FACTSHEET

DURATION: 5 days 4 nights 5 Days Out West Camping and 5 DAYS OF CAMPING AND DAYWALKS IN THE TASMANIAN WILDERNESS Walking Tour

KEY TO INCLUDED MEALS BELOW: (B): Breakfast (L): Lunch (D): Dinner

Launceston to . Want to discover the remote and wild Coast? Then this is the tour for you. Over 5 Days we explore the iconic “must sees” as well as some great local secrets. Camping out and watching the wildlife.

This tour starts in Launceston and finishes in Hobart. The ideal tour to experience ’s wild and remote west coast. We aim to stay away from the crowds, from camping in the bush to sleeping beside the ocean under the stars. Enjoy bushwalks through , the Tarkine and . Cross the west coast’s at Corinna, a remote settlement and camp beside the Southern Ocean. Marvel at Tasmania’s tallest waterfall, and drive through Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Visit some of ’s tallest trees in the Styx Valley.

Each day we participate in bush walks from 1- 5 hours and travel by four- wheel-drive troop carriers which are ideal to access remote areas. Each night we experience bush camping and delicious meals with campfire cooking. When we camp we use tents or you can sleep under the stars and we supply cosy swags. We see and appreciate Tasmania’s unique wildlife in the wild. FACTSHEET 5 DAYS OUT WEST TASAFARI (cont)

Day 1: Cradle Mountain (L, D) Depart Launceston at 7.30am — pick-ups from your accommodation. Head to Cradle Mountain for a hike up to Marion’s Lookout or Hanson’s Peak (4+ hour walk). Great bush camp in a historic mining village.

Day 2: Tarkine Rainforest (B, L, D) Walk in The Tarkine (3+ hour walk), Australia’s largest temperate rainforest. Cross the Pieman River at Corinna, a remote settlement on the West Coast of Tasmania, then drive Day 1: Cradle Mountain to our coastal bush camp, next to the Great Southern Ocean.

Day 3: West Coast Walks (B,L,D) Drive to , an old mining town, and bush walk at Montezuma Falls, Tasmania’s tallest waterfall (+3hr walk) or Walk Mt Agnew above Trial Harbour for amazing coastal views. Drive to Strahan to pick up some supplies before we head to Day 2: Tarkine Rainforest camp at our bush camp at Macquarie Heads. If conditions are suitable, you can try a spot of fishing and catch your dinner!

Day 4: — Lake St Clair (B, L, D) Drive through the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park: visit , survey the Wilderness World Heritage Area from Donaghy’s Lookout and stop off at the Franklin River. Day 3: West Coast Walks Walk at Lake St Clair and search for Platypus (3+ hour walk) followed by a great bush camp at the highland lakes. As part of our partnership with the Green Guardians Project, on this day we will collect some rubbish from some of the stops (to be properly disposed of later).

Day 5: Mt Field National Park (B, L) Day 4: Franklin River — Lake St Clair Enjoy a hike to Lady , and Horseshoe Falls 3+ hour walk). Head to The Styx Valley, home to some of Australia’s tallest trees, or roam in the highlands around Lake Dobson. Arrive in Hobart at around 6pm. We will drop you off to your accommodation. All inclusive small group guided 5-ay active camping and walking tour exploring the Central Highlands and West Coast of Tasmania. Tour inclusions: all meals from Lunch Day 1 to Lunch day 5, transport, parks passes, camping and cooking Day 5: Mt Field National Park equipment. FACTSHEETFACTSHEET HIKING 10FACTSHEET DAYS HIGHLIGHTS OUT 5LAUNCESTON DAYS OFOUT NORTH WEST WEST ANDTASAFARI THEN EASTERN EAST (cont) TASAFARITASMANIA (cont) (cont)

TASafari Terms and Conditions Australian TASafari 4WD Camping Adventures WHAT TO BRING reserves the right to amend prices, itineraries TASafari will supply you with a comprehensive and tours due to weather and operational gear checklist when you book. reasons. We recommend you bring the following We make every effort to safeguard our clients important items: and their personal belongings however we cannot be held responsible for loss or injury · Warm clothing including a hat (suitable due to circumstances beyond our control. for bush walking) Travel insurance is not included and we strongly · Waterproof clothing with a hood recommend that clients arrange their own personal travel insurance prior to departure. · Sturdy walking shoes · Sunscreen and a hat PAYMENT TERMS · Water bottle A deposit of 30% is payable to secure a · Warm sleeping bag booking. The balance of the tour price is payable at least 15 days prior to departure. Note that we can hire any of the above items at moderate fee – please advise us prior to departure of your requirements. CANCELLATION POLICY The following fees apply in the event of booking LUGGAGE cancellations: Due to limitations in storage space, the · 15 days – 30 days’ notice: 30% of tour price maximum luggage allowance is 15kg per person. · 48 hours – 15 days’ notice: 50% of tour price · 24 hours – 48 hours’ notice: 75% of tour price PRE-TRIP BRIEFING · Within 24 hours: 100% of tour price TASafari holds a pre-trip meeting on the morning of departure for all tours. Your guide will pick Note that tours booked through travel agents you up from your accommodation and brief you may attract an additional cancellation fee before departure. As part of the pre-trip briefing payable to the travel agent - please discuss your guide will conduct a verbal gear check, this directly with your booking agent. confirm any special requirements, arrange hire equipment and store your luggage. Each person FITNESS REQUIREMENTS will be required to provide emergency contact details and sign an Assumption of Risks/Waiver TASafari tours are suitable for fit and active of Liability Declaration. This briefing ensures people, therefore clients should consider their that you are prepared for the tour and provides health and physical condition prior to booking. you with the opportunity to ask the guide any Please contact us if you have any concerns over questions prior to departure. your fitness level and consult a physician if in doubt (note that some bushwalks may take in excess of 4 hours over uneven and rough PRIVATE GROUPS terrain). Participation in some activities will be Chartered tours are available on request. at the tour guide’s discretion. Please contact us for more information on group bookings. SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS It is essential that you disclose any relevant dietary and medical information at the time of booking to enable TASafari staff to prepare for your trip and to ensure personal and group safety during the tour. FACTSHEET HIKINGFACTSHEET HIGHLIGHTS 5 DAYS OFOUT NORTH WEST ANDTASAFARI EASTERN (cont) TASMANIA (cont)

TASMANIA – GENERAL INFORMATION

TASMANIA’S NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES With over eighteen national parks and a further thirteen reserves and conservation areas readily accessible from Hobart, Tasmania is a bushwalker’s paradise. In fact, over 30% of Tasmania’s landmass is protected in these parks and reserves for bushwalkers and visitors to enjoy. Although there is a concentration in the World Heritage Area (a staggering 20% of Tasmania’s landmass that also includes the Overland and South Coast Tracks), parks and reserves can be found throughout all regions of Tasmania and provide a large variety of unique nature experiences. Tasmania’s climatic history and topography have sculpted the landscape over time to create a great variety of landforms and environments including: spectacular fluted dolerite coastal cliff formations on the east and south; dry sclerophyll and wet temperate rain forests in the east and south west (containing the tallest hardwood forests on Earth with many trees reaching nearly 100 metres); alpine moorlands in the high and rugged mountain areas with “ice-chewed” remnants from past glaciations; and bleak wind-scoured button-grass plains in the remote far south west.

TASMANIA’S GEOLOGY Tasmania is a geologist’s dream island – it represents a rich panorama of evolutionary landforms dating back to over one billion years ago; including some of the oldest Pre-Cambrian and Cambrian rocks in the southwest (greater than 500 million years ago) to the more recent Jurassic period (165 million years ago). The break-up of Gondwana enriched this panorama when it triggered massive dolerite intrusions over much of the island. (Dolerite is a dark-coloured igneous rock which defines much of Tasmania and is especially notable in its national parks and reserves). Visitors can also experience some of Australia’s biggest and deepest limestone caves, some of which held particular significance for Tasmania’s Aborigines, such as the Marakoopa caves. Since these events, these landforms have been dramatically modified by erosion and glaciation, with the last of three glaciations finishing approximately 12,000 years ago. The legacy of glaciated landforms is pervasive and dramatic: U-shaped valleys; tarns and highland lakes dammed by terminal moraines; deep cirques gouged from mountain sides; boulder “streams” of ice-shattered dolerite blocks; erratic boulders deposited far from their origins by glacier movement; and “ice-plucked” mountain profiles (Frenchmans Cap). Erosion and glaciation, together with natural earth movements, have shaped the current topography and contributed to the variety of soils and environments that provide such a rich source of the earth’s evolutionary history. On our tours you can take the time to explore, absorb and wonder at this dramatic panoramic paradise!

TASMANIA’S FAUNA Tasmania’s isolation, diverse terrain and climate have allowed many species that did not survive on the mainland to thrive in this unique island environment. Some even hark back to the super- continent, Gondwana, including the burrowing freshwater crayfish (virtually unchanged for the last 200 million years, and are still found today in alpine tarns and creeks in the south west). Tasmania also boasts the largest marsupial carnivores in the world such as the famous (now endangered) Tasmanian Devil, the lesser known spotted and eastern quolls, and the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger. The island has also seen the arrival of Asian invaders some millions of years ago, such as rodents and bats who have now adapted to Tasmania’s special environment. FACTSHEET 5 DAYS OUT WEST TASAFARI (cont)

TASMANIA’S FLORA Despite Tasmania’s relatively small land mass of approximately 64,000 km2, it has a bountiful range of over 2,000 native and introduced flowering plant species, of which over 200 are endemic to the State. Tasmania’s mountainous landscapes, with over sixty peaks higher than 900m, generate marked differences in rainfall and humidity from west to east creating a great variety of microclimates and diverse soil types, which provide niches for a huge range of plant species. Weathered and faulted rock surfaces, sculpted by past glaciers and eroded by heavy rains, also contribute to the range of soil types and plant environments supporting the variety of species. The World Conservation Union has officially recognised this rich mosaic of vegetation in these regions as an International Centre for Plant Diversity. Few regions in Australia, and indeed the world, offer so much in such a compact and accessible area – come and explore it with us!

TASMANIA’S WEATHER Tasmania lies between latitudes of 40° and 43° south of the equator. However, despite this southerly location it enjoys a temperate and relatively mild climate, especially when compared with northern hemisphere countries that share similar latitudes. This is mainly due to Tasmania’s weather extremes being moderated by the surrounding sea, which is no further than 115 km from any point on the island. The major weather influences are the “Roaring Forties” (the prevailing westerly winds) generating high winds and heavy rainfall on the west and northwest coast, and low pressure systems (which regularly encircle the globe at these southerly latitudes) creating rapid falls in temperature. These low pressure systems are generally short-lived, only serving to briefly punctuate Tasmania’s delightfully fresh, clean and invigorating climate. In midsummer daylight lasts for about 15 hours, and about nine in winter. Snow can occur any time during the year in alpine areas (with the heaviest snowfalls in July and August), but there is no permanent snowline. Tasmania’s temperatures range from occasional very hot days in summer to some bitterly cold nights in winter, although typically the weather is extremely pleasant. The table below shows examples of the temperature ranges for the areas we walk in: Despite these extremes, Tasmania is renowned for having some of the most agreeable conditions in Australia for bushwalking and enjoying the great outdoors, with the “cleanest” air on the planet. Enjoy it with us! Average Temperature Ranges Region Summer Winter Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Coastal 18ºc – 23ºc 0ºc – 15ºc 9ºc – 14ºc 4ºc – 6ºc Highland 17ºc – 19ºc 5ºc – 8ºc 6ºc – 7ºc -2ºc – +2ºc

Let us share our love of the extraordinary diversity of Tasmania’s unique wilderness areas with you

Give us a call on Tasmanian Wilderness local call 1300 882 293 1300 882 293 and we’ll Experiences gladly discuss your needs phone 03 6261 4971 ABN 65 632 316 265 and interests. Together we’ll fax 03 6261 2786 work out an exciting walking BASE CAMP TASMANIA mobile 0414 238 458 experience that is designed 959 Glenfern Road especially for you. GLENFERN email [email protected] Or go to www.twe.travel to TAS 7140 check out further information web www.twe.travel online.