Proceedings of an International Year of Mountains - Australian Alps ...

The bulk of the camping along the track also occurs around the seven major Parks and Wildlife Service
huts. At these locations walkers take advantage of the facilities provided at the huts, particularly the rain
water supply and toilets. In some cases hardened tent platforms are provided.
Values of the Track
Natural values
The Overland Track offers walkers the opportunity to experience a range of the significant natural values
of the WHA during the course of walking the Track. The Cradle Valley is a spectacular landscape
demonstrating to the visitor evidence of past glacial activity over the past two million years. Dove Lake,
Lake Wilks, Crater Lake and Cradle Mountain are the most spectacular and obvious to walkers in the
northern end.
Cultural values
The outstanding cultural value of the Tasmanian Wilderness WHA is the rich, undisturbed suite of
Pleistocene Aboriginal sites dating back over 35,000 years which include cave paintings and cultural
deposits bearing testimony to an Ice Age society. Lack of disturbance enhances the value of these sites.
Cultural values of the Tasmanian Wilderness WHA also include historic features from more recent
activities. The WHA also contains remains of sites related to other historic themes including exploration,
Huon pine logging, mining, hunting, high altitude grazing, hydro-electric development and recreation.
These sites have significance in terms of the history of Tasmania’s development.
Recreational values
The recreational value of the Overland Track has developed over time and remains significant within a
national and international perspective.
A combination of factors contribute to the high recreational value of the Track including:
The wilderness values and apparent remoteness of the Track to a range of users
The spectacular and accessible scenery ranging from peaks, to alpine moor-land, to lakes and forest
The safety, comfort and relative ease of the walk
The accommodation options available
The distance combined with a through route track which provides a sense of achievement
Opportunities for walking and photography
Educational values
The Overland Track is increasingly valued by school groups as a challenging recreational experience.
Educational value may also be attributed in terms of demonstrating and providing an understanding of
natural events and environmental management practices including track management, visitor
management, interpretation etc
Usage patterns
There were approximately 8000 walkers on the Overland Track in 2000/1. This estimate is based on 4350
private Cradle registrations, 901 private Lake St Clair registrations, an allowance for 10% registration non
compliance, plus 2250 walkers on commercial trips. Table 1 shows overnight walker registrations for
1997 to 2001.
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Celebrating Mountains – An International Year of Mountains Conference
Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia