Mount Maria - 29th April 2011

Mount Maria from the track near Counsell Creek - 29th April 2011
(The track turns left just beyond the bridge.)

Mount Maria is a good solid walk from Darlington. I previously climbed it as a sidetrip on my return from camping at Encampment Cove. The track runs up a ridge as a sidetrip off the Inland Track. Mount Maria is 709m tall, so this represents a significant climb for those not used to such ascents. The distance is 16km, so all up the walk requires more effort than Bishop and Clerk. A moderate level of fitness is recommended before attempting this walk. Note also that while much of the walk is on a well-made track with surprisingly few obstructions for Tasmania, the last section is across boulders and a little easy scrambling is required just before the summit.

Walk Description: Leaving Darlington, head south towards the Painted Cliffs. Cross Counsell Creek and take the left-hand turn ahead. This is clearly marked to Mount Maria. From here the track heads pretty much straight for the peak, gradually becoming steeper throughout its length. A little way up the hill there is a track intersection. Mount Maria is to the left and the right fork continues southwards as the "Inland Track". Pushbikes can be parked at this point if you have ridden them here. The track continues to climb, and is easy to follow. There is a good spot at the top of a small sandstone cliff for a morning tea break. Eventually the track emerges on to a sizable dolerite rock scree and the way is marked across and then up. This scree is not nicely laid out with a windy track like the one on Bishop and Clerk, but requires a bit of clambering. The trig point will become obvious above from here, and a bit of easy scrambling will see you on the summit enjoying views of The Isthmus, South Maria, the mainland and more. The return is basically a retrace, and most people will find the boulders take about as long to get down safely as they did to climb up laboriously. Overall, most parties will take the advertised 5 to 7 hours for this walk, and some will take longer.

The Isthmus and South Maria from Mount Maria - 29th April 2011

The Painted Cliffs, Maria Island

The Painted Cliffs at sunset - 28th April 2011

This is a nice easy walk over the hill to the south of Darlington. From the top of the hill, you can see these cliffs at the far end of Hopground Beach. When you get down to Counsell Creek, with the new bridge, you can either head along the beach or continue along the road. If using the road, there are some steps at the far end of the beach taking you down to the start of the cliffs. These cliffs are best visited when the tide is low, and I think if you went at high tide, you would have a greater chance of getting damp as you clamber around the cliffs. You need to go around the first and second little points, and make your way along in front of the taller part of the cliffs. The cliffs are Triassic sandstone, the rich patterns caused by minerals in the rock and the way in hich they have subsequently weathered. I visited them a couple of times on my recent trip, once at sunset, which was very attractive.

Maria Island Historic Walks

The convict barn above the jetty at Darlington - 30th April 2011.

You can easily spend a day (or more) just wandering around Darlington and taking in the various historic buildings, remains and sites. The Parks and Wildlife Service have several publications available that provide basic information, and several of the buildings contain information, displays and books that will provide more info. The parks.tas.gov.au website has a lot of info, and most of the historical information is in this part of the site. More general Maria Island info is here, and there's a downloadable pdf specifically about the history around Darlington. You may find other stuff if you ferret about.
There are a number of books with good information, perhaps most easily found and accessible being Maggie Weidenhofer's "Maria Island, A Tasmanian Eden". You can sometimes find this in second-hand bookshops, on eBay or on Biblioz. (Note that Biblioz tends to be very expensive!) If looking for secondhand Tasmanian books I recommend: Just Tassie Books, Astrolabe Booksellers and the Imperial Bookshop. The third of those is a true experience, just don't expect tidiness!

The Fossil Cliffs, Maria Island - 28th April 2011

Bishop and Clerk from the shore below the Fossil Cliffs - 28th April 2011

I had a relaxing day around Darlington - fossils, human history and a sunset visit to the Painted Cliffs (later). I've visited the Fossil Cliffs many times, but have actually never ventured beyond the little "quarry" plateau. On this occasion, having been shown the track by another visitor, I went down to the shoreline east of the quarry and along the platforms and bouldery shore at the base of the cliffs, which was well worthwhile. Note however that you need to take great care if going beyond the quarry - the day I went was low tide with a very gentle sea. This is clearly a place where large waves can and do sweep everything below the cliffline. You will need to carefully choose low tide to visit, and not venture too far down if the sea is dangerous.

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Walk Description: To visit the Fossil Cliffs, head towards the jetty, and then beyond up the obvious tracks, or just straight across the hillside towards the barn on the hill north of the silos. There are various historic sites along the track to add additional interest, but in general follow the track (old tram line) as it contours very easily northwards alongside the airstrip towards Cape Boullanger. The track curls around to the east and arrives at the low end of the Fossil Cliffs with views to Bishop and Clerk. The track heads downhill onto the little plateau where limestone was quarried. Here there are boulders and a large sign explaining some of the fossils you can see.

The rocks here are interesting enough, but to see the fossils at their best, continue to the far end of the plateau. Here a scrappy little track heads steeply down a short way onto the large boulders and rock platforms of the foreshore. Be very careful here. I don't think there is any official sanction for proceeding here, so you need to take responsibility for checking the sea condition. As will be obvious, a large wave could turn you and your family into a tragic statistic very quickly. At low tide in gentle seas, you can easily spend an hour or two exploring the base of the cliffs. I didn't go too far around the cliffs, as there comes a point fairly quickly where you have to get wet feet. I also have no idea where you would find safety as you progressed further around the base of the larger parts of the cliffs. With a little more information, there is probably a heap of exploring you could do. Anyway, to avoid becoming a statistic, I stopped at the point where another group decided they need snorkels and flippers to proceed.

The walk is very short and very easy, but can occupy time very effectively if conditions are good for explring the shore at the base of the cliffs. I would suggest if you can time it for low tide on a calm day that you allow 3 hours or so depending on your capacity for avid investigation of natural features. Also, I note that this location appears to be outside the "no fishing" part of the marine reserve, so might offer some good rockfishing opportunities.

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A section of a bed in the Fossil Cliffs, Maria Island, composed almost
entirely of fossil shellfish - 28th April 2011

The rocks are fascinating, and confusing. I have found a great document on the web explaining the various layers that are present, but you would need to have it in your hand as you explored to fully understand the rock layers here. I'll take it with me next time I visit. This document is in the Mineral Resources Tasmania database, and gives lots of Maria Island geological info in a pretty detailed way. The Fossil Cliffs are described starting on page 9 (Basal Beds). There are beds of fossils here, metres thick, in which the entire bed seems to be composed of fossils. There are other beds with wildly varying sizes and types of boulder/pebble inclusions. All very interesting.

I will put some more photos up on Picasa as I find time to edit them a little.

The Isthmus, Maria Island - 27th April 2011

Riedle Bay, Maria Island - 27th April 2011

The south end of Maria Island is generally best visited (if walking) from a camping base at either French's Farm or Encampment Cove. This is what I did on my previous trip. You can get to these places either by walking from Darlington or being dropped at Encampment Cove or Chinamans bay by boat. I believe one of the ferry companies may offer this service. You can also cycle, but if you are biking, you may find that you can visit South Maria in daytrips from Darlington. Just be aware that the track across the Isthmus is very sandy and I think cycling on it would be very difficult - these few kilometres might be a push.

The south end of the north island and South Maria itself are very interesting. Many walkers to French's Farm just walk a further very short distance to Chinamans Bay, which is the northern curve of Shoal Bay and is a very calm sheltered spot to sit for lunch. I walked on a bit further to The Isthmus, as I wanted to visit Riedle Bay. This is the ocean beach on the eastern side of The Isthmus. Just be aware that walking this far is around 14.5km each way, and can make for quite a long walk for those not used to such distances. Other walks possible from Darlington, but also quite lengthy, are to Encampment Cove, Point Lesueur (convict cell ruins) or the beaches north of there. These beaches include Four Mile Beach, Soldiers Beach and Bloodstone Beach. It is apparently possible to walk to Point Lesueur via the roads and tracks and then return via the coast to Return Point (track from there to the main road) or Four Mile Beach. This might be a walk for my next trip.

Walk Description: It is around 11 km from Darlington to French's Farm. Further walks beyond there will extend the total walk to 25-29km. Make sure you really want to walk this far in a day. There are few hills, and those which exist are quite gentle and low, so your exertions won't be added to by vertical ascents. The road heads south out of Darlington, over the first headland on the same track as the Painted Cliffs walk. There are few navigational problems, and the track proceeds southwards, undulating over the low headlands and around the coastline. At Four Mile Creek/Beach the track heads a little more inland, before arriving at French's Farm. From here you choose to walk on to Chinamans Bay (very close by), Encampment Cover or The Isthmus. The Chinamans Bay track heads off to the right just beyond the bridge. To walk on further to the wilder ocean beach of Riedle Bay you have to walk about 35 minutes on the softish sandy track until you find an obvious track crossing the main track. Turn left and in a couple of minutes you emerge on the large beach which in heavy weather can be quite wild. I estimated that the total walk, not including any wandering up and down the beach was 28 or 29km.

Riedle Bay may only be good for swimming at certain points or in very calm weather. On each of my visits (three now) it has appeared to have very significant undertow and rips, and could only be recommended to the very experienced. The far northern and southern ends of the beach may be safer and more sheltered. The centre of the beach can certainly be subjected to large waves sweeping up to and even into the dunes when the weather is rough. However, this also makes this an attractive place to visit. If you want a gentle paddle and swim, maybe the western side of The Isthmus would be preferable.

Bishop and Clerk (Maria Island) - 26th April 2011

Bishop and Clerk from the Fossil Cliffs - 26th April 2011

Bishop and Clerk is the prominent peak at the northeastern extremity of Maria Island, obvious on the approach from the sea, and visible from many points around Darlington. It provides superb views of the northern end of the island, Freycinet Peninsula to the north and the mainland. Views can also be had along the eastern side of Maria Island.

The walk will take most people 3 1/2 to 5+ hours to complete including some time to sit on the summit and take in the view. It is a solid climb of over 600m vertically, so a moderate level of fitness will be useful. The highest part of the mountain has a small amount of rock scrambling which occasionally defeats people otherwise comfortable with the walk. Along this walk and on the summit there are very large unprotected cliffs, so care is required. Most importantly, children need to be closely supervised when walking near the Fossil Cliffs.

Walk Description: Take the track behind the penitentiary out of Darlington, heading east towards the reservoir. Avoid the turnoffs for the Reservoir Circuit walk and continue north out onto open grassy slopes up to the Fossil Cliffs. These are unfenced and have steep rolling, crumbly, slippery edges. Keep children close at all times. The track turns eastwards and climbs on grassy hills towards Bishop and Clerk. There are fine views of the peak and the cliffs at various points, with the sea far below. The track enters the forest and continues to climb steadily. (There is a point here where you have to leave pushbikes.)

The track is easy to follow and mostly climbs steadily and occasionally steeply through the forest then across some scree. At the top of the scree you are getting close. There are some steep bits here in bouldery gullies, and one little scramble which can be tricky for those who can't work out where to put their hands and feet to maintain balance. Children may have to be helped - I had to "put" my children up this bit some years ago when they were big enough for the walk but small enough to lift. A bit of clambering right at the top, and you emerge on a quite small flat platform with cracks and very steep cliffs to north and east. This sits above the other peaks which are obvious and picturesque to the north, and the height according to the map is 629m. The views on a clear day are superb and worth the climb. The return walk is a retrace, but can be varied by returning around Cape Boullanger to arrive at Darlington from the coast rather than from inland.

The lower peaks of Bishop and Clerk, and Freycinet Peninsula,
seen from the summit - 26th April 2011

Maria Island - 23rd to 27th September 2009

Full set of Photos at Picasa. Or try out the new slideshow feature.



Getting to Maria Island

The ferry currently leaves from near the visitor centre at the Triabunna wharf. Check their website for sailing times. The trips I had recently were fairly rough, although neither was as visually worrying as one the family had a few years ago in a very strong westerly. The boat looks large at the wharf, but does seem smaller amongst the swells. Nonetheless, the blokes running it are very good, and the boat actually handles the sea very well. On days when you can see clearly, there are often dolphins to be seen. On arrival on the island, the rangers will be in attendance at the old Commissariat Store on the seafront to take your money for camping or national park passes. Before heading over right now, it might be worth checking whether your intended activity is possible. Very heavy rain has damaged bridges and roads, and quite massively flooded the campground. There was mention in the press that there would be difficulties with the drinking water supply over summer.

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Day 1 - Darlington to Encampment Cove

The walk south from Darlington is relatively straightforward. The 4WD track heads up and over the headland to the south, then down to Hopground Beach, where the Painted Cliffs are located. On my trip the creek there was in flood and pouring across 50 metres of road, with a large mat of brush and timber damming it. The latest heavy rain has apparently washed the bridge away, so a short wade may be required. This creek is not normally very large, so it shouldn’t be a problem. From here the track climbs and falls, in and out around the coast. You should see wombats grazing, and there are good views in many places. Frenchs Farm is perhaps two to three hours, depending on what you stop to look at. Camping is possible at Frenchs Farm, and when it isn’t busy, you can probably get away with staying inside the farmhouse. This is not preferred by the rangers, so be prepared to get turfed out. The camping there is good, and there is a toilet. You can also cycle most of these tracks, as two blokes I met at Frenchs Farm had done.

Encampment Cove is another half hour (or less) beyond Frenchs, and the track is clearly signed near the farm. Here you will find a small hut, with “bunks” for about four, and a good bench along the wall for cooking on. On my trip I had this to myself for the three nights I was there. There is also apparently good camping here, however the campground was largely under water during my stay, so I can’t vouch for it completely.

The location is delightful, with camping within a few steps of the gentle waters of Chinamans Bay. There is a pit toilet here. The shore is mainly rocky, and apparently you can catch fish here – I didn’t, despite a lot of attempts. The sunrise is worth getting up for on clear mornings. There is also the remains of a stone convict-built jetty to add historical interest.

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Day 2 - Haunted Bay

Haunted Bay lies on the southern coast of South Maria. Walking from Encampment Cove it took me about two hours. From Frenchs Farm you take the track south, first walking along the isthmus between Reidle Bay and Shoal Bay. Both bays can be visited easily along several tracks or by picking your way through the scrub. Reidle Bay in particular is worth a visit, and is a good wild ocean beach. The waves here were quite impressive, and on the days I visited were sweeping right up to and even across the low dunes behind the beach. It was interesting to watch the huge mass of water, having swept up and along the dunes, and clearly coloured by the sand it had picked up, smash its way back out to sea through the following waves. There was no doubt that walking along this beach could result in being picked up along with the sand and swept out into the bay.

From the south end of the isthmus, the Haunted Bay Track forks left, and heads quite gently uphill and across the south island, before descending very steeply. Haunted Bay is a rugged granite cove, and would be very impressive in rough weather. The waves were quite gentle while I was there. At the end, the track emerges on the rocks, and you can pick your way down sloping granite to the water’s edge. The resident sea eagle checked me out at some length as I arrived, and my attempts to photograph him reminded me why bird photographers spend so much on big expensive lenses. A seal came to visit while I was fishing here (catch: nil), and unfortunately I had left the camera safely out of the way about ten metres higher up. This was a good place to sit and eat lunch, and I’d like to return in wilder weather sometime. I considered returning by walking along the shore of Shoal Bay, however the sand was very soggy, and I used the track instead.

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Day 3 - Point Lesueur and Robeys Farm

Just north of Encampment Cove, and accessible by a direct track from the campground, is Point Leseuer. This was a secondary convict station in earlier times, and the convict cells remain standing on the windswept hill. There are a variety of interesting features to be seen and explored. It was very windy when I was there, and the rain was coming horizontally. I’ll have to return when the weather is more conducive to ambling about and exploring. I retreated to the more sheltered Encampment Cove to set off for Robeys Farm.

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Robeys Farm was farmed until 1965, and lies on the western side of South Maria. Walking south across the isthmus, the track forks right. After crossing the delightfully named Stinking Creek, the track climbs a little and then descends to Robeys Shore. After a short walk uphill the track emerges in a clearing with a tidy and solid weatherboard farmhouse, domestic flowers blooming with somewhat unkempt abandon, and agricultural equipment and machinery scattered about. The farmhouse has had quite a lot of restoration work undertaken in cooperation between the Hobart Walking Club and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, although it is not clear that this is continuing now. Inside the stove and some furniture remains. On the verandah are arranged displays of items obviously left behind, and on the wall inside is the story of Robey. A sign tells you not to camp there, but I think a small group could stay inside if they were careful to leave the place as they found it.

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Day 4 - Mount Maria

I returned to Darlington on Day 4, via the Inland Track and Mount Maria. This track heads inland about 1.5 km north of Frenchs Farm. It undulates and winds over and around the southwestern foothills of Mount Maria. The climbs and falls are much more significant than on the coast, however the highest point is only about 150m, and it makes for a different return trip. It was very wet underfoot when I was there, but I assume it is normally quite dry and dusty. The side track to Mount Maria is reached where the track climbs up from Hpground Beach. This heads south east up a long ridge, gradually becoming steeper. There is a boulder field to cross and climb, and then the last bit is quite steep with some easy boulder scrambling. The view from the 711m summit is worth the climb, and provides a grandstand view of the various walking areas on Maria Island.