4wd Tracks in Tasmania

Thanks Baz

Nothing is perfect in this world and when travelling, exploring in this world, no matter where you are you have to put up with the conditions and make the best of it because it is our choice to be where ever we are.

We experienced every season in Tassie from warm to snow and calm to bloody windy, but I believe this is what adventuring is about.
We went to many places we should not have went and on some occasions could not get through because of overgrowth on tracks and serious washouts which could have caused major damage and would need a sky-crane to get us out but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I love to not know that is around the next corner or over the next mountain because what you normally find is breath taking, beautiful and exciting.

The Tasmanian people are the most friendly and relaxed people that I have met in Australia. Several times we found great areas to camp next to creeks and rivers and it was only a matter of being polite and asking the farmers if we could camp overnight and the answer was always yes. We always left the area cleaner than we found it and on a few occasions firewood was brought down on a quad bike for us to use. Speaking of quads, I think this will be our next investment to get into places that you would damage your vehicle.

If people complain about Tassie they are better off staying in a resort at the Gold Coast or somewhere else.

We will certainly be back and next time we will have a base camp, our boat and hopefully a Quad bike. I don't know which is the best location as I love the west coast but I think it will be around Deep Creek where there is better access to the sea.

On our trip in Tassie we saw many hundreds of hire Camper Vans (Britz type) and unfortunately due to their limited access these people spending so much money on the hire of these vehicles miss out on so many beautiful and unreachable places in these vehicles.

Regards John

Hi Norm
The book is great and very accurate except for a track west of Swansea (I think it was off McNeils Rd) which after about 50 kilometers could not find the side track and ended up at a locked gate into military property. This was New Years Eve so we camped in the bush with the Tassie Devils and a few wombats and bush wallabies and extremely strong wind and mountains of firewood, we ended up having a great time and no noise from party goers.

There are many places where it is impossible to take your van, but also many beautiful places that you can and then use this area as a base for your exploring.

From experience (although we didn't have a van) I would approach local farmers to camp as a base and then go from there. A 6 pack of Boags can open a lot of doors and the farms are always located along the best rivers and creeks and generally offer good protection from the wind. There are also some great secluded places in the popular National Parks on the east coast. The farmers can also give you some great directions for tracks and places that the general tourists never get to see.

I have previously done the tourist places in Tassie and been there on several business trips so I had a good idea on where we really wanted to explore. I only wish I had your 8 or 9 weeks to do this.

When you are ready to plan your trip and if I can offer some advice, please let me know. jmc@ssre.com.au

Regards John

Thanks for the info John and your offer for further help when we get into detailed planning.

Based on previous advice, we are planning on being in Tassie from early Feb to late March or early April as it is the most likely time to give us good weather. Can't do it this year due to other commitments during that period (including son's wedding) , so 2010 is the plan.

Norm C