Travellers Rest Lake - 12-14th March 2022

This overnight camping trip of two nights will take us to the beautiful Travellers Rest lake. The route will take us to a very secluded beach (swimming if you dare) with tent sites around the area. The off-track section is mostly easy, following a formed pad with little scrub on the way in. As this is the peak of summer, all walkers will be required to wear gaiters, and one section it will be recommended to also have over-trousers on for add protection. Experience in alpine walking is advised as well as having the correct gear for all seasons. Any questions regarding this please call Ian.

Walk route:
The walk will start with a drive along a private gated road off the Lyell Highway about 6 km before Derwent Bridge, heading towards the Traveller Range to reach a parking spot. This can be done in a two wheel drive with care although there is the potential to brush against bushes on the way in. Once packs are on, we will follow an old overgrown logging spur with a steady climb to Travellers Rest Lake valley.
The second day will involve off-track walking, either around to the south-western shore of the lake or exploring an old cairned track on the south-eastern side of the lake. Both walks will involve negotiating scrub and rocks. On the third day we will follow the same track out to our cars.
As this is a camping trip, a checklist of essentials is a good idea. Parks and Wildlife Tasmania have a comprehensive Safety in Parks page which covers many aspects of bushwalking safety and equipment, including a Walker Pack List that is well worth a read. However, much of this gear can be shared with a partner - perhaps a more experienced walker who already has some of the big ticket items such as tent and stove. Make sure you are prepared for wet and cold weather no matter what the forecast is.

Looking south towards Traveller Range from Mountains of Jupiter. Mt. Ida is distinctly visible left of centre.

Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Ian Waterhouse on 0428 242 693 to book in, preferably by Wednesday night, 9th March, so that cars, tent sharing etc can be arranged. The departure time is 7:30 am from Door of Hope carpark in South Launceston. Meeting point along the way could be 8:15 at the Train park at Deloraine, and Derwent Bridge Hotel carpark at about 9:40 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 10 minutes ahead of departure time.

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 the group is using the train park across the bridge as a meeting place - see above). From Deloraine, head south along the "Lake Highway" - now 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 south along the western side of Great Lake. 52 km from the junction and 59 km from Deloraine, you pass through Liawenee, and continue another 9 km south to junction of Marlborough Rd. Turn right and follow through this gravel road, past Bronte Park to the Lyell Highway (about 30 km). Turn right, and head another 25 km west to reach Derwent Bridge, where you can meet Ian at the Derwent Bridge Hotel car park. The actual walk access road is about 5 km before Derwent Bridge, on north side of the highway. It is best to meet the leader at Derwent Bridge, as Ian will have the required boom gate key. Vehicles will likely be able to drive to nearly 3 km from highway, but only suitable for 4WD or AWD vehicle with reasonable clearance.

Warnings:
  The following codes [from our 2022 walks calendar] apply:
    B     Boulder field – walkers need to be able to confidently step from rock to rock.
    C     Climbing sections using rocks and vegetation as hand holds.
    D     Drive distance requires early departure – usually 7:30 am
    L    A long day’s walk – in excess of 3 hours each way.
    M    May have to cross a creek so be prepared with a set of water shoes/sandals.
    E...Exposed alpine conditions – can be dangerous in poor weather if not fully equipped.
This walk is about 1000 metres altitude for the most of the distance and can be very exposed if the weather is bad, even at this time of year. Be prepared! Walkers should wear sturdy boots due to uneven surfaces. Gaiters are a must due to off-track walking and possible snakes. You should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing in case of sudden weather changes. For equipment guidelines, CLICK HERE

Map details:
Traveller Range area: 1:100000 map is Nive (8113) and 1:25000 map is Olympus (4234).
Map reference: na
Zone      Easting        Northing    Latitude    Longitude
55G 4 37 384 53 43 377 -42.35499 146.14593

No peakbagger points will be reached on this walk, but you could use it as a recce for a future attempt at Mt. Ida, (3 points) just 8 km northwest of the likely camping area, and Mt. Spurling, (1 point) 11 km NNW. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger’s Guide (2000 revision) which can be found and downloaded (as an Excel spreadsheet) 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 browse our collection.
Direct links: GPX for this walk …  KML for this walk
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).