The Adamsons Tramway Track is a short walk near Hastings, Tasmania, Australia. It overlaps with the much longer Adamsons Peak Track. The tramway portion passes the remains of various old forestry constructions.
Getting there
This track, like most in Tasmania’s far south, was not easy to reach. It began on the Peak Rivulet Road, west of Dover. We began even further south, at Hastings Caves, which meant a long drive north on unsealed forestry roads. The narrowest of these was Creekton Road where it turned north off Hastings Caves Road. As the roads continued north, they became wider and smoother.
The “car park” was a small flat patch at the side of Peak Rivulet Road, next to the sign shown above.
Track
The track was well-engineered boardwalk. There were several flights of steps, making it unsuitable for wheelchairs. Almost anyone more mobile than that could walk as far as the Southwest National Park sign.
Forestry Relics
Two signs along the track painted a vivid picture of forestry work in the mid-20th century. The remains of a log landing and trestle bridge were still visible, now covered with a thick layer of moss. The cutting would last a lot longer, although its outline was already softening due to erosion and leaf litter.
Facilities
| Latest visit | 9th April 2013 |
|---|---|
| Road | Unsealed |
| Parking | Small |
| Shelter | No |
| Toilets | No (nearest are at Esperance River; others are at Hastings and Dover) |
Opinions
Walking Stick
A very interesting short walk, but a daunting amount of steps in various stages of decrepitude for the less agile.
Ambler
Walked 500 metres in 20 minutes, from the car park to the Southwest National Park sign and back. Enjoyed the walk. The interpretive signs were helpful, although one had become so grimy that it was hard to read.
Racewalker
This walk was short and easy, but still interesting. It is worth stopping while passing through the area.
Should I visit?
The Adamsons Tramway Track is an interesting diversion, but not worth many hours of driving for a single 15 minute walk. If you are visiting Hastings or Duckhole Lake, stop by on the way home. If you continue further into the forest, make sure you know when to turn back, unless you plan to walk to Adamsons Peak and have set aside most of the day for the journey.
References
Trove – Documents tagged “Raminea Sawmill”
We visited the site earlier this week and could find no evidence, the only evidence that we could see to tell us we were in the right place was the walkway and an almost unreadable sign.
The walkway was covered with leaves and moss and the step boards were almost totally decayed.