Date: 4th May 2016
Location: Hobart to Bronte Park
Tripmeter: 590.3 km
Today was one of the best days of my life. It started pretty quiet, turned into spontaneous adventure and finished in a curious new place. Our morning was spent finishing up the laundry and packing our gear in time to check out at 9am. The initial plan was to check out Mt Nelson and a couple of Hobart beaches before setting off in Strahan’s direction. But as we drove into the sunny city, plans quickly went out of the window.
I had heard from yesterday’s weather forecast that snow was expected above 800m elevation. Given Mt Wellington is 1.2km high, I wondered if it might have had anything yesterday. One look towards the peaks and it was confirmed – the rocky face had white streaks of snow! I was so excited I couldn’t get coherent words out of my mouth but the family was unanimous in accepting that we’re now going to get there.
We quickly changed direction and got onto Pinnacle Rd, where the interactive road status indicator displayed that the road was closed off at The Springs, 5km up the 12km journey. We still went ahead to find out what we might see. As indicated, there was a boom gate blocking access to The Springs, but people would be allowed on foot to the peak if they wished. I definitely knew I wanted to see the first real snow in my life so I decided to park the car and trek, fully knowing a 14km return trip on foot was a big ask.
About 2km into the steep trek, I could see the first signs of ice and snow on the ground. It looked like they were slowly melting away as the sun was out, and mini waterfalls were abound on the roadsides. Another 3km up the track, I was greeted by winds, showers, AND SNOWFALL! I EVEN GOT TO EAT SNOW! Undescribable!
It was already 11am by now, and realising if I persisted against the winds, our Bronte drive would be compromised in the evening, I finally called my parents and decided to make my way back down. I was already satisfied with experiencing snowfall, what else could I ask for? When I got back to the boom gates at the bottom however, I found it open and a stream of vehicles driving past now. The ranger on the gate told us the road had now been opened right to the top and people were definitely onto it!
There was a brief question if we should head to Mt Nelson or continue to check out the peak. I won again and we drove to the top – best decision of the day! Snowfall is just a tiny bit of the actual snow experience! When we reached the peak, snow was flying and drowning everywhere and you could see nothing but white clouds around. This is the first time any of us had seen real snow and we did everything we could till our fingers went numb – snowball fights, snow stomping and snowmen. We finally let our senses take over and headed down for lunch at 1pm.
Back in the city, we did our first fuel fill (31 litres after 390km), handy that Coles had an 8c/L discount this fortnight and we didn’t need to fill a 98 octane mix like home. A quick medley of Maccas for lunch and we finally made our way out of Hobart through the Brooker Hwy. Tassie highways are more of country roads rather than actual highways – the upside is you get great country views wherever you are! The Brooker Hwy simply runs adjacent to the Derwent River and continues onto Lyell Hwy.
Our first stop is at Mt Field National Park where we intend to see Russel falls. Once we get in, we actually find this park has much more to offer – 2 other falls, a lake and alpine skiing in winter – definitely worth the $24 park pass. We spent about an hour walking through swamp gums (the world’s largest flowering plants) and having a peek at Russel Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The look like they would be pretty nice to bathe in though this area is Heritage listed. This park is not really listed on most travel info and it is hard to find on a map too – but this is a must see if you’re in this area.
At around 4:30pm, we finally head out for our last stop for the day – a sleepover at Bronte Park. Google Maps indicates a few wavy roads on the way but it is only when you’re on the road at night, you realise this ride is quite an adventure. Even the straightish roads have been built into dense forests across a range of mountains, and despite the sign-posted speed limit indicating 100kmph, you’re probably doing great if you average 80kmph across these winding stretches! We passed a few interesting sights on the way such as Tarraleah power station, massive pipelines and plenty of lagoons.
When we finally made it to Bronte Park after 6pm and a tiring ride, it became quite apparent that this was not quite a town… After pulling into the only building with lights (which turned out to be our chalet), the inn-keeper said Bronte Park really was nothing else apart from this accommodation. It had been a town of 4000 back in the 1940s when they Tasman hydro-electric infrastructure was being built, but was now just a piece of history. It only serves passer-bys like us and people who want to fish in the surrounding lakes. I also got to see my first 3D state map which indicates we’re at 720m elevation! And central Tassie is not quite a plain like Google Maps would have you believe, but a really high plateau with collections of lakes between mountains!
We’ll probably have more time tomorrow to discover more of these surprises and look around Bronte’s history, as we retire to our chalet. This looks to be an interesting night as we’ve been transported a few years to the past. There is no phone reception or internet here, and the innkeeper is preparing a fireplace. Our rooms are wooden in build, but with fine beds nonetheless. There are obviously no restaurants around so thankfully we have some cereal to put us to sleep.
This has been a tiring end to the day in an odd little village, but in the years to come, I’ll always remember it for my first taste of real snow! A life ambition ticked off! :)
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