Julius River Walks
Tarkine
Directions - Located just under an hours drive east of Arthur River on the Tarkine Drive, take Temma Road south until you reach Rebecca Road, then turn left. Head inland as Rebecca Road becomes Blackwater Road and take the right turn at Kununnah Bridge to keep going along Sumac Road. Drive for 9km until you see the signs for the Julius River Walks. There is a paved car park and information boards for the two walks in the area.
The Hike - After a couple of weeks exploring the south and west of Tasmania, Arthur River and the Tarkine would be our final stop before driving back to Hobart for our return flight. With Arthur River located on the wild western coast of Tassie, it was nice to be on the coast for the last leg of the trip. With walking options limited to a couple of short trails centred around lookouts, I set my sights on the inland region known as the Tarkine. This collection of state reserves and patchy forests is under threat from logging, mining and every harmful process we love to do to the environment.
Joining Caris and I on the day's adventure to explore the Tarkine was Caris' Aunt Candy, with Uncle Hal busy trying to get a replacement tyre for his Mercedes SUV in Smithton after popping a boot on the rocky drive from Corinna. There was hope he would have the tyre replaced and would join us at one of the later walks but for now it was just the three of us. The hour long drive from Arthur River was pretty with the coastal scenery soon replaced with open plains and then the forests/plantations of the inland region. After a while it became apparent that the excellent road surfaces weren't there for the tourists but for all the logging trucks that use the dirt tracks leading into the greenery. While it is nice there are some walks in the area that at least highlight people to the plight of this amazing place, it certainly does put a downer on proceedings knowing that only a small area around each of the walks is protected (for now). Arriving at the car park, we saw a couple of work utes parked up with timber planks on top of one of them and as we were getting our things together, one of the workers popped out.
With two loop walks in the area, the Julius River Rainforest Walk and the Sinkhole Walk, unfortunately they let us know that part of the Rainforest Walk would be closed while they replaced some of the decking. We could still walk some of it so crossed over the titular Julius River and started the walk along the boardwalks. Immediately this seemed like it was going to be an enjoyable walk with the area around the Julius River being a lush paradise full of tree ferns, large trees, fungi and accompanied by the chorus of birds and babbling brooks. Unsure of when the walk would reach the closed section, we kept going at a gentle pace, admiring the various little river lookouts and searching for all the different kinds of fungi we could find. This had become something of a side quest for Caris and I on each hike with two sets of eyes being better than one when it came to finding all kinds of interesting shapes and colours. With the raised boardwalk providing a good viewpoint over the side of the hill and all the fallen trees, there was plenty to see along here plus the added benefit of the river below.
We made it about 400m before reaching the red tape stopping us completing the whole loop but given I'm writing this eight months after completing the walk, I'm sure the work has been finished by now. Even though this was just a short part of the walk, it was super pretty with plenty to see so it took a fair amount of time to navigate through. Eventually we reached the bridge over the Julius River and set about searching the car park for a large Mercedes. Hal was not there and with no mobile reception here, we decided to continue on and walk the second loop in the area, the Sinkhole Walk. Assured by the workers that we could complete the full loop, we set off into the forest again, ready to soak in another fantastical section of what is a magical part of the West Coast. I liked the opening path leading to the loop section with it feeling more like a Japanese forest thanks to the thin mossy trees and path leading into the unknown. The forest floor was full of fungi that were well camouflaged so it took a bit of spotting to see just how many were about. The open space narrows down as you reach the loop section with some giant trees complete with extensive root systems.
These mossy protrusions make the place look like Fangorn Forest and I was careful not to have a nap in-between the roots, just in case I was swallowed up (not that I would anyway because Leave No Trace). I instead settled on photographing these beautiful structures as the cloudy conditions provided some lovely lighting. Following the orange arrows that are sporadically placed along the trail, I stopped at a rotting piece of wood that caught my eye thanks to a bright green worm wriggling along the top. Having previously seen one of these funky worms near Walpole, this was my first Tassie sighting and it was happy to pose for a few photos. While I was slowing down quite a bit to photograph various details that caught my eye, Candy was enjoying not having Hal around to rush through the walk so was even further behind Caris and I. As you can probably tell by the scattered line on the map above, the GPS was pinging all over the place when we stopped so the 3.1km is probably much less than the actual length of the trail. Shuffling along the trial, the much slower pace allowed me to really scan the forest floor for all kinds of fungi but the low light levels meant I had to keep a steady hand to capture them.
There was plenty to find here too, with a large variety lurking in every nook and cranny, I just had to take the time to seek them out. Caris helped out of course and over the duration of our meandering we discovered quite a few different shapes, sizes and colours that unfortunately didn't all make it the galleries in this post. Now on the loop section, we walked a few paces, turned a corner and then stopped to admire something new. This was one of the best looking forests I had been in on this trip with the fantasy look of the trees and forest floor rivalling anything I had seen in Corinna on the Savage River Walk, Whyte River Track and Old Telegraph Hill. Candy it seemed was enjoying being able to slow down and have a good look at everything but with three more walks planned for the day, I was a bit conscious of time. As we continued walking past ancient trees and under large tree ferns, it seemed that around every corner there was an even better scene. Having edited up these photos well after they were taken, I have come to appreciate that this was one of the better short walks from the trip.
Having got halfway around the loop it occurred to me that we hadn't seen much evidence of any sinkholes. I'm sure they would turn up so concentrated on photographing everything around me that caught my eye, which was a lot. Walking through a section that contained a lot of bracket fungi, I was having a look at one example on a tree and noticed a furry insect that back in WA I've always called a Spitfire. This one had a nicer colouring and we all had a good look as it wriggled up the moss and lichened covered trunk. Moving on, we headed through some of the chonkier forest of the whole walk as we approached the sinkhole section. Happy to see what the walk is named after, they aren't super obvious like the other sinkholes we would see later in the day at Lake Chisholm and Trowutta Arch but it was nice to see the abundant life they support from a distance. Arriving at where the loop section ends and the path back to the car park is located, I took a double glance at a bracket fungi growing in the crevice of a large tree that was the biggest I've ever seen, maybe a couple of basketballs in size. A nice parting gift to what had been an enjoyable walk, we returned to the car park and found no Hal waiting for us so moved on to the next walk for the day, Lake Chisholm.
Final Thoughts - When doing research for this trip, there wasn't a whole lot of information readily available for this part of the state. The trails I did find were on AllTrails, not always the best source given anyone can load up routes so I was a bit wary.
The dodgy photos on there weren't much to go off but after some more digging, I found the official tourism site for the Tarkine Drive and my confidence in finding something good to walk improved.
This may be your typical run of the mill tourist walk with boardwalks everywhere and a very modest length to cater for all but I thoroughly enjoyed myself here thanks to the quality of the forest and everything found within it.
We had some of our best fungi spotting luck of the whole trip here and with fantastic lighting conditions, the photos turned out a treat.
If you're in the area and staying in one of the small hamlets along the coast then make plans to head inland and explore the Tarkine Drive before mining and forestry completely take over this paradise.
Get out there and experience it!
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