Posted on

Scoparia hunting 2018

Scoparia hunting 2018 Dec

My photo collection for 2018 has a disproportionate number of images of beautiful waterfalls, and a sad shortage of mountains. As I love mountains even more than waterfalls, I decided I’d better use my single chance before Christmas to get myself high and hunt for scoparia while I was at it.

It is now very hard for me to get into the mountains, as Tessa (my dog) misses Bruce as much as I do, so I feel terribly guilty any time I leave her, and most mountains are in National Parks, so she has to miss out. Into the kennel she went in the early afternoon on Monday, and I promised her I’d be back before twenty-four hours had elapsed.

By mid-afternoon I’d parked at the Meander Falls carpark, and was ready to do the climb. Hm. All this waterfall bagging, even though I do it with an 8 kg pack of camera gear, is still no apt practice for a real pack. I guess it doesn’t help that I’ve been laid low with a virus in the last three or more weeks. Every time I run, I take several steps backwards in overall recovery …. and I keep on running.
And so the walk into the actual falls felt unusually steep and lasted far longer than I expected (1 hr 48 instead of under 1 hr 20). I feared the climb up high would take double my 30 minutes of last time (packless), but luckily I was wrong, and it took the same. I was pitching my tent by 5.30, with plenty of time to sort out shooting locations.

Actually, I took far longer to choose a tent site than to choose anything else. The wind was fierce up there, and I only had my light three-season tent, so I wanted shelter from the west. I keep ducking to the leeward side of scoparia shrubs of a decent size, but the wind just dashed around them. I needed a big clump, or a rock. On and on I went , searching but not finding. In the end, I got a spot bang in the middle of a multi-coloured scoparia thicket, almost completely surrounded by water, and, well, the shelter was about as good as it was going to get. And now that it was time to pitch, it started raining lightly. The wind picked up. The clouds amassed. So much for photography.

Pitching was a challenge in that wind. I haven’t pitched this little tent before in anything but ideal conditions. Every time I attached the fly to one side and dashed around to attach it to the other, the wind whipped it up and threatened to send it back down to Meander Falls. I decided it was lucky it was only 5.30. If that happened, I could still easily retreat with safety, even if not with dignity. Somehow I broke the rotten cycle, and she was up, and the inside hadn’t got too wet with all my bumbling.

It was not good lighting for photography, but I feared it was as good as it was going to get, and I had carried my pack for two and a half hours to be here. I wanted some bang for my buck, so went out and shot anyway. Hm. Problem. The ground was so spongy that the tripod moved during long exposures. Hand held it was, which made using GND filters challenging (as they require longer exposures), so all the early ones have skies that are too light. I thought that was “it” for the night, so retreated to my tent for “dinner”. (The food was NOT a highlight of the trip.)

Once when I was in the Western Arthurs and had grey, drizzling weather, I was sitting in my tent sulking at the injustice of it all, facing east, and nearly missed one of the most beautiful sunsets of my entire life. It lasted only maybe five minutes, but the sun found a spot to pierce through the heavy cloud, and illuminated the whole world in pinks and purples of a wonderful hue. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again, so kept checking for the possibility of a sunset. Proper sulks are not a good idea. Luck was with my vigilance. For about five minutes, the sky cleared enough to allow golden shafts of light to streak across my field and turn the distant clouds pink. I was almost panicking, as I knew it wouldn’t last. Some shots were hand held, just in case, with monster ISOs, and then I risked long exposures on wobbling, unstable terrain.

Next day, I was very tired, as I had set my alarm for 4.40 to get the beautiful dawn I’d planned on. The world was dark, dull, fuscous. Reset the alarm for 5.10. The world was still utterly uninviting. Set the alarm for 5.30. As you can see, i was scared of dozing off and missing out should something eventuate. It didn’t. At 6 o’clock I breakfasted in the rain, on a day on which BoM had promised none, and then depitched my home, trying not to get things too wet. I am much faster and more efficient using my Hilleberg in the rain, but I had been promised none, so brought the lighter MSR. Oh well. Climbing down the steep rock scree now that the moss was slippery and my pack heavier was slow, careful work. I will be well-practised if I get to be a crab at some stage in my future.

I wasn’t going to photograph Meander Falls, having already done so several times (and not finding it life’s most photogenic waterfall), but it was flowing so much stronger than I have ever seen it do that I decided I needed to. Besides, my arms were actually weary from all the four-points-of-contact work I’d just done lowering myself down the cliffs. The waterfall made a nice excuse to rest a bit before I continued on the wide tourist track to the car. I picked Tessa up before lunch, as promised. She yelped and danced and sang and bounced. What a greeting. I promised them I wouldn’t stay away three years next time.


Meander Falls.

Posted on

Lonely Lake, Meander Falls 2017 Feb


Meander River
I was only half paying attention at the club meeting (wickedly multitasking during the walk previews) when I heard Rolfe mention “lovely little waterfalls” and a Lake up on the plateau above Meander Falls. Now, Rolfe is a classy photographer, and we share similar tastes in what is beautiful, so I checked with him that the walk would be “Bruceable” (it was), and put our names on the list, curious about these extra falls and the lake on top.


First time I’ve seen these falls (Meander Falls) in summer.
I have already been to the Meander Falls, but that was in winter, so it was good to see the forest and beautiful river in aestival guise. Last time I was there we thought of going further up onto the plateau, but it was snowing, and we hadn’t really left enough time. This time it was planned for, so we followed the cairned route (hard to find at first, but you pick up the cairns easily enough if on track – see route below) upwards, eventually climbing the scree slope that leads to the area up top that is covered in beautiful cushion plants and scoparia that had just finished flowering.


The edge of Lonely Lake just visible. Scoparia in late bloom everywhere
The escarpment was well worth visiting before descending. I loved this loop and want to go back in flourishing scoparia season next year to camp there.


See also http://www.natureloverswalks.com/meander-falls/ for pictures of the winter scene.

Posted on

Meander Falls 2015 Jul

Meander Falls, July 2015

There are some things that every genuine Taswegian has done – like seeing Cradle Mountain or going to the top of Mt Wellington, and I have always thought that seeing the Meander Falls was one of those things. It is thus with a very shamed face that I admit that I went to Meander Falls for the very first time today. I guess part of the trouble in recent years has been that the bridges normally crossed to get there came down in a flood several years ago and have not been replaced, making getting to the start much harder than doing the walk. Certainly, today, that was the only navigational challenge. Once you’ve reached the start box, it’s all easy. You just have to walk on a track for a bit and then you’re there.

The Meander River as you meander your way along it

Both my friend, Angela, and I had certainly been put off for a while by the absence of bridges, and by the fact that the map shows no connecting roads to the start any more. (She is a genuine Tassie girl, however, having been there as a teenager). Our interest in reaching the falls was rekindled recently when friends indicated there was now a way to drive there, so we decided today to give it a try. We made an error or two; I used the 4WD function on my car for the very first time; we skated through some mud when I would have liked a little traction, but we got there to the old carpark with great big signs welcoming us, and we were away.

And there are the falls, behind Angela.

Rain was forecast for the afternoon, so we didn’t waste much time climbing to the falls on the way out – along through pleasant rainforest with the gurgling Meander River beside us. I wanted to photograph it, but even more than that, I wanted to get to see the falls and get out again before the rains came – not only to beat getting cold and wet, but also because I was worried about the huge amount of mud we’d encountered on the way in. I didn’t want to be driving out with any more mud than I’d negotiated on the approach! The sign said it was a six hour return trip, and that sounded rather long with the weather changing. We were very happy to arrive at the falls after 1 hr 40. We were also excited, as the higher we climbed, the more snow we encountered. It was beautiful. And just as we arrived at the falls, large, slow flakes began descending upon us.

Angela kindly didn’t fuss while I wasted time setting up my tripod for she long exposure shots.

We photographed and ate a snack and then returned to the car with no other detours, anxious about what was happening to the mud. We didn’t eat the second half of our lunch until we were out the other side of it. The muddy bit is a new section of “road” which is not on the map, but which has been made, we suppose, to connect to bits of road that are on the map and that can then be used to reach the falls. This walk is on the list of Tasmania, Parks and Wildlife Service’s 60 Great Walks, suitable for families, so we both found it sad that the walk is there and not even overgrown despite its lack of use, but that access is so difficult. There are no signposts to tell you where you’re going. For instructions to the start, please see below.

The route walked. Waypoint is the carpark.
Altitude gained and lost.

10 kms. We took a total of 3 hrs 14 return (plus photos). Just short of 500 ms climb.

To get there:
First head for Meander. There, you will find a sign to the falls (and to the dam. Both use the same road for a while). It’s the only sign to the falls you’ll find. Keep heading for the dam, which is signed.

When you reach the intersection above, turn left. The old road curves right (but you’ll end up in the river if you use it). We had been told to turn left at a cardboard sign, so sailed right at this point, not knowing the sign was deceased, so had to return to this point. After that, take the next two turns to the right. Both are signposted to an Apex Hut.

This is the second such sign.
See that nice road to the left? That’s not yours. See the muck and …. to the right? Yes, that’s your route. Even using 4WD, we did some skating. I would NOT attempt this is a standard car.
This is the connecting road. It links you after maybe 600ms to a very nice dirt road that is easy driving. You follow it along until you get to an intersection, your last one, and here you turn left, noting that you have been on Spur 2. You might like to remember that for the return journey. Soon you’ll arrive at the carpark, and then the fun walk begins.
Here is what I’ve just described to you on a map. The map is confusing as your road (the red line) is not on a mapped road, and neither is the dam that you drove beside, but don’t let little things like that worry you. Just go with the flow and you’ll get to see the falls.