Bert Nichols to Narcissus

You get hints along the way, with several small streams and creeks crossing the track. Some are navigated over via small wooden bridges or steeping stones, with one particular area looking like it once belonged to a campsite. Being summer and having not rained for a couple of days, the water levels weren't very high, and the man-made structure along the banks was visible. Having crossed many creeks over the course of the week, this one really stood out. Continuing through the forest, it was just a pleasant meander, passing lots of characterful trees, wildflowers and big thick trunks. Every creek crossing provided something different to see, whether that be the style of crossing, the view looking up and down the creek, or an interesting bit of vegetation. After one of the larger creek crossings, I was happily surprised to enter a section of wetter forest.

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The smooth bark of the eucalyptus trees was replaced with gnarly, moss covered bark, and a denser canopy above. Tunnels of thicker vegetation continued for a short while, with some larger trees presenting themselves occasionally, upright or otherwise. This all culminated in a couple of lovely creek crossing, the first on an old section of wooden boardwalk, complete with small rapids off to the left, and the second a series of stepping stones that ignited the inner child in me, as they tend to do. Returning to the eucalyptus forest, you pass a landmark of the day that is mentioned in the guidebook. Looking to your right, you can see an open area through the tree line that is dubbed as the "Bowling Green", a grassy area between the the forest and the mountains where the animals like to graze, although you don't get close enough to see if there are any out having a feed.

Another lovely view that you can see through the tree line is what I think is Mount Gould. With this whole section following the glacial valley that was carved during the last ice age, you are surrounded by mountains throughout the day, although seeing them is sometimes tricky. Back enjoying the smooth trunked forest, there was a flurry of wildflowers through here including the Lime Bottlebrush and Alpine Tea Tree, along with a colourful Soldier Beetle I noticed in the leaf litter. The excellent walking continued, and without much elevation change today, I could walk at a steady pace and indulge myself in stopping whenever I spotted something interesting, which was quite often. Throughout the course of the day, I had been introduced to a new wildflower along the Overland, the Mountain Guitar Plant, and it certainly had a lot of flair. Seeing plenty of examples, I took many photos, with the best examples in the gallery above.

Arriving at the Pine Valley Junction, this marks six kilometres of walking for the day, with only a four kilometre jaunt left to reach Narcissus Hut. Waiting here were Obi and Rose, enjoying a break while their parents caught up. I had been toing and froing with David and Alice all morning, as I'd catch up to them but then stop for a while to photograph something. I dropped my pack and found a place to sit, while chatting away with Obi and Rose about the mornings walking. While we were having a break, we were passed by a couple of hikers that were heading up to Pine Valley. Having spent the last few days with the same group, it was an odd feeling to see different hikers, and a sign that we were reaching the end. David and Alice joined us all, and eventually we all got going again. Obi and Rose shot off down the track, while I hung back, wanting some clear photos, and also walking a bit slower than they would.

Setting off, the excellent walking continued, with more dry sclerophyll forest providing plenty to enjoy. The wildflower finds continued, with my first ever Prickly Beauty sighting, along with coming across a patch of She-Oak. David and Alice had caught up by now and I let them past, as I was going to be much slower given the quality of the scenery through here. Not long after that, I heard an odd sound coming from behind me, like a repetitive knocking of something against metal. The cause of the sound soon revealed itself, as a group of climbers popped up from behind me and I let them pass. The helmets gave them away, and we'd see them again waiting for the ferry, hearing about their climbing adventures in the mountains above Pine Valley. The landscape was starting to open up a lot more, with more mountain glances coming into view. 

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Coming across more creek crossings, there is an abundance of boardwalk through this section, as the area becomes more and more inundated. The thicker vegetation is a giveaway that things have changed, and it makes sense given you're walking downhill towards the Narcissus River. It was getting to be a warm day, with temperature in the mid 20s according to BOM, but the clouds were starting to roll in. For now they were the landscape photographers dream, with fluffy white clouds spread out between blue skies. Patches of more open areas hinted at what was to come, and I got my first glimpse of Mount Olympus in the distance. I find the naming of the Tasmanian mountains to provide a lot of whimsy and this area is no different, with the likes of Mountains of Jupiter, The Parthenon, The Minotaur and Mount Olympus all invoking a sense of wonder in me.