The last day, Bert Nichols to Narcissus Hut.

We needed to get to the ferry wharf by 11:30 am and given the skepticism of the usual Tassie walk estimates we elected to ensure we had plenty of time which meant leaving the hut by 6am, which is a good hour before sunrise, hence walking the dark by headtorch. It was a 3 hour advertised walk so i figured we would probably take about 4 with the usual photo stops and breaks 🙂

Ironically it actually was a pretty easy walk and very close to the 3 hours. It was not like previous days where you could get bogged down in roots, rocks and mud, it was just like walking the coast track in Sydney, very similar bush and trees.

We made with plenty of time and had the luxury of being able to burn the last of our gas for the last couple of teas, as a fun fact, we took two gas canisters, one 230gram one and one 100gram (as backup) we pretty much used the whole of the 230 gram one, we typically boiled water (drinks and dinner) for each evening meal and not all breakfasts (mostly just drinks) so for two people the two canisters is probably a good option. We did boil some water for drinking, but mostly relied on the purifier tablets, in hindsight i might try the mechanical filters instead of the chemical ones, you could also probably just get away with just being careful where you pick you water from, the chances of getting a bug is pretty slim, however on the flip side its one thing that could really take you out for a few days…

By the end of the trip the garmin inreach unit had clocked up a bit over 80km, its not super accurate since i had it turned off for a few bits and the accuracy was also set to low to save battery. I included a screen shot of the track on the map, really gives an idea of the walk and the side trips, of which there are lots of options to really choose your own adventure. I think I am already planning the winter session down there 🙂

I think doing some shorter trips down there would be a good option, possibly a bit less restrictive than the whole overland track, one such one would be from Ronny Creek to Scott Kilvert Hut via twisted lakes and around the back of Cradle mountain. Base your self there for two nights and do Barn Bluff and cradle mountain, both which we elected to miss this time.

The overland ferry service is pretty good, of course the boat was called the Ida Clair and the pilot was one very cool bloke who knew the name of every peak on the range, great to see enthusiastic, knowledgeable locals who just love the area as well, probably a dream job really. I was glad to catch the ferry rather than walk around the lake edge, we did that 17 years ago so not missing too much.

Another fun fact is the hydro pump building on the lake which was built to provide electricity, built in 1940, never used in anger and then decommisioned in the 90’s , sydney desalination unit vibes anyone ? The pump house was then turned into tourist accommodation, probably making more money in that then making electricity i reckon.

Here is my final set of images from the Overland track, plenty of typical track shots but some nice water reflections at the lake and a few little water falls…