there are still some lovely old trees. The understorey is relatively young as there was a fire through here in 1966. This section of the forest has never been logged. It has been set aside as a tall tree management reserve.

If you are into mosses you can get very excited about all the different ones here!!

Back out on the road so decided to walk the 900m back up the road to the truck rather than the track as it was a bit muddy etc. Very straight trees line the road.

This side of the road the sign says it is Regrowth Forest after clearfelling in 1969.

Along the roads are all the forestry tracks, some in use and some not. This is Arve Road Spur 1.

Drove up to Tahune airwalk area to use the ‘facilities’. It is $27 each but as we have walked through the forests etc and did the airwalk at home we decided to give it a miss. Turned around and headed back to the turnoff. Just before the 15km marker there was a road up the hill and a picnic shelter so we headed up to check it out. It has a gate which was open and the garbage bin has a fresh liner so someone checks on it but there are no signs about the walk etc.

There was a path up through the scrub and it came to a sign “Leap Loop” so we headed off to see where it led.

Info plaques along the way describing all the plants and trees. Shame there were no Huon Pine though.

There was a lot of debris on the track and fallen trees everywhere. We could just make out the track by the bits of plastic sticking up under the path and timber steps here and there.

Lots of straight branches here to make walking sticks out off, but we are happy with the ones we have.  There were pink ribbons around the area so maybe they are going to fix up the area.

Steve is always flicking fallen sticks out of the way when we walk etc. I was in the lead and stepped over an angled log but Steve stepped on it to break it. It broke alright but the other bit flicked up and hit him in the face. Just scraped the top layer of skin off so no gushing blood luckily. That’s his 2^nd wood fight – the first in Sofala when he was cutting the firewood and broke his tooth.  It took a photo straight away – didn’t look too bad but by the time we got back to the truck it was a lot bloodier but all good.

This is the stick – the high bit bounced back up and got him.

I had said as we were walking along “I hope we don’t run into a creek or a big tree has fallen to block the path, so we have to go back again” and around the corner the path was blocked by a big fallen tree and all it had pulled down with it when it fell. Steve climbed over it all though and found the path again.

I thought it was Steve’s blood but it was the poor tree bleeding.

As I climbed over I used my stick to climb down off the tree and my walking stick broke – Tragic. I have had that stick since Yaamba in Qld.

Back to the truck to clean up Steve’s face and have some lunch. A few blow flies and mosquitoes kept us company but just buzzed around.

Turned off into the dirt road to Hartz Mountains National Park again to do the walk to Lake Osbourne (40min return). Steve got out his saw and trimmed up the new walking stick as it was too tall for me. We have learnt to always have a jumper and a walking stick for our walks. As we are at 870m elevation it is a bit cooler up here and the clouds are getting darker. More info boards to read along the way.

Alternated between dirt walks then boardwalks through the different vegetation.

 Not sure if these are the cuts left in the rocks from the glacier.

Great view over the mountains and the low clouds.

 The barren hill slopes.

Where the glacier slowly traveled down from the mountain.

Lake Osbourne in the dip.

Dark clouds are heading over us.

The blue haze on the distant mountains.

Cute little flower.

Back down the road again and into Geeveston to fuel up as diesel has dropped to 130.9 c/l so we will support here since we have had a lovely time staying in the park. Went across to the bakery for a cuppa and a huge piece of carrot cake (we shared!!). Steve had to help the lady with the coffee machine but eventually we got a lovely hot cuppa.

  

Cute little birdie.

Around the back of the bakery was more seating for a BBQ area – big fish mural, not sure what it supposed to be though.

Mum and Dad texted to say they are back at the Casino again for the last night with the tour group.

Back home and it is trying to rain – all misty across the hills. I started on the blog (a few days behind now) and Steve is trying to get the TV booster working again. Lots of fiddling as he put in a new cable but it is all good again. Rain getting heavier, glad we had the camp fire last night. Curried sausages tonight. 20 degrees tonight.