Trail Log 1995-1997 - Lamar at Colorado State University

it later deteriorated. Wombat killed on road. Drove to Hobart and on to New Norfolk, rain shows,
then steady rain. About 24 black swans on a wetland pond. Steady rain. Picnic lunch near a
power plant.
to Derwent Bridge, with gaining elevation, first freezing rain, then snow. Quite wintry by the time we
reached Derwent Bridge. Found hotel room, cold, and turned heat on.
Drove to Lake St. Clair and visitor center. 1 wallaby along lakeshore.
Drove on to Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park - on the Lyell Highway. Mixed snow and
rain.
View over into Surprise Valley. I took a short walk in the Franklin River area.
I also took a 45 minute walk to Donaghy's Lookout, over the river gorge. I could see down, but not
up, too cloudy. Otherwise I would have seen Frenchman's Cap, a famous one. It looks something
like Yosemite's Half Dome, to judge from the pictures. There is Huon pine (Dacrydium) in the
gorge.
Returned to the hotel about dark, cold and snowing.
There is lots of rainy weather here. It rains 7 days out of 10, is cloudy 8 of 10, and the sun shines
all day only one day in 10. It snows 54 days a year.
There are grassy areas with buttongrass. They are natural, it is too wet there for trees; the grassy
areas do not result from either Europeans or aboriginals.
The elevation is about 750 meters here. We are surrounded by peaks 1300-1500 meters.
August 5. Monday. 5 inches of snow. Breakfast in a cold dining room. We drove back toward Lake
St. Clair only to find a big gum tree had fallen across the road. Backed up, tried to turn around and
got stuck, forgetting the car had front wheel drive. But workers came by almost immediately and
got me out.
Drove back up the Lyell Highway. It was rather icy. Returned to Lake St. Clair and the tree had
been cleared from the road. Walked in to the Watersmeet area. This is Cradle Mountain-Lake St.
Clair National Park. Pademelon. Black currawong, very tame, on the rear view mirror of the car.
We headed back toward Hobart. Lunch at the same spot, near power plant, as the day before.
Dusky moorhen, near New Norfolk, about six of them.
Bed and breakfast in Sorrell, pizza for supper. Reasonably good weather from noon on.
August 6, Thursday. Had to cancel a Wilderness Flight to the Southwest National park and
Bathhurst Harbour, there was a cold front coming through and it wasn't safe to fly.
Drive to Richmond, to see convict-built bridge.
Drove up the East Coast. Ferry at Louisville to Maria (muh rhe uh) Island National park. Very
blustery and overcast. We were the only two on the ferry. We walked around an hour and a half,
to see the Fossil Cliffs. 3 pademelons. 1 Bennett's wallaby. 12-15 Tasmanian Native hens. 12-15
Cape Barren geese. 5-6 Flame robins.