Hartz Peak - Sat. 7th March 2020

Years ago, Boots N' All had its equivalent in southern Tasmania - Southern Bushies. For one reason and another, it faded away. Now, Scripture Union is again able to offer southern bushwalks, this time under the banner of Boots N' All. This year, two walks are planned, but if more willing leaders volunteer, there could be even more. Our first southern venture takes you to the beautiful Hartz Mountains, quite easily accessible from the Hobart region, and offering a taste of typical Tasmanian alpine glacial lakes and cirques, as well as spectacular views to the Huon, and the wilderness of the south-west.

Walk route:
From the Hartz Mountain visitor shelter (840m altitude), the track starts with gradual climbing past scrubby bushland over rock steps before opening up onto boardwalk through the heathland. The track at this section is well-constructed timber boarding, supporting you above the trickle of water running below you. At the 1.5 km mark, there will be a sidetrack to the right, directing us to Lake Esperance (970m altitude), only 100 metres away. Once back on the main track, we will continue south for another 1 km over some easy ground until reaching Ladies Tarn (960m altitude). From here the track climbs a steep but short ascent of roughly 100 metres to the saddle below Hartz Peak (1254m altitude). From here we will be following cairns for 500 metres over a slight climb before a final steep climb over rock scree to the summit. The final climb is marked by a number of different cairn routes joining with each other at different sections. All together the track will take from 4-5 hours return, travelling 7.4 km, and an elevation gain of 400m. The walk is rated "medium" because of the distance, steepness and somewhat rough track with rocky patches. It should be suitable for energetic and resilient children who are used to the conditions and requires a moderate level of fitness. There are plenty of scenic spots along the way to rest but ensure you are prepared for ALL weather conditions as this area experience sudden changes any time of the year.
There may even be time for a coffee stop at Huonville on the way home!

Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Dan Hutchison on 0457 765 907 to book in. The departure time is 8:00 am Sat. 7th March from Citywide Church car park on the Eastern Shore - 400 Cambridge Rd, Mornington. If you wish to meet with the group at any other place, please arrange with the leader. An alternative meeting point is Sandfly Hall car park, corner of Pelverta Rd and Sandfly Rd, at 8.35 am. However, you still need to contact the walk leader per details above if intending to walk. The leader should be notified of any other people you intend to bring along. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time.
Please note that if you are bringing your vehicle, it will need to have a current valid Tasmanian Parks Pass.

To access this area from Hobart: Follow Southern Outlet through to Huonville, and continue along the Huon Highway to Geeveston (about 60 km). Upon entering Geeveston turn right onto Arve Rd C632, and after 13 km turn left onto Hartz Rd C632 which continues into Hartz Mountains National Park. We will be parking at the end of this road next to the visitor shelter where the track begins. Toilets are available here.

Equipment and Warnings:
Bring sturdy shoes, wet/cold-weather gear, sun hat, sunscreen, plenty of water and morning tea/lunch.
Optional: trekking poles, gaiters and camera
  The following codes [from our 2020 walks calendar] apply:
     D    Drive distance requires early departure
     S    Steep incline for at least part of the way
     E     Exposed alpine conditions; can be dangerous in poor weather if not adequately equipped.

Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks

Map details:Hartz Peak: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8211 (Huon) and 1:25000 map is 4821 (Waterloo)
Map references:
Short ref. 810117
Zone      Easting        Northing       Latitude        Longitude
55G     4 81 160      52 11 900     -43.24547      146.76793 

Hartz Peak (alt. 1254 m) is worth 2 peakbagger points. 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.
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions 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).