EXPLORE - The Needles, TAS
We were actually on our way out of Tassies Southwest National Park when we received a tip-off by a fellow instagrammer (thank you @sparkleheadofjoy) about a nearby short walk with the intriguing name of "The Needles". Figuring we had nothing to lose, we turned the van around and headed off in search of this mysterious trail.
Now some places make you work for it, just a little bit. A quest of sorts. This was one of them.
But doesn’t that just makes the end result so much more worthwhile...
Golden hour from the summit of The Needles.
First, finding the actual trailhead itself is a challenge. We located the tiny dirt carpark thanks to Google Maps, but to find the track you have to cross the road and walk up the road a little. And there’s zero signage to help you in your quest, or so we thought. Once we finally found the start of the track (marked by a small pink ribbon tied to a shrub) we started to ascend to the summit.
“This track sure is overgrown..." we said to each other, but we kept climbing upwards and onwards through the scrub, stumbling over bushes, dodging under branches, until we reached a point where we honestly had no idea which way to go. The trickle of trail we had been following just disappeared. “Well crap.” We floundered around in the bush for a while searching... only to stumble across the true track (the one we were meant to be on but had completely missed from the beginning) about 3 meters to our right. Face palm moment right there.
Once we found the real trail, the walk became a lot easier; still a decent climb, but at least we could see where we were supposed to be going. Once we reached the summit we emerged out into the sun, and were treated to spectacular 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding Mt Field National Park, Adamsfield Conservation Area and a seemingly endless sea of bushland.
This is what true wilderness looks like.
We soaked up the views as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky and watched the landscape turn from green to gold. We even got lucky enough to catch a break in the wind, which gave us a chance to get the drone out before heading back down. This time we followed the actual track... and passed the walker registration booth that we completely missed on the way in. Whoops. This calls for another face palm...
100% worth getting lost for views like these.
Walk Details:
Time: 2hrs return (including getting "lost", messing around on the summit and taking a butt load of snaps.)
Distance: 3kms return approx
Track Conditions: Some steep sections, overgrown (even on the actual track), muddy in places, slippery surfaces when wet, strong winds in places, weather can change quickly. Wear you hiking boots folks or you’ll be very sorry.
Site facilities:
Off-street parking (Gravel/Dirt)
Walker Registration Booth
Site Address:
Gordon River Road, Florentine 7140, TAS
Google Maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/6TjF3Ca9sHx