The weather forecast for Saturday just gone was pretty abysmal. The Tasman Peninsula was facing heavy rain, maybe easing to just normal rain. Looked like rain in many places. However, on the day it didn't look too bad around Hobart, so a walk up Mount Direction seemed to offer some worthwhile exercise in moderate conditions. In the event, it didn't rain and it wasn't even too chilly at the top.
This walk starts at Risdon Brook Dam, and I've
previously described it here. Interestingly, upon reaching the gate when leaving the dam-circuit track, it has been padlocked shut. You have to climb over the damaged fence to one side. Not sure what the purpose of the lock is, but I think Hobart water are a bit legalistic. Maybe they have trouble managing the whole area - last time I went they'd closed the site due to it being windy.
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| The attractive forest high up on Mt Direction - 26th May 2012 |
The walk was very enjoyable on Saturday, and the sun came out quite a few times. The forest is quite attractive once you are higher up, and there are good views of the western shore and the upper Derwent estuary to Bridgewater. Gunners Quoin and Grasstree Hill are prominent to the northeast and east. Time for this walk I estimate at 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours up, and an hour down.
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| Growth creases on a gumtree, Mt Direction - 26th may 2012 |
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| The Mt Direction summit cairn - looks like a "Sprent" cairn - 26th May 2012 |
Risdon Brook Dam does not in fact dam Risdon Brook. The brook is "saline and murky" (
Leaman 1999), and is diverted all the way around the dam in a concrete trough. (See also
David Leaman in Wikipedia) The brook can be seen flowing into the spillway in the photo below. On Saturday the dam was spilling and the brook was flowing. I have to admit to being somewhat mystified as to why the dam was spilling - the water in the dam is pumped there from elsewhere. I think that possibly we just needed to stop pumping? But what would I know. no doubt it was producing some good "environmental flows" further down towards Risdon Cove.
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| The dam and the creek were flowing - 26th May 2012 |
