Walking to Tomahawk Point, Tasmania

Photograph of beach with rocky point on the left and small island on the right.

Tomahawk Point is a coastal feature near Tomahawk, Tasmania, Australia. A short walk leads from Tomahawk to Tomahawk Point.

Getting there

This part of Tasmania could use some more creative nomenclature: Tomahawk Road led to Tomahawk, where we parked near Tomahawk Beach and walked across the Tomahawk River to reach Tomahawk Point and look at Tomahawk Island.

Tomahawk Road led north off Waterhouse Road. It took 10 minutes to drive from there into Tomahawk. Once there, the car park for Tomahawk Point was a left turn onto Morgan Esplanade, and then another left turn to the car park.

All roads were sealed until the final 200 metres of Morgan Esplanade. Drivers wishing to avoid any gravel could easily park there and walk the additional distance.
Continue reading “Walking to Tomahawk Point, Tasmania”

The View from Sumac Lookout

Photograph of wide river winding through forest.

Sumac Lookout is a view over the Arthur River in northwest Tasmania, Australia.

Getting there

Sumac Lookout was on Sumac Road. It was about 1.7 kilometres from Kanunnah Bridge over the Arthur River, and 7.3 kilometres from the Julius River car park (which is also where the nearest toilets were). Sumac Road was sealed here, as was the entire main road for the Tarkine Drive.

The car park was a wide expanse of asphalt on the northeast side of Sumac Road. A large carved wooden sign made it difficult to miss. The road was otherwise narrow, and drivers who missed the car park could have difficulty turning around.
Continue reading “The View from Sumac Lookout”

Walking to Trowutta Arch

Photograph looking through limestone rock arch towards a flooded sinkhole covered in green leafy plants.

Trowutta Arch is a geological feature south of Smithton, Tasmania, Australia. It is a natural arch eroded out of limestone. A walking track leads to the arch and an adjacent flooded sinkhole.

Getting there

Trowutta Arch was a long way from most of Tasmania. From anywhere not already on the west coast, it meant driving:

  1. West along the Bass Highway
  2. South through Edith Creek
  3. East onto Trowutta Road and Reid’s Road
  4. South onto Reynold’s Road for 3 kilometres (unsealed)
  5. East onto Gun Road for 1.3 kilometres (unsealed)

These roads passed through some scenic country, but each was progressively narrower and slower to drive on.

Trowutta Road and Reid’s Road were part of the Tarkine Drive, which looped past several other features of the Tarkine.

Continue reading “Walking to Trowutta Arch”

Walking to Detention Falls

Photograph of waterfall seen through trees.

Detention Falls form on the Detention River, near Wynyard, Tasmania, Australia. A walking track leads to two views of the falls.

Older books that mention this walk may refer to a lookout platform. Parks & Wildlife engineers declared the lookout unsafe in 2008, and later dismantled it. A Severe Hazard Area sign near the start of the walk advised against proceeding on the track at all. As the sign said, continue on the walk at your own risk and taking your own responsibility.

This walk also passes through farm gates and paddocks. Take care around the electric fences and take no action to make landowners regret having a walking track through their property.

Getting there

From the Bass Highway, the best route to Detention Falls was to turn south onto Myalla Road. This reached an intersection with Hawley’s Road. Hawley’s Road was unsealed for its two kilometre length, which ended in patch of gravel for parking cars and a gate labelled “Falls Track”. There were also two private farm driveways, both labelled to make it clear that they were not the way to the falls.
Continue reading “Walking to Detention Falls”

Walking to the Friendly Beaches Scenic Lookout

Photograph of long stretch of beach ending in a rocky point.

The Friendly Beaches are a long expanse of beach in Tasmania, Australia. They are just north of the famed Freycinet Peninsula on Tasmania’s East Coast. A scenic lookout overlooks the beaches.

Getting there

The Friendly Beaches lie within the Freyincet National Park, so visitors will need a current National Parks Pass.

The access to Friendly Beaches was from Cole’s Bay Road, which also led to Freycinet Peninsula. Friendly Beaches Road turned east off Cole’s Bay Road, then divided after about 1.9 kilometres. North (left) from the fork passed the Friendly Beaches Scenic Lookout.

Friendly Beaches did not have extravagant amenities at the time of our visit in September 2016. All of Friendly Beaches Road was unsealed, and the only facilities were toilets without running water at each end of the road. However, Friendly Beaches also experienced a fraction of the crowds that flocked to Freycinet Peninsula.

Continue reading “Walking to the Friendly Beaches Scenic Lookout”

Walking around the Bicheno Lookout Rock

Photograph of granite rock outcrop with occasional plants growing on it.

Lookout Rock is a granite outcrop within the town of Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia. A short loop walk circles the rock.

Getting there

There was no really good road to Bicheno from the rest of Tasmania. The logical drive from Hobart would be along the Tasman Highway up the east coast. From Launceston it would be fastest to drive south to Campbell Town and east past Lake Leake, but might be prettier to drive through Fingal and St Mary’s.

Once in Bicheno, the simplest place to start the walk from was from the turning circle at the east end of Morrison Street. Morrison Street led directly off Burgess Street, which was part of the Tasman Highway as it passed through Bicheno.

An alternative car park was at the north end of Little Street, although there was less space there.

All road approaches to Lookout Rock were sealed.

Continue reading “Walking around the Bicheno Lookout Rock”

Walking the Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk

Photograph of wide myrtle tree roots.

The Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk is a short bushwalk in northeast Tasmania, Australia. It is an accessible way to see the myrtles and treeferns that make Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforest so distinctive.

Getting there

Navigating in the general direction of the walk was easy – just drive the Tasman Highway between Weldborough and the junction to Lottah Road. While the highway was sealed for its entire length, it had some tight curves. Respect any yellow signs recommending low speeds around hairpin bends, even if the recommended speed is as low as 25 km/h.

The car park for the walk was on the south side of the highway. Signs in both directions warned of “Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk 200m,” but it would still be easy to miss.

Continue reading “Walking the Weldborough Pass Rainforest Walk”

The view from the Mersey Valley Oliver’s Road Scenic Lookout

Photograph of line of mountain bluffs under a clear blue sky.

Tasmania’s Mersey Valley is a pleasant green expanse in the north of the state. The Mersey Valley Oliver’s Road Scenic Lookout offers views from the western end of the valley.

Getting there

The lookout was, helpfully enough, on the side of Oliver’s Road. This road was sealed but had many tight bends. Allow plenty of time for driving along it. The lookout itself was marked by signs but could be easily missed. Pay attention after driving past the junction to Lemonthyme Road (if travelling south) or Old Gad’s Hill Road (if travelling north).

The car park was a patch of gravel next to Oliver’s Road.
Continue reading “The view from the Mersey Valley Oliver’s Road Scenic Lookout”

The view from Red Knoll Lookout

Photograph of mountains surrounding artificial lake.

Southwest Tasmania is famous for its rugged landscape. Hardy bushwalkers recommend walking it for days for the best experience, but you can catch a glimpse from your car if you drive to Red Knoll, on the southern edge of Lake Pedder.

Getting there

Red Knoll lies within the Southwest National Park, so visitors will need a current National Parks Pass.

As of January 2014, there was no place to buy petrol southwest of the town of Maydena. From there, the drive was along Gordon River Road for 31 winding kilometres followed by turn south onto Scotts then a turn onto Scotts Peak Road and 38 kilometres from there.

All of these roads were built to admit construction vehicles for dams and power stations. They were wide, solid and had smooth bends. However, the entire length of Scotts Peak Road was unsealed.

Continue reading “The view from Red Knoll Lookout”