Melaleuca to Point Eric
South Coast Track
Directions - The South Coast Track starts (or finishes) at Melaleuca Airstrip, a 30 minute flight from Hobart that can be booked via Par Avion (see website for details). Alternatively, you can walk in from the end of Scotts Peak Dam Road via the Port Davey Track, although this will add a further 70km of walking to your itinerary.
The Hike - With a long bucket list of hikes to do in Tasmania, the South Coast Track was always towards the top of said list, so when I mentioned that I was planning on doing it around Christmas of 2022 to my podcast partner, a discussion was ignited. Donovan also had the SCT as a must-do for the near future but with a baby on the way, it might not be a possibility. A deal was struck with his wife that if she didn't have to hike the SCT, then he could join me on this 85km, seven day adventure through the wilds of South West Tasmania.
Plans were made, dates set and logistics organised over the next few months and come December 2022, we would be flying out to Melaleuca to begin what was a memorable and fantastical journey through large swathes of pristine wilderness (spoiler alert for future posts). We asked our friend Bronwyn if she wanted to join us and she agreed, so the three of us made separate plans to get to Hobart before the Par Avion flight left on the 31st of December. After a couple of days in Hobart before the trip exploring the Pinnacle Circuit and Cape Raoul, I headed to the various outdoor stores in the Hobart CBD to get the last of my supplies before we caught a taxi to the Par Avion hangar for the flight out there. It sounds so much more adventurous when you say that you caught a small aircraft out to the middle of nowhere to start a hike but that's pretty much what you do on the SCT. The airstrip now services hikers and tourists to the remote area near Bathurst Harbour but was once a tin mining settlement. Arriving at the Par Avion building, there were plenty of hikers already waiting and as it turned out, there were three flights this afternoon heading to Melaleuca.
We checked in our heavy packs, paid for our gas cannisters (given to you at Melaleuca) and most importantly for Donovan, we bought our SCT patches. Separated into our various groups, we would luckily be in the front of the largest plane for the 45 minute flight. There was a nervous excitement to starting the seven day hike and after watching the weather forecasts like a hawk, it appeared we would be getting a fairly decent week. The flight was amazing, leaving Hobart and heading south through the Huon Valley before turning westwards, spotting Hartz Peak in the distance and then the mountainous interior all the way to Melaleuca. I had a blast taking dozens of photos as the views kept changing and we safely touched down after getting a good view of the SCT as it headed south towards Cox Bight. There was a buzz of activity at the airstrip as excited hikers grabbed their bags, gas cannisters and moved off the shelter where the rain tanks are located (you have to fill up here so as not to carry excess water weight on the plane). I checked out the public huts to the north as that's where the toilets were (bit of a trek) and eventually joined Donovan and Bronwyn to begin our SCT journey.
Donovan would be filming the entire trip for his new YouTube channel (click here to subscribe) and so began the first of many walking past the camera shots. We had practiced this on the Cape Raoul Track the previous day and while wanting to be a good model for his films, I was also wanting to shoot this as I normally would for the website you are reading right now. I think over the course of the week, a good compromise was made on both sides and apart from a few grumbles every now and then, both products will turn out fantastic. After watching the planes depart, full of weary hikers leaving either the SCT or Port Davey Track, we crossed the airstrip and headed south. It was about 4pm when we eventually got going but being at the bottom of Tasmania in the middle of summer, the sun wouldn't be setting until about 9:30pm, so we had plenty of time to hike the first 14km to Point Eric Campsite. With absolutely perfect weather and a refreshing sea breeze, we joined a wide track before peeling off to follow the SCT as it crosses Moth Creek. Right from the start, the scenery is breathtaking thanks to being sandwiched between the Melaleuca Range to the west and the Bathurst Range to the east.
This glacial valley of mainly buttongrass plains provides some truly spectacular vistas, that combined with the fluffy white clouds, was just a magical place to walk through. We all agreed this was a special way of starting the SCT as we walked along a series of boardwalks and crushed rock paths snaking through the plains. Running parallel with Moth Creek that flows north towards Bathurst Harbour instead of draining into the ocean, this section of the SCT provides some of the easiest walking of the whole route thanks to only minor elevation changes and plenty of boardwalk when things get a bit soggy. Enjoying the walk at our own pace, we reconvened for Donovan's filming in places and I got some shots of Donovan's new hiking umbrella that he was quite proud of. While I've been vocal in the past about Aron's bright yellow rain cover, the silver umbrella looked almost futuristic in the photos, so I was happy to include it in a few shots. The views as you walk along change only subtlety and I was aware that I needed to mix it up in order to get a variety of photos in the galleries. Luckily there was so much to photograph from the peaks of the Bathurst Range to the east, to wildflowers along the boardwalk, to the photogenic New Harbour Range ahead.
A view I couldn't stop photographing was the one straight ahead with an unnamed hill of the New Harbour Range providing a nice focal point at the end of the path/boardwalk (so much so that it's the cover photo). The walking isn't always open vistas and panoramic shots, with several smaller creeks feeding into Moth Creek providing a denser level of vegetation. These were only short sections but provided enough variety that the day never felt like it was dragging on. Eventually we got our first distant views of the coast and what would be camp at the end of the day. While it seemed somewhat close, there was a lot of walking to get through and plenty more vistas to photograph. One view I wasn't photographing too often was looking west towards the Melaleuca Range as the setting sun made for some really dull photos, compared to looking south or east. There was still plenty to capture and I was quite happy to meander through here at a slow pace. Eventually we reached the foothills of the New Harbour Range as the trail skirts around the base of the hills to reach Freney Lagoon.
This section provided some of the best views of the entire day as the mighty Ironbound Range made an appearance in the distance. The task for the third day, it was a comforting sight for me and a challenge I was ready to tackle after a couple of days getting back into multi-day hiking. We reached the edge of a more vegetated patch of the trail as a creek ran through the area, allowing bigger plants to grow. Spotting a bird in the branches, I waited a while and sure enough, it moved onto a branch that was better for photographing it. Unfortunately it wasn't a rare Orange-bellied Parrot that breed near Melaleuca but a Green Rosella. Moving on, we passed the junction where the Wilson Bight Track leaves the SCT. Our journey wouldn't be going that way so I took a photo of the trail heading into the hills and continued on. With the coastal views now much closer, along with Freney Lagoon, this was some of the best walking of the day. The buttongrass plains leading all the way to the edge of the Bathurst Range provided some excellent views and it felt very much like walking through the Kingdom of Rohan in Middle Earth.
Heading down the hill and getting semi-level with the buttongrass plains near Freney Lagoon, this was the last of the open plains walking for the day. As we descended the side of the hill, Point Eric was visible in the distance, a lone headland splitting the beaches of Cox Bight. Savouring every moment and soaking in the stunning panorama of the Bathurst Range, we spotted a dense patch of vegetation at the end of the boardwalk. It didn't last very long and I was surprised when I saw the beach ahead. It was like a natural portal had transported us from buttongrass plains to the beach in an instant. Bronwyn and I waited for Donovan to setup his shot first and I had a laugh at the two skulls attached to some driftwood near the beach entry as my partner has a thing for collecting skulls (don't ask). Stepping out onto the beach and getting the full views looking across to Point Eric and the Cox Bluff headland was a moment I won't forget anytime soon. Having enjoyed the beach walking on the Bibbulmun Track and Cape to Cape back home in WA, I was sure that it would be a highlight of the SCT too.
With a rocky start to the beach section, we all stayed here for a while taking photos and soaking up the views. I did toy with the idea of taking off my boots but it wasn't long after joining the sand that I spotted the first of many Bluebottles that had washed up on shore, so decided against it. While the risk would have been low if I was paying attention, I was happy to keep the boots on and let my gaze wander wherever there was a nice view. The beach walking lasts for just over two kilometres, so we all settled in to our own pace and I was happy doing a bit of beach combing, as was Bronwyn. Somehow I ended up way ahead of the others but that presented a good opportunity to photograph them as silhouettes on the beach with the sun setting behind the New Harbour Range. Looking to the south and past the gently breaking waves were DeWitt Island, Flat Witch Island and Maatsuyker Island (where the southern most lighthouse in Australia is located). Spotting plenty more Bluebottles, I also saw a bigger purple jellyfish, lots of seaweed and sea birds that included the Pied Oystercatcher. About halfway along the beach, there is a small creek where the Freney Lagoon flows into the ocean.
I waited here for the others as Donovan would want some footage of us crossing, along with the opportunity to fill up his Lifestraw bottle. It wasn't a difficult crossing thanks to the rocky section closer to the lagoon, where I was able to get some photos looking over towards the hills in the distance. With Point Eric in sight and one final push towards camp, we headed off but Bronwyn seemed to be having too much fun stopping to look at everything. This resulted in one of my favourite photos of the day as the setting sun seemed to spill behind her, illuminating the mists rolling off the ocean. Donovan and I spotted the beach exit and waited for Bronwyn to catch up, taking one last look at this side of Cox Bight. Climbing up the wooden steps, we entered a very green world of lush vegetation that had me excited for the rest of the trip. It's about 250m of walking through narrow single track before you reach Point Eric Campsite that is nestled among the Tea Trees on the edge of the beach. We were the last to arrive at camp at around 8pm, so set about finding space to put up our tents. As we were doing this, I noticed a beautiful double rainbow over the water so grabbed my camera to photograph this special welcome to camp.
With all my gear setup, I decided to take a walk down the beach to fill up my water bladder as unfortunately, the nearest water source to camp is a creek five minutes along the beach. This was just fine with me as it provided some stunning views looking back at Point Eric and meant I didn't have to do this task in the morning (although I still did the walk just for fun). With the light fading and my duty to carry the water boiling gear for the trip, we all prepared dinner back at camp. I was having a Strive Mushroom Pasta tonight and it was hands down the tastiest dehydrated meal I've ever had, so it was a shame I'd only brought along two. While washing up after dinner, Donovan and I reflected on our unusual New Years Eve plans. The balmy weather conditions and beach setting reminded me of my younger days and spending New Years in 2009 at a Full Moon Party in Thailand. Being an older and more responsible adult with different interests now, I had a laugh remembering back to that night and the shenanigans that went on. With the best sunset of the entire trip on display, I photographed the amazing colours on display before retiring to my tent just after 9:30pm for a restful slumber.
Final Thoughts – What a way to end 2022!!! I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect day than what we got to start the South Coat Track.
Stunning weather, great scenery, a beautiful sunset and some of the best lighting I've ever had on a hike.
If this was the only day of sunny weather then I think I would have been content knowing I had that experience in the bag already. As far as first days of multi-day trails, this was the best I've ever had but it's really hard to compete with the wilderness of South West Tasmania.
A great combination of the scenic flight, open buttongrass plains, jaw-dropping scenery from start to finish and some quality beach walking puts this day up there as one of the best on the SCT.
Get out there and experience it!
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