Clarks Timber & Double Lagoon - Sat. 28th Dec. 2019

Once Christmas dinner is over, the first day of the test match and the sailing of the yachts watched and eating of leftovers is done, it's time to work off some of that Christmas cheer! The walk includes a not-too-steep climb to the top of a hill 100 metres higher than the lake shore, but otherwise a moderately flat route. The wildflowers should be at their best, and we hope for expansive views over the surrounding lakes. The area was partly affected by last summer's bush fires, and it will be interesting to see the level of recovery.


Walk route:
The walk begins at Double Lagoon, south of Lake Augusta  and follows the lake shore south, then south-west to reach the foot of Clarks Timber (a hill - not a timber merchant!) The hill is climbed over the next kilometre. Expect some rocky terrain and patches of scrub to be avoided. Once the summit is reached, and depending on the energy of the party, we may descend to Little Pine River and Lake Kay to the west, before following fishing tracks east to return via the shore of Double Lagoon. Total distance to summit and back is 8 km, but if we extend to Lake Kay, about 12 km. The distances and off-track section make this a medium walk, but it should be suitable for energetic children and less experienced walkers, with the option of relaxing at the lake shore if the hill seems too daunting. If you are a fresh water angler, you may even use that as an excuse to skip the hill!

Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Basil Tkaczuk on 6331 1155 (or reply to the email) to book in. The departure time is 8:30 am from Door of Hope carpark in South Launceston. The alternative meeting place/time is at the "train park" in Deloraine at 9:05 am. (If coming from east, cross the bridge and turn right at the roundabout). If you would like to arrange to meet the group at these places or elsewhere, please arrange with the leader, and please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of the listed time. The leader must be notified of any other people you intend to bring along.

To access this area from northern Tasmania: From Launceston, head towards Deloraine on the Bass Highway (50 km) and take the first (eastern) turn from the highway into Deloraine. Continue into the town and turn left immediately before the bridge (unless going to the meeting place across the main bridge and turn right to find toilets and old locomotive - see above). From Deloraine, head south along the "Lake Highway" - now officially Highland Lakes Rd. (but the first bit may be called Meander Rd!). Make sure to turn left after 7 km at signposted junction for Highland Lakes Rd.  Continue south through Golden Valley, up past Quamby Bluff and Projection Bluff and past Pine Lake. Continue south through Breona, Brandum and other groups of shacks along shores of Great Lake until Liawenee is reached (approx. 58 km from Deloraine). Turn right into Lake Augusta Rd. The dam is reached after approx. 11 km. Turn left and follow the road along the top of the dam, continuing for just under 4 km, then turn left again to head south past Second Lagoon to Double Lagoon - a further 3 km. Sealed roads to Breona, good gravel to Liawenee, then recently improved gravel road to Lk. Augusta and reasonable gravel roads through to Double Lagoon).

Warnings:
    E...   Exposed alpine conditions – can be dangerous in poor weather if not fully equipped
Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water - suggest 1 litre per person. There may be drinkable water on the way.  Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters recommended due to off-track walking. You should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing in case of sudden weather changes.
Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks

Map details:

Clarks Timber: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8214 (Meander) and 1:25000 map is 4636 (Split Rock)
Map references:
Short ref. n/a
Zone      Easting        Northing       Latitude        Longitude
55G     4 62 270       53 60 230    -41.90898     146.54507  

No peakbagger points will be reached on this walk. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm  The same web page contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.

GPX version of the track: Click here to download. Google Earth version of the track: Click here to download.
Right-click on the file and save target as to a location of your choice. (Suggest you click the Last modified at top to sort by date to get the most recent at top to find the file for the next walk).