February 2020

You can read about Day 1 , Day 2 and Day 3 using these links.

We had spent our last night at Retakunna Hut playing boardgames and swapping tales with out fellow trekkers. It was a wide range of people, some locals such as a student photographer called Liam and his mum. (Check out his work here), a couple from the Northern Beaches one of which was a current Qantas Pilot, and a whole bunch of interstate travellers.

The last day of the trek was 14km and would see us take on the highest point of the entire track – Mount Fortescue as well as the third of the capes – Cape Hauy, before we finished up at Fortescue Bay.

The climb was not too bad as the path was built a gentle contour and there were a number of story seats to keep us occupied and stopping for breaks.

First up was a walk on The Dark Side – a place where the open plains meet the rainforest beyond the mountain. The southern slopes of Mount Fortescue receive next to no sunlight creating a darker and cooler environment. It is also significantly wetter as sea mists swirl around the peak to change the plant life around it. Peppermint Eucalyptus gives way to Stringybarks and everywhere is cutting grass guarding the route like an army of swordsmen.

Blood on the Velvet Lounge borrows from the poetry of Tennyson and is dedicated to the legion of mini-beasts that lurk beneath our feet. Velvetworms, leeches, centipedes, the venom loaded bull-ants, funnel-web spiders and many more. Right on the peak of Mount Fortescue itself is a wooden post with a number of luggage tags tied to it. Far Flung details the whale species that pass this point of Tasmania each year on their migration north to the warmer waters of North Queensland – humpback and southern right as well as millions of birds – short-tailed shearwaters.

Thew view from the summit was spectacular and gave us a great view of the eastern side of Cape Pillar peninsula which we trekked up and down the day before.

Rainforest Ramblers

After reaching the summit of the mountain we descended into the rainforest below. Ancient trees and ferns combines to create a the remnants of the great rainforests that used to cover the entire continent of Australia. At the end of the rainforest we get our first glimpses of the cliffs and envions of Cape Huay. Known as the Pillars of the Earth, the giant dolerite stone formations have captured the imaginations of mariners from ancient times to present day. Yachts from the annual Sydney to Hobart Race have to sail round this part of Tasmania before swinging back round to reach Hobart further east. The pillars are from the Jurassic era and are incredibly old (200 million years old)

A little bit futher on and we had full visibility of Cape Huay as we reached the junction. There was a small area with benches where we could leave our stuff. The walk out to the tip of the cape involved lots of narrow stairs so not having to carry the Osprey Backpacks was a blessing. We saw a sign which told us that we had reached the last 3 hours of the Three Capes Track.

This part of the track was a little busier as it merges into another track that starts from Fortescue Bay. Unlike Cape Pillar this peninsula is more like an archipelago with a number of parts broken off – The Lanterns, Mitre Rock, The Monument and The Candlestick and Totem Pole (Sounds like the name of a London pub!)

The terrain is a mixture of heath, woodland and then climbing of rocks to the end point which is a small natural observation deck.

The views were amazing, to our left as we walked we had the entire length of Cape Pillar. To our right, we could see Fortescue Bay and towards Eaglehawk Neck. Right in front of us was the Tasman Sea.

After the 2 hour return journey to our bags it was an easy downhill descent to the beach at Fortescue Bay and the finish line. Near the end we passed a small creek called Mill Creek. It was named after the Timber Mill that used to be in operation here in the early 1900s. Thee used to also be a fish works until the 1970s. Today it is a popular beach area and camping site with decent shower and picnic facilities which we used before the bus was due to pick us up and bring us back to the Port Arthur Historic Site.

Epilogue

After getting the bus back and collecting our bags we jumped back on for the return trip to Hobart. As the bus was pulling out of the centre we heard on the radio that Qantas had stopped all flights to Singapore, LA and Hong Kong. A nervous silence descended amongst the group. A creeping realisation that this could be the last trip for a lot of us for a while was starting to take hold. Lockdown would only be 6 weeks away.

We had an early morning flight, the red-eye to get back to Sydney and straight to the office so we got the bus to drop us off at the Ibis hotel at the airport. Karen had found a really good pizza and wine bar not too far away so we checked in and then headed there. Luma Bar served us up the perfect post trek dinner and suffice to say – after a 14km hike it was early to bed that night.

Such a great adventure the last few days on the Three Capes Track. The scenery is breathtaking and it is one of the best things we have ever done. Cannot recommend it enough.