Only 86km south-west of Hobart,
Hartz Mountains is a
beautiful national park with a variety of vegetation, glacial lakes and
waterfalls, and views over mountain ranges and the southern coast of
Tasmania.
Here is some information
about the park, and in the end of the page is an interactive map.
Geology, Plants and Animals
The lower altitudes of Hartz Mountains consist of sedimentary
rocks, while the higher
altitudes consist of dolerite
– a
rock typical to Tasmania but absent from mainland Australia.
Many animals of the area are nocturnal, but the ones you can see during
the day time include echidnas,
platypus,
possums,
Bennetts wallabies
and Tasmanian pademelons.
Birds include ravens, honeyeaters and some species of parrots
such as green rosellas.
There are also many species of frogs, and in 1992 a new species was
discovered in Hartz Mountains. There is a variety of vegetation, and as
often in Alpine areas, vegetation changes with altitude. The lower
areas support wet eucalypt
forests dominated by
stringybark, while higher up there are open forests of snow gum and
other smaller Eucalypts. Highest up, above the tree line there are
heathlands.
by Andrea Schaffer via Flickr.com
Camping
You can camp in the Hartz Mountains, however there are no camping
facilities. Near the entrance to the Waratah Lookout Track there is a
picnic ground with a shelter, fireplace, gas barbeques and tables. The
weather in Tasmania
can be unpredictable and
Hartz Mountains are known for extreme weather conditions, so make sure
you bring warm clothes, register at the Walkers Registration, and let
someone know where you are going and when you are planning to get back.
The shorter bushwalks include Waratah Lookout (5min return), Arve Falls
(20 minute return), and Lake Osborne (40 minutes return).
by dracophylla via Flickr.com
The Waratah Lookout walk is
an easy stroll along a gravel track that goes to the lookout point with
views over Huon Valley. Arve Falls Track
starts from a car park past the picnic shelter, and goes through some
lovely Alpine
vegetation like herbfields and snow gum
woodlands to the Arve Falls. Lake Osborne walk
climbs gently up to Hartz Plateau through some young rainforest and
woodland to this beautiful glacial lake. Both Arve Falls and
Lake Osborne walks have informative signs about the vegetation and
geology of the area.
by Andrea Schaffer via Flickr.com
Long Bushwalks
There are also some longer bushwalks to Lake Esperance (2 hrs return), Hartz
Pass (3.5 hours return) and Hartz Peak (5 hours return).
These walks can be rough and steep at times, so you will need to be
fitter and better prepared. The Lake Esperance
walk goes through different alpine vegetation like woodland and snow
gums to higher country where the lake is surrounded by King Billy
pines. The walk to Hartz Pass is quite a steep climb, but there are
good views at the top. The Hartz Peak
walk takes you up to the highest peak of the park, but beware the
weather can be harsh and change quickly. It is also the park’s roughest
walk, a steep climb up to the peak so bring your walking boots. At the
top, there are some of the best views of south-western Tasmania
by dracophylla via Flickr.com
Here's a map Hartz Mountains National Park
where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You
can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click
anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the
map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with
Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
Disclaimer: Although
best efforts have been made to ensure
that all the information on this site is correct,
gondwananet.com is not to be blamed should there be a mistake.
Copyright notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected
by the Law of Copyright. What
does that mean?