Day 5 – Near Fourways to Cradle Mountain resort

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It rained overnight, and I wake to a dark and dank forest barely illuminated by overcast skies. I dawdle, taking time to wring every ounce of pleasure out of my coffee. After only a short walk though, the clouds lift and the sun filters through and turns the wet forest to a sparkling fairy realm.

I run into Bec again at Pandani grove, this time we stop for a proper chat (as you do when you only see a couple of people a day, and you’re not looking for a campsite in the dwindling light) and mention my plans. She says the South Coast Track and the PCT are probably similar in terms of effort and terrain difficulty. That’s reassuring. I have found it to be some of the hardest on-track walking I’ve done, but at least now I have a gauge of comparison for what to expect at the end.

I may walk to Ronny Creek today. That way I’ll be able to take the bus on Saturday and not miss any sections of the whole.

My language has changed. I’ve spent the last year telling people I’m going to cross Tasmania. Now when people ask if I’m doing any walking after this, I say I’m hoping to make it to Cockle Creek. I’m pretty sure I can, if I’m smart about my choices, and lucky.

I strongly recommend the King Billy pine walk if you’re in the area. Rainforest giants line the walk, and in the middle stands a massive thousand-year-old individual.

And into Cradle Mountain for an overpriced 11am beer and echidna sighting.

Thus ends the Penguin Cradle Trail. That was fun. Type 2 fun. I’m sure we’ll get some type 3 fun before the journey’s end. My hats’ off to the NWWC and all who maintain the trail.

I decide I will indeed do the walk up to Ronny Creek, and save myself from doing it on Saturday. It’s weird to be flying along at full speed on the boardwalk.

They call them pencil pines not because of their shape, but because vast fields of them were felled to be turned into 2B pencils. The heartwood is highly sought after for this purpose, and a single 20m tree can furnish upwards of fifteen pencils.

Lizards sunbathing on the boardwalk fling themselves into the brush with wild abandon as I pass. The sun peeks out occasionally through a blanket of cloud.

There’s a long line for the bus from Ronny’s Creek. I put my pack in the cage at the front of the bus and take my seat. The aisle fills up with people standing as they cram in like sardines, and I lose sight of my pack. This fills me with anxiety. If somebody were to steal it, I’d be completely screwed.

But I make it down to the visitor centre and over to Discovery parks without losing any valuables (or worthless crap that is nonetheless absolutely indispensable). The lady behind the desk is super helpful with consolidating my two bookings, and goes well beyond in letting me pick a site with hammockable trees. To cap it off, she hands me a precious orange dry bag full of wonders beyond the imaginings of mortal folk.

The store is quite well provisioned. I managed to pick up a sunburn on the right side of my neck yesterday where the wind blew the side of my hat up and the morning sunscreen had clearly worn off. They have aloe vera and moisturiser.

I have a pair of thongs in my food drop and a towel. First stop is the shower. The thongs may seem excessive, but the last thing I need is to get a few days down the trail and find I’ve picked up a case of tinea. No thank you.

Then I change into my cleanest clothes and go in search of food. Hellyers restaurant does take away, so I grab some fish and chips and take it back to the very comfortable communal kitchen and dining block at the campground. There are a few, and I sussed them out earlier. The most popular is the one with wifi and a TV on the wall. I go to the other one. It’s nearly empty. It has vaulted ceilings and a wood heater burning in the centre. It’s something of a treat to eat indoors. The fish and chips are okay, but not $34-okay.

So far so good. My legs feel strong, my feet are in good condition, and apart from the scab on my pinkie knuckle from the day before I left that I’m managing to knock off every twelve hours or so, I haven’t suffered any injuries.

I’m looking forward to doing not much tomorrow.

A note on distance and elevation: I feel like my watch is over-reporting distance and elevation. The gpx of each track exported into Gaia gives numbers that I feel are under-reporting. The distance difference isn’t much (today was 13.9km (Gaia) vs 14.4km(Coros)) but the elevation difference is a lot. This, despite having acquired a new watch which is supposed to be more accurate. For today Gaia reported 380m+ while Coros reports 674m+. Without access to any way of verifying, I’m roughly splitting the difference when I put my figures up the top.