A RAMBLE BACK THE WAY WE HAD COME - QUEENSTOWN - PART 1 (LAKE BURBURY AND NELSON FALLS) (16 JANUARY 2018)

We knew that on our sojourn in Queenstown we would be pretty busy. We actually spent our first full day exploring the town, generally getting our bearings, restocking the van's larder and fridges and examining our touring options. 

The Wilderness Railway offers three alternative trips whilst two cruise boats operate out of Strahan on the Gordon River cruise circuit. After an hour or so spent poring over brochures, pamphlets and other accumulated bits and pieces of information, and referring back to notes made about advice received from those who had previously ventured forth as we were planning to do, we bit the bullet and made our choices and the required bookings.

So with that done it was high time to get out and about again. Our trip into 'Queenie' had taken us over the Nelson River and, as you have seen, past Lake Burbury. 

Signs like this abound in Tasmania, and unsurprisingly, given the topography and weather in many parts of the Apple Isle, so do pretty and interesting waterfalls. 

We had also discovered that there was a promising looking camp ground on the shores of Lake Burbury, so today's agenda now included both destinations. 




I was quite looking forward to driving the dreaded bends, some of which are again pictured here,  (thanks to  'dmarge') unencumbered by a three tonne sea anchor.

Amongst the many things for which Queenstown is renowned, one is its weather, and for all the wrong reasons if sunny clear skies are important. With an average annual rainfall of just under 2500 mm and fewer than thirty cloudless days during the same period, this is not a town for those who have a mission in life to spend endless hours sunbaking.

For once we had hit the weather jackpot. We headed out onto the Lyell Highway on a day which had dawned dry. There was some cloud about, but the puffy summer blobs of cumulus fell far short of the dour grey blankets which are often a feature of the local sky. In fact, the clouds were to prove a picturesque boon shortly as you will see.

We climbed out of Queenstown far less stressfully than we had arrived, and in short order found ourselves back on the Bradshaw Bridge, this time looking north across that end of Lake Burbury. A mere zephyr was just ruffling the water surface as we crossed and there was a slight haze in the distance, but we remained hopeful that this would settle.

En route between the bridge and the camp ground turn off we came across something we had not seen before......a local council worker sweeping accumulated leaves and other debris off the shoulder of the highway. Impressive housekeeping indeed.

Once we had turned off the highway into the camping area, the first thing we passed was this highly decorated camper, one of the 'Wicked' range. 







You may recall that for many years this lot tarted up their less than luxurious limos with slogans and cartoons which bordered on criminal indecency until finally a public outcry and some long overdue official action put paid to that nonsense. This much less provocative campervan was unattended. We wondered just who we might find down the track.

As we drove on further into the camping area, we had our first sighting of this area of the lake. What an absolute treat this was. The breeze as it was had now dropped out completely. The water was mirror calm.

With the Cruiser parked at one end  of this very large, open and quite well grassed camp site 

(which comes with toilets and coin operated BBQ's) we were itching to get down to the water's edge.

The nearby boat ramp road made this very easy. We were off at a gallop.

And at the end, surprise, surprise. There was no doubting where this colourfully clad young maiden and her even more hippy looking companion (I couldn't sneak a shot of him without being rudely obvious!) had come from to complete their morning meditation.

And I have to say, if one does feel an overwhelming urge to commune with nature in this way, there surly could be no more inviting place to do it. 

Although the waters of this huge lake were a little tannin stained, they were crystal clear and so still that the photos I took here assumed an almost surreal appearance with the reflections of the clouds and surrounding hills seemingly imprinted on the surface of the water.

We were absolutely enchanted by some of the most delightful scenery we had experienced since our arrival.

This was utterly picture postcard stuff , and although we did not feel the need to sit cross- legged on a rock, we did linger for quite some time.  

Lake Burbury is not a natural feature. Like its not too distant counterparts Pedder and Gordon, this significant expanse of water is a direct result of the inundation of the upper King Valley created by the construction of the Crotty dam in the early 1990's. Discharge from this 'reservoir', named after the first Australian born Governor of Tasmania, feeds the John Butters Hydroelectric power station........of course! 

Interestingly this project saw the demise of the historical towns of Crotty and Darwin. Both went under once the waters rose, but this created little local outcry. There was a bit of a fuss made about the fact that the North Mount Lyell Railway bridge over the King River was not salvaged before it was drowned, but that was about it (we were soon to see the King River and another incredible bridge but that is a story for another day).

These waters are teeming with trout, and the camping ground we were visiting is normally very well used. This is one of the Queenstown aquatic playgrounds, but only when the weather permits. All the relevant advertising and promotion warns of the perils of this place when the temperature plummets and the wind howls.

Today the weather gods were beaming broadly down on us as I swung the camera

in different directions from where we were standing at the end of the boat ramp. Every click of the shutter recorded yet another image of reflections bordering on perfect.

Eventually, after one last panoramic shot of a scene which we doubted we would ever see 

looking more spectacular, we tore ourselves away wondering if the Nelson Falls could possibly top this.

We were soon to find out. These fall are situated just under 30 kms from Queenstown. A mere 15 kms or so further along the highway from Lake Burbury brought us to the road crossing over the Nelson River and the walking trail car park, which at the time of our arrival was almost empty.

We had already read that that these cascade type falls could be accessed quite easily along a well maintained track. The entrance gave every indication that this was correct and so it proved to be.

First stop was the walking bridge over the 'river'.  Now I have to be a bit careful here. All the promotional material relating to the spot makes it clear that these falls are at their best during the winter months. We were plonk in the middle of summer, and, as I've noted before, an unusually dry one by Tassie standards, 

so it should not have come as any real surprise to find that today the Nelson River was anything but a raging torrent. But having said that, I was a little take aback by the fact that in many places the flow of water barely covered the rocky river bed.

This did not bode well for a spectacular flow over the falls, but we pressed on regardless, firstly past a sign which showed us exactly where we were in the local world 

and on into the mottled sunlight of the enveloping rain forest.

As this first of a series of information plaques told us to expect, the walkway was dotted with panels explaining this history of this area and the way in which it has developed over time. 

These were very well done, and pitched delightfully at the 'younger walker', but here I have to confess that I became lazy, or was it that I really had only a limited thirst for detailed knowledge about the local fora and fauna on this particular occasion? For whatever reason, and somewhat out of character, today I was 'just out for a walk', taking in the scenery with my mind almost in neutral, so any expecting a full bottle expose of the development of this patch of Tassie I am afraid will remain disappointed!

Although the path varied from packed earth to well constructed and maintained boardwalks, it was easily negotiated throughout its entire length.

It took us past many different river scenes

including this one where my earlier comment about the lack of water depth was more than evident.

Irrespective of the lack of flow, this was a delightful ramble, one which took us through stands of tall timber with their moss covered trunks, gleaming green where the sunlight caught them,

and brought us continuing different aspects of the river, some of which Liz felt she had to explore more closely than the track allowed.

This is one of the many information stands which line the path and by the time we had reached this one

we were well and truly into 'fern country'. This area boasts seven different significant species, and given my uncharacteristic lack of investigative rigour of this particular morning, I can only assume we saw them all!

Whilst that last comment was a little tongue in cheek, some of this finely fronded flora was indeed eye-catching, particularly with the variations of light and shade which played over differing scenes.

And here we are, our first sighting of the falls through the trees. 
















Hmmmm!.......as we wandered on past the jumble of fallen trees and branches downstream of the falls we wondered aloud, "Is that it?"












It was......but hold on a minute. Let's at least be fair. This was mid January in a very dry summer.....we should not have been too surprised. In fact I have to confess I was pleased to find that there was at least this trickle coming over the upper edge.
















Just by way of comparison, these are the same falls when the Nelson River is in full spate (thanks to 'waterfallsoftasmania')

There may not have been much water but we had enjoyed the walk and left with a rare example of a 'typical tourist shot' (I will never lose Liz in a rain forest!)










This really had been a lovely little jaunt. The Nelson Falls walk is very popular, and although I've made very little of them, the explanatory plaques along the walkway were put together in such a way as to be both informative and entertaining, clearly with youngsters in mind. 






Did I say popular?  This had been an almost empty car park when we had set out.







Most of the tourist pamphlets encourage a stop-over here en route between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown. Today it was evident that these had been well read and understood.






So, another about turn and back the way we had travelled a few days before, along a highway where the local authorities really do take the concept of clean road shoulders very seriously!












And at the risk of being repetitive, let me share a few more views of the scenery as we re-crossed the narrows of Lake Burbury















and continued on around its western shoreline under this massive granite ridge.










These towering craggy mountains looked even more imposing in the clear light of this fine day
















as we made our way back on the Lyell Highway towards Gormanston and the Iron Blow lookout.








What a lookout that proved to be, and what a story there is to be told about the rivalries, scheming, greed and ruthlessness of those who first exploited the mineral wealth of Queenstown. I'd better scurry off, revisit my notes and do some more homework!