Cascades to Strickland Falls 2015

Before I start the walk narrative, it's something of a milestone as this will be the 100th post on the blog.

Making allowances for a couple of walks I missed, we've covered about 930km and I've published 4257 photos since I started this; another benefit of converting from film to digital. I hate to think what that amount of film would cost.

Now on to the walk. Today we're walking from Cascade Brewery to Strickland Falls and return. Bob's away so Tas has taken over the leadership.

It's a good day weather wise - first day of spring I think - and it does become warm as we walk up hill.

The walk takes in a fairly new track that was created a couple of years ago and goes up to the end of Old Farm Rd.

The car park at the brewery

Rear view of Cascade Brewery

The beginning of the track is dry and open

You wouldn't think it's just a few minutes walk from the centre of a sophisticated capital city. Well, Hobart

One of the well built bridges along the way

We start to climb now as the track zig-zags up

Another bridge. Why is everyone stopping on the other side...

...and what are they laughing about?

Well, probably me. Walking along with my walking stick in one hand I became very warm. So I decided to unzip my polar fleece. Not wanting to stop and undo my pack waist belt, I concentrated getting the zip undone underneath the belt. Unfortunately, my foot caught a root and I ended up face down on the track.

When he stopped laughing, Peter said it was my own fault as I should know blokes can't multitask! He's right. I could walk and use my walking pole, but adding another activity at the same time was asking for trouble. At least I looked the part of the intrepid bushwalker with a good coating of mud.

 On we go, we're heading for the end of Old Farm Road and Morning Tea.

Colourful fungus

We walk above the Guy Fawkes Rivulet much of the time

There's a little mud on the track but it's really not bad

I mentioned we were heading for Morning Tea. I also mentioned that Bob is away. The photo below is for Bob (and for the others laughing at me).

Morning Tea is supposed to happen at 10:30, but everything goes to pot when Bob's away!

Never mind, we find a comfortable spot.

Morning Tea

Tea finished, we continue on.

Lots of little creeks

If you look closely, you might make out that it splits in two here

Our turnoff

We turnoff and head up along another, less well used track

Side view

We've been down this track before, but this time it's up. We finally come to a spot where our bushwalking skills will come to the fore.

The most mud we'll see all day

Sue and Peggy demonstrate two methods of navigating the mud

We continue on without falling in.

Reminds me of teenagers waiting for the school bus - photo by Sue

Must be important! - photo by Sue

Soon we come face to face with a native local who seems fairly reluctant to move.

I move slowly forward assuring it we're friendly...

...but it's not entirely convinced

I turn around and find everyone has my back - from a distance.

I like Julie's impression of a roo

Having safely cleared the way for the rest, we continue on to a junction of tracks, before heading straight on for the falls.

The track down to the falls becomes increasingly muddy and slippery so a few decide to wait while the remainder go down.

Climbing down

First sight of one of the cascades. Looks like someone's been here before us judging from the flat concrete platform 

Strickland Falls is part of the Hobart Rivulet, and if you want to have a look without mud and wild locals, just go onto Strickland Ave and you'll will see a sign at a U bend with some parking. The falls are a few steps in.

Sue and Peter emerging from down stream as I climb down

 I found an article that said after the brewery was modernized in 1927, the water for brewing was taken from Strickland Falls. This will explain the old pipe in the next few photos.

Remnant of old water pipe for the brewery

The structure behind the iron pipe is perhaps 5 metres tall and I don't know if it is a construction or natural as it is over the rivulet. I'll keep looking to find out what used to be here.

Ron goes under large log

Looking back at large structure

Ron and I climb back up and find no one there. We find the others stopped along the track having been bailed up by our earlier native inhabitant.

He agrees to have his photo taken as I get closer and provides two profiles and a full frontal for me. Satisfied with the potential publicity, he moves off into the heath.

The others are at the top of the climb, about to be bailed up

Left profile

Full frontal

Right profile

We continue back along the track until we reach where we want to turn off.

On the way down we come across a vehicle and a number of packs set out on the ground. A short distance away is a group of people in the bush pulling up introduced heath. I admire their determination, but it would take about 50,000 just to clear a decent area here. Moving on we continue down before turning left to head back to Old Farm Rd. and our lunch.

We've turned off the main track 

You can see the weather's still good

Lunch - photo by Sue

When we arrive at the same spot where we had Morning Tea, we find three people there ahead of us. The gentleman soon heads off on his own, but the two ladies stay and find out who we are. This being Tasmania, at least one of them lives very close by to Tas and Peggy's houses and has seen Peggy walking down the street. Typical Tassie.

We retrace our steps (without falling over) back to the cars. It was a good walk with good weather. 

We had 10 people and covered 9.56km in 3:42hrs.