Take a step back in time and experience the raw beauty of the largest cool temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere, the takayna/Tarkine.
Designed with a broad range of fitness levels in mind, this four-day tour provides everyone with access to the stunning takayna/Tarkine wilderness while still maintaining that level of comfort
Launceston
4 days
The Tarkine is a remote and secluded mystery awaiting your discovery. In Tasmania’s North West corner, nestled between the Arthur Pieman River to the South and the wild Western coastline, it feels a world away from our busy existence. The Tarkine region is home to the Southern Hemisphere’s second largest expanse of cool temperate rainforest; whose biological evolution dates back millennia, providing us today with a unique richness in biodiversity, unseen in most parts of the world. Indeed, it is said that you can walk off track and possibly find yourself walking where no person has walked before.
Come and immerse yourself in this rainforest wonderland at our exclusive eco-camp, Tiger Ridge; to switch-off from deadlines and traffic-jams and wake up to the intricate natural world around you. Sitting on the balcony overlooking a deeply forested valley of ancient myrtles, rich green mossy forest floor and species of colourful fungi still being discovered. It is impossible not to be captivated by the Tarkine’s magnificent story unfolding before you. Everywhere you look there is life.
The emphasis for this journey is on enjoying the remote wilderness, in comfort. We spend our days exploring the surrounds of the magnificent rainforest, the unique natural wonders of the surrounding forest and the untouched Huskisson River. Each days’ walking is completed at a leisurely pace to suit the fitness of the group, carrying only your own lightweight day pack. Upon your return to Tiger Ridge after your day of exploring, enjoy a cup of tea on the balcony or visit our warm water Japanese-style washroom. It’s like camping, but with little luxuries. For meals, our dining table, set among the ferns, transforms nightly into a platter of fresh local foods. Accompanied by some Tarkine yarns from your guides, it is the perfect way to end a day walking amongst one of the most ancient rainforests on earth. Retire to your private standing tents fitted with comfortable beds and the sounds of the rainforest to help you drift off to a most restful sleep.
This morning we collect you from your Launceston accommodation between 7:30am and 8:00am and transfer you to the Aspire Adventure Equipment gear store in Launceston for a trip briefing.
Your guides will do a thorough gear check, just to make sure you have everything needed for our Tarkine Trails adventure. Our first day will transfer you from Launceston into the vast quiet of the Tarkine. We stop for morning tea and an introductory briefing before continuing to our remote destination deep on the edge of the Tarkine. Todays walk is about arriving at your rainforest home and our walking route immerses us into the vast rainforest landscape immediately. Your belongings will be transported to the camp, leaving you with just your day-pack to meander your way through the forest.
We invite you to keep a look out for Tiger Ridge as it is cleverly nestled into the surrounding forest and will surprise you. Once at camp, it is all about settling in and enjoying your new forest home. Food, fire and the company of new friends are essential ingredients to this process.
Every meal that is served bears testimony to the quality of Tasmanian produce. By the end of today you’ll feel as if you haven’t just traversed Tasmania but transcended it
Begin to understand the ancient relationships of a rainforest landscape with a day of total forest immersion.
Our walk today focuses on the beautiful forests to the east of Tiger Ridge. Today is about getting to know and understand the cool temperate rainforest and its numerous landscapes and ecosystems. Start to discover the macro world of the rainforest, including the unique fungi, plants, and insects that may well go unnoticed to the untrained eye.
Further along your journey you will begin to understand the ancient species that inhabit the largest cool-temperate rainforest that remains in the Southern Hemisphere. With our knowledgeable and passionate guides introducing you to the relationships that the native Tasmanians have shared with a wide variety of plant species, you will begin to feel as though you have stepped back in time, tens of thousands of years.
Along the way, we’ll collect the memory cards and change the batteries on infrared cameras. Then, after another relaxed meal and a few nice drops, we’ll review what the cameras have captured in recent time and discover what goes on around us in the secret takayna/Tarkine night.
Awake to your favourite morning beverage (you could get used to this). Take in the incredible birdlife of the rainforest – yellow-tailed black cockatoos, green rosellas, and even the endangered white goshawk. Walk beneath the most ancient of rainforest forms – the cathedral-shaped callidendrous forest. Lunch (and for the brave – a swim) beside the Huskisson, as it flows through its remote, forested valley.
Our day today features a slow walk down to the Huskisson River. Your guides will introduce you to the subtleties of the rainforest, its complex web of self-perpetuating life as well as sharing some choice Tasmanian bush anecdotes.
The Huskisson itself is a wild river that broadens in the valley floor and, if the water level is low, meanders and warms in pools perfect for a midday swim. After lunch, we too meander in this valley for a time, before making our way back to Tiger Ridge to get cleaned up before dinner.
Tiger Ridge’s Japanese-style washroom hangs out over the ferns and myrtles in the basin below. It truly is a bathroom with a view. Then, after another meal of amazing Tassie produce, we settle around the fire with a glass of wine as the guides delve further into the history and stories of this ancient landscape.
Your last morning in the takayna/Tarkine will be one to remember – but we’ll let you ease into it. You’ll take in the incredible rainforest for one last time (for this trip, at least), share your highlights with your companions and prepare for your walk out of the wilderness.
Although it is time to say a sad farewell to this ancient rainforest, we have one last stop before our journey comes to an end.
The small scenic town of Waratah sits on the edge of the takayna/Tarkine wilderness. Once home to the richest tin mine in the southern hemisphere, and with a unique water piece in the centre of town, there is much to learn and discover.
This is your time to explore and enjoy what this remote, historical village has to offer and reacquaint yourself with ‘normal’ life.
After lunch we’ll continue our homeward journey, giving you time to reminisce on the rainforest that captivates and inspires so many.
