Overland Track log #1

I’m walking the famous Tasmanian Overland Track, and I’m very excited because there are again a few new things to anticipate.

First, the huts cannot be booked, so if they’re full you’ll have to pitch your tent. Second, I’ll have to carry food for 7 days. That means, my backpack is as heavy as it’s never been before on a walk. And third, this is not the tropics anymore, and it might get cold at night.

I take the bus to Cradle Mountain, the start of the 75 km long track. The bus driver seems to be a bit out of sorts, he chews his fingernails, forgets fares, and once even takes a wrong turn. And right enough, he is indeed a tad distracted, because his wife is giving birth to their first child, and she warned him she would kill him if he wasn’t there.

But eventually, we make it to the visitor center where I check in, pick up my permits and passes, and take a shuttle bus, which is full of mostly Asian tourists, to the official starting point of the Overland Track, 5 km into the park. On this short drive, we stop for a wombat, and everyone jumps to the windows on the right side of the bus to see it, so that I worry the bus might turn over. I must admit that the wombat is super cute, and I have never seen one before. If you don’t know what a wombat looks like, make sure to google it, you’re in for a treat. Doesn’t it make them even more adorable that they poo square-shaped poo, and that they eat their own poo?

The bus driver drops me off and reminds me that it’s only 80 km to go. I thank him for that and eventually start walking. I’m carrying about 18 kg, including 5 kg of food.

The walk reminds me a lot of hiking in the UK. It’s sunny with a few clouds, maybe 18-20C. The ground is boggy for a big part, but mostly boarded. There are moors and tarns, friendly fellow walkers. Just the occasional palm tree reminds me of the fact that I’m not in the UK on a mild summer day.

My shoes hold up very well, my feet do too, and so far I don’t miss my proper hiking boots or walking sticks too much. Today, I walk about 10 km, including one steep climb, the steepest part of the whole trail. I do feel my heavy backpack, but with some huffing, puffing, and a few breaks, this can be done.

The hut I’m staying in is a very simple wooden hut with wooden platforms for sleeping and wooden benches and tables for cooking with fuel stoves. At night, I’m freezing, at an estimated temperature of 5 C. There is a gas heater that can be turned on for 45 min once the temperature in the hut drops below 10 C, but no one turns it on, and I don’t want to be the wuss. The wooden platforms for sleeping are very hard, and my mat doesn’t really make a difference in comfort. It does insulate my body heat though, which I’m made aware of whenever I roll off it. There are about 5 other people sleeping in the hut, an maybe another 8 who camp.