Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere
Overland Track
The Hike - After a wonderful first day on the Overland Track, I had one of my worst nights sleep of the whole week. Although I had picked the bunk room with one of the loudest snorers of the group, my recent upgrade of noise cancelling headphones meant this wasn't the biggest issue. Waking up every hour or so, I was finding it difficult getting the right temperature while sleeping. Being in the Tasmanian Highlands, I incorrectly assumed that even if it was warm during the day, that it would be cold at night. I think most of this, compared to the other multi-day hiking I've done is that the huts on the Overland, and especially the new ones, have some kind of insulation. This meant over the course of the night I ended up using my sleeping bag as a quilt, with one of my legs sticking out for extra cooling.
Waking up early, I wandered outside to check out the post-sunrise lighting, as watching the sunrise meant getting up at 4am thanks to being this far south and close to the summer solstice. There was a little glow about but I was happier with the seemingly clear weather, as Barn Bluff was visible at the end of the valley, with the decision on whether I'd do that side trip still undecided at this stage. Heading back inside for another little snozzle, I was up and about an hour later when I heard lots of activity coming from the kitchen. Sitting down with some familiar faces, it was another good opportunity to get to know everyone further, and eventually we had a full house. Sitting at one of the tables and tucking into my breakfast (Radix is my go-to breakfast after this trip #notsponsored), the windows at Waterfall Valley perfectly frame Barn Bluff, so I had plenty of opportunity to sit there and ponder whether I would be backtracking to climb it.
Given this day was only a mere 12 kilometres including the side trip to Lake Will, and relatively flat at that, I decided that I would be making the most of my Overland Track adventure. Noticing that Barn Bluff had some cool clouds flowing around the summit, I grabbed my camera and headed out onto the deck to take some photos. Going back to pack all my gear up, along with organising my day pack for the trip to Barn Bluff, I was soon ready to go. Having a few more conversations with groups that weren't too fussed about getting going straight away given the relaxed kilometres today, I said my goodbyes and headed back the way I came in the previous afternoon. Hiking back up the hill from Waterfall Valley, it was going to be a ten kilometre return trip, with over 500 metres of vertical ascent to climb. The first hill up onto the ridge is fairly gentle, with most of it being in the confines of the thick vegetation, including many luscious Pandani, and here I spotted my first Tasmanian Scrubwren.
About halfway up the climb I came across what I think was the ranger for Waterfall Valley, who might have been hiking back to Cradle Mountain, or maybe just checking out the state of the track through here. Continuing to climb, I soon exited onto the ridge, where the open scenery was a welcome relief. Looking to the right I could see Cradle Mountain, although the summit was shrouded in light cloud cover. To the left was the goal for the morning, Barn Bluff, the third highest peak in the whole of Tasmania, and still looking clear of cloud cover. Tramping along the boardwalk to reach the track junction, I was happy I'd made the decision to backtrack and climb Barn Bluff. At the junction I could see the boardwalk extending into the distance, and up a smaller mound that didn't look insignificant, and it isn't with about a 60 metre elevation gain from top to bottom. Compared to the hunk of dolerite behind it, this was nothing, and a nice little warm up for the climb ahead.
The wildflowers along the first stretch of the track were outstanding, with Scoparia, Alpine Groundsel and New Zealand Cushion Plant all providing something fun to photograph as I walked along. As a reference for how high you've climbed to near the base of Barn Bluff, you can see Waterfall Valley Hut down to your left, along with the views of the Fury River Valley to your right. Walking along the ridge, the grey conditions and the still mountain air created this wonderful feeling that really added to the experience. Reaching the base of the small mound, it looked a lit bigger from here than it did at the track junction, but strategically placed stairs help you ascend to the top, where you get your first view of the climb ahead. Compared to the Cradle Mountain climb the day before, it didn't look any worse, with a boulder field leading up to where it gets a bit trickier. As I started walking up the track leading to the boulders, coming back the other way was Jay and Eugene from our travelling party, and we had a bit of a discussion about the climb and they passed on some knowledge about the pain points.
Reaching the start of the boulder field, here is where Christian had caught me up. Christian was a young guy from Uruguay who was spending some time travelling around Australia and doing some hikes in between working remotely for a company back home. While there are orange trail markers pointing you up the mess of rocks, sometimes they aren't always obvious and require a bit of guess work as to where to go next. Scrambling up the jumble of boulders, we soon reached the sheer rock face where we found the correct marker pointing us up what seemed like a pretty tough climb. This section does require you to pull yourself up large gaps between the rocky steps but it shouldn't be too difficult for experienced hikers in dry conditions (do take care in wet weather). Jay had mentioned that there is a false trail that leads up and to the right when you are almost finished the first of the steep climb, a route that Christian had taken and I could see him trying to figure out his next move.
The arrows are tricky to spot sometimes and I found one by looking up and to the left, with scratched arrows in the rock confirming this. I let him climb back down and then go ahead, as he was a quicker climber, and I was taking lots of photos. After more technical climbing, we reached the eastern side of the mountain, and the terrain starts to level out. The summit area is rocky and doesn't have a lot of flat ground, so we each found our own little spot to soak in the excellent views. Looking south you can see the day ahead, with the side trip of Lake Will directly below, and Lake Windermere in the distance. It was a nice place to just sit and enjoy the calm conditions, although the sweat I had worked up was now starting to cool me down a lot, so I got out my rain jacket to keep me warm. Sending a few messages to friends and family, I stayed up here for about 15-20 minutes before getting up to explore the summit and take a few more photos.
Eventually dragging myself away from the amazing views and peaceful calm of the summit, I began the descent the way I had come up. A much easier task than climbing up, the views looking down the boulder field were spectacular. On the way down I spotted a few cool critters including two differently coloured versions of the Tasmanian Grasshopper, a grey one and a green one. With the goal of climbing Barn Bluff now completed, I could concentrate on enjoying the rest of the day, and forging ahead with new discoveries. Barn Bluff would still be a looming figure until well into the following day, and would provide a nice feature to photograph as the landscape kept changing. Heading along the track leading to the junction, I met a mother and daughter who had decided to tackle the Barn Bluff side trip instead of Cradle Mountain on their first day, and were eager to find out more information about how I found it. Passing on the same info that Jay had told me, it's a nice way hikers can pay it forward.
Descending the hill into Waterfall Valley for the second time in two days, I arrived at the hut just as Max and Laura were departing, having enjoyed a relaxing morning around camp, as we found out over the week they loved to do. Filling up my water bottles and putting away my day pack, I took some time to have a sit and reset for the next part of the journey. Christian arrived a few minutes later and it didn't take long for him to off an away. With half of the day's kilometres completed, and being in the exact same place as I started, I still had about eight hours of daylight to complete the walk into Lake Windermere. Setting off along the boardwalk, I took one last look at Waterfall Valley Hut, and then continued through the buttongrass plains that would be home for the rest of the day. The area around Waterfall Valley was filled with wildflowers, and this continued as I headed south towards the first of many highlights for the afternoon. Through here were some stunning old Tasmanian Snow Gums, with their unique colouring really standing out.
After passing between sections of buttongrass moorlands and closed in heath, you reach one of the most stunning parts of the Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere section. Standing on the edge of the cliffs, you look out over an epic vista, with Mount Emmett in the background, and the depths of the Harnetts Rivulet Valley below you. This flows towards the River Fourth, which you will cross towards the end of the following day. For now, it's a spectacular place to stand and admire the beauty of the Tasmanian Highlands. Almost immediately after presenting you with these amazing views, the track then takes a sharp turn to the right and points you back into the wildflower filled heath, which is an acceptable compromise. You continue to get some lovely views looking back at the cliffs, and apparently there is a waterfall cascading over one of them that I may have missed. The everchanging scenery continues as you descend down a lush section of track lined with Pandani and moss covered trunks.
As with the scenery along this day, it doesn't take long for things to change. Popping out into the open plains again, it appeared the grey clouds and overcast conditions were going to be sticking around for most of the day. While it didn't make the photos look their best, it did provide even lighting for when I was in the thicker vegetation. Keeping an eye out for anything of interest to photograph through here, the wildflowers continued to be excellent, with one of my favourites of the whole trip, the Broad-leaved Boronia, providing a vibrant splash of white and pink wherever it flowered. While the elevation chart looks relatively flat thanks to starting with the climb up Barn Bluff, the walk to the Lake Will Junction is full of small ups and downs. Rising up one of the small hills, I entered a bit of alpine forest that was full of butterflies flitting away. Trying to follow one and wait for it to land was an almost impossible task because they never seemed to land but then you'd walk along and disturb a dozen more, so clearly they did.
Eventually I was patient enough to get a shot of one and it turned out to be a Tasmanian Xenica or Leprea Brown as it is called in the guidebook. This is the only endemic butterfly species to Tasmania out of the 15-20 species you may see on the Overland, so that was pretty special to see one. After that bit of magic, I descended down the hill and was soon at the Lake Will Junction. There were a couple of packs at the junction, belonging to Jay and Eugene, who I would see again on my way to Lake Will. Setting my pack down, I grabbed out my day pack once again and put a water bottle and rain jacket in it. Although I couldn't see any around, I used the carabiners I'd brought to secure the zips of my pack from the clever beaks of the Currawongs. Heading off along the path to Lake Will minus 20kg on my back was a liberating feeling, and I soon ran into Jay and Eugene. After more brief pleasantries, I continued along, admiring the waterlogged scenery, and Barn Bluff in the distance.
The 1.5km track to Lake Will was over with in a jiffy compared to my slower pace getting here, and I soon reached the first of two beaches I would explore. There are some mature Pencil Pines on the edge of the lake that provide nice features to photograph, and one right in the middle of the second beach that provided some shade from the UV. I wish I had done a bit more research before this day, as the track continues past the second beach and leads all the way to Innes Falls, where Lake Will empties and becomes the Bluff River, eventually flowing into the Pieman River that I visited way back in 2021. Setting myself down on the second beach, I sat there for a while and enjoyed being in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. The views across the lake towards Barn Bluff were really special, more so given I'd been at the summit this morning. After a short break, I decided to head back to the track junction, keeping an eye out for anything I'd missed on the walk out.
Arriving back at the junction, my pack looked so lonely being the only one there. Grabbing out a Clif Bar to snack on, I remember sitting there, staring up at the clouds and admiring the grand emptiness of this spot. It was an incredible feeling just looking out over these amazing vistas, and it would continue as I got going again. Passing Lake Holmes, boardwalk keeps your feet dry as you start climbing up a small hill to reach the next part of the journey. The views looking back at Barn Bluff and Cradle Mountain were impressive but it was exciting to see Lake Windermere in the distance, as it meant the day's hike was almost over. This was meant to be one of the shorter days but the decision to climb Barn Bluff had turned it into one of the longest. The legs were still feeling good as I started the descent towards Lake Windermere, with the dramatic mountain landscape behind it providing excellent scenery for the end of the day. Although I was only a couple of kilometres away, it never felt like I was getting any closer to the edge of the lake.
This may have been because I was stopping so much to take all the photos, as the views kept getting better the further I descended. As the lake got closer, the vegetation started to thicken, and it was a welcome sight to see trees up close after walking through mostly buttongrass moors for the past couple of hours. The distinct spires of Mount Oakleigh could be seen in the distance, providing an illusion that the end of the next day wasn't that far away. Reaching the edge of Lake Windermere, I was close to camp now but wasn't quite sure how long I had left. Savouring the last stretch of walking, the track around the lake is really scenic, with lovely views across the water towards a little island. I heard voices ahead, and soon came across some of my fellow hikers enjoying a swim in the lake, with there being a spot here to enter and exit the water. Wanting to get into camp, I vowed to return here later, and continued along the path to reach Lake Windermere Hut.
Leaving the edge of the lake, you climb up past thick old Pencil Pines and Snow Gums, eventually reaching the replacement hut that is similar to Waterfall Valley in terms of quality and design. Being the last one in today, everyone was pleased to see me, and asked about the Barn Bluff side trip. Selecting a bunk room that was relatively empty, I setup my sleeping gear before washing off with a wet flannel and changing into my camp clothes. Joining a few people out on the deck, I did a bit of stretching while we all talked about the day and how we found it. With plenty of hours of daylight left (I arrived about 4pm), the afternoon was spent switching between the kitchen and the deck, enjoying soups and hot chocolate, writing in my journal, and getting to know everyone a bit better. The first night had mostly been focused on the usual getting to know you questions, as everyone introduced themselves but as the week went on, the main group became tighter. Speaking with people I didn't get to meet the previous day, or only briefly spoke with, this was the beginning of one of the more enjoyable aspects of the Overland Track.
It was lovely to be able to spend the whole day in your own company, hiking your own hike, but then have lots of time for socialising in the afternoon. With plenty of people from all parts of the country (and world), different backgrounds and different ages, I had a blast just sitting and listening, partaking in discussions, or watching Max, Jay and Flynn try and do the most standing push-ups. With everyone getting more comfortable with each other, it felt a lot friendlier from this afternoon onwards as we coalesced into a tighter group of about 28, which is a lot larger than it felt. Along with socialising, I took time to wander back down to the lake, enjoying the late afternoon lighting when the sun finally showed up when the skies cleared slightly. With the sun came a nice surprise, as a White-lipped Snake appeared right next to where we were all gathered. After dinner, it was still warm enough that we could sit out on the deck and watch the beautiful sunset looking back at Barn Bluff. What a day this was, with plenty more to come.
Final Thoughts – After such an amazing first day, I wasn't sure how this section would measure up. On paper it doesn't look as interesting, with a short distance between the huts, and only one small side trip.
Adding in the climb up to Barn Bluff was definitely the right call, and turned this into a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
If Barn Bluff isn't up your alley, then the scenery along here is still worth it, especially the valley views and the sheer openness of the landscape. Add in the opportunity to get to know your fellow hikers some more, and this can be viewed as a relaxing meander to recharge and socialise.
Two days down and I was thoroughly enjoying my Overland Track journey so far.
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