When I rang Merran to say “good morning”, she was already on her way from Hobart to check me over and certify me fit to continue. This done and me packed up, she offered to drop my pack at the end of the day’s walk at Bushy Park. Doing this turned out easy to arrange and the choice to walk the 21km road was not hard to make over quite a bit of a longer through the back tracks. Rain and a sore foot (a single sprained and bruised toe, if not broken) sealed the deal.
As the various mountains of the Mount Field National Park with their snow caps have come in and out of view over the last few days, I have been thinking of the missing photographer from Hobart – Daryl Fong. Tarn shelf is a lovely walk but would be very challenging under these winter type conditions. We all know snow, wind and cold – Antarctic scuds – can strike Tasamania at any month of the year. This year, however spring is well and truly here in name but it hasn’t really shaken winter conditions off the mountains at all. Police vehicles going up and down the road, some with lights, made me wonder if something had shifted with the search.
The Tasmanian Trail meets the main road at several points so I was keen to try at least one of these sections. The obvious loop was through the Fenton Park estate which trail users have permission to use. However even this turned out not to work either. No sooner had I turned into the entrance than a 4WD bike came charging up and the farmer politely indicated it was not a good time on the farm for people to cross as all the lambs and ewes were being separated and things were a bit chaotic. He asked if I would mind using the main road… So back to the main road it was.
$5 and signed in for the night at Bushy Park show grounds. A hot shower even in the old toilet block coutesy of Neville who turned on the site power this morning. Im the first TT traveller he has seen this season. Glad to have shelter from the wind as I write, I have set up in the Derwent region livestock shed, with a old table and chair, tent on a pile of hay. Seems almost ‘manger’ish. Now the wind has dropped and the rain has started, time for a hot drink and bed.
