Devil's Playground: Southern Gothic (Cont.)

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Outside Magazine November 2002

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Devil's Playground: Southern Gothic (Cont.)


	On the rocks of the Freycinet Peninsula (Courtesy, Australia Tourism Commission).

The Best of the Backcountry
BAY OF FIRES WALK: This 20-mile trek runs along the beaches of Mount William National Park, at the island's northeastern tip. Thanks to the weak Aussie dollar, the all-inclusive cost for four days of hiking is US$770 (Down Under Answers, 800-788-6685, www.duatravel.com; for more information on the hike itself, check out www.bayoffires.com.au). To go solo, rent camping gear in Launceston from Paddy-Pallin (www.paddypallin.com.au).
FREYCINET NATIONAL PARK: Eighty miles south is the stunning Freycinet National Park, where jagged peaks, known as the Hazards, rise over a string of brilliant white beaches. A steep unnamed trail leads over the granite saddle to a secluded campsite at Wineglass Bay, then continues on a 19-mile circuit around the peninsula. Camp on your own or go the cushy route, sleeping in low-impact bush huts (four-day guided trip by Freycinet Experience, $760; www.freycinet.com.au). The protected western flank of the peninsula is also ideal for kayaking: Freycinet Adventures runs three-day kayak excursions ($390; www.tasadventures.com/freycinetadventures).
THE OVERLAND TRACK: Tasmania's most famous bush walk, the 50-mile Overland Track winds through Cradle MountainÐLake St. Clair National Park, in the alpine heart of the island. For six demanding days, hikers wend their way over windswept highlands riddled with streams and dotted with swimming-pool-sized glacial lakes that glisten like black pearls. Public huts with gas heaters and bunk beds have been set up for hikers among the crags, but carry your own tent, since they are first-come, first-served. The easier option is to go with the outfitter Cradle Huts ($1,000, www.cradlehuts.com.au), which maintains its own custom bush huts along the route, stocked with food. Beyond Cradle Mountain, the sprawling, inhospitable region referred to bluntly as the Southwest is Tasmania's—and possibly the world's—ultimate wilderness area, a mind-boggling expanse of 3.7 million acres covered with temperate rainforest, whose rarely trod depths support groves of thousand-year-old trees.
THE FRANKLIN RIVER: Carving its way through the Southwest's pristine wilds, the Class IIIÐIV Franklin River remains a rite of passage for whitewater rafters. This ten-day trip passes beneath the red-lichen-covered quartzite cliffs of Blush Rock Falls. The dark waters are home to platypuses, snakes, and freshwater lobsters. It's a notoriously tricky run, so go with a reputable operator (Rafting Tasmania, www.tasmanianadventures.com.au/raftingtas, offers trips for $1,095).
THE SOUTH COAST TRACK: The true end of the line—a nine-day odyssey along muddy trails that cling to the final extremity of Australia. The intrepid arrive by light aircraft in Melaleuca, then slog their way for 50 miles along cliffs, flooded rivers, and shifting beaches. The payoff is the sense of utter removal: It's just you and the Pacific gulls. ($815, Tasmanian Expeditions, www.tasmanianexpeditions.com.au).

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