Czeching Out Tasmania

SING ALONG EVERYBODY 🙂

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you
That is how I know you, go on

Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you, go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the Hartz does go on
Once more you open the door
And you’re here in my Hartz and my Hartz will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we’re gone

Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold you
In my life we’ll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the Hartz does go on
Once more you open the door
And you’re here in my Hartz
And my Hartz will go on and on

You’re here, there’s nothing I fear
And I know that my Hartz will go on
We’ll stay forever this way
You are safe in my Hartz and my Hartz will go on and on

I am so sorry! Ahem….*clears throat* Where were we? Ah yes, Hartz Peak. I previously attempted this one when my Czech friends came to visit Tassie but alas we were thwarted by rain and wind and just general unpleasant weather. Things couldn’t have been more different last weekend when Gemma and I scaled this lovely little mountain in glorious stone splitting sunshine. With an elevation of 1,254 metres, Hartz is by no means a small peak but it’s probably one of the easiest climbs I’ve ever done, perhaps that’s what makes it so popular with the day tripping tourist crowd who want to scale a peak but not necessarily have to wreck themselves in the process.

From the summit you can see many of Tasmania’s loveliest peaks and you wish you could just take to the skies and glide on over to them. Damn eagles, getting to have all the fun. Getting there is pretty easy going until the last 13km or so when the asphalt runs out and you’re on the gravel but it’s not a terrible road and you’ll do fine in a regular car. From the car park there’s a nice little visitor centre/shelter where you can sign in for your walk and learn a bit more about the place. There’s one of those fun foot spray stations to help prevent the nasty Phytophthora root rot so make sure you spray your boots or Parks & Wildlife will arrest you and crush your vehicle……or at least they should if you don’t respect the environment and utilise the station, it only takes a moment and is hugely important for the local ecosystem.

Once you’ve done that, you’re free to head out onto the boardwalk and saunter through the beautiful alpine plains which are awash with the beautifully muted colours of Tasmania’s native plants and flowers such as Waratah and Scoparia. There’s a couple of tarns along the way which are well worth checking out too. As you climb higher and higher, you’ll start to notice the sometimes dazzling coloured crickets at your feet, hopping back and forth along the rocks. Keep your eye on the sky also, as you may spot an eagle or a hawk or the rare and elusive DJI Phantom III drone, which buzzed over us as we neared the summit. It didn’t bother us particularly but I know there’s an increasing clamour for rules against such things in National Parks so I won’t open that can of worms.

The summit itself is a like a collection of summits with a few rocky outcrops to clamber up and gaze out from. There’s a couple of man-made wind shelters which I’d imagine have saved the sanity and possibly lives of many a hiker unfortunate enough to become trapped up here in inclement weather.

On a clear day though, this place is pretty damn epic and certainly one of the best day trip options out of Hobart if you’re planning on getting into the scenery and not just staring at it from the comfort of a waterside cafe. Jump in, climb up and take in the glorious views, you won’t regret it.

So there you have it, a lovely mountain, an easy hike, glorious views…..a stone’s throw from Hobart.