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[Mystic]

On the road the Strathgordon, turn off about 30 miles past Maydena, at the "Creepy Crawly Walk" turnoff. Follow this road for about another 30 miles and you arrive at Lake Edgar. Keep going for around another 5 miles to get to the Scott's Peak campgrounds. Both are well worth checking out.

The road in can be a bit rough, but mainly due to potholes and such. Be careful driving it, especially in snow and icy conditions. Apart from that, it is an easy drive in and reasonable road to travel.

We opted to stay at Lake Edgar campground, mainly because we planned on spending around a week here and the Scott's Peak ground, whilst very nice, did not offer a lot of open space. Most sites there are well shaded and contained within a mossy forest. Very pretty, but not good for drying wet clothes and such like.

Facilities at both locations are excellent and well maintained. Rubish bins and collections are provided, as is firewood and water is also available. The water may be slightly yellow, but this is only due to the rich tanin content in the local water, and will not harm you. If in doubt, boil it first.

Lake Edgar sits just below the southern edge of Lake Pedder, a massive, and uniquely beautiful lake in itself. The two are seperated by a small dam, and this campground offers excellent views and walks around both lakes. Two lakes, both for free

The campground here is quite large, with sites spread around the perimeter of a small forested area, offering plenty of shade and shelter from the winds. The sites have well constructed fireplaces, and wood is supplied. The only problem I found with the wood though, was that it is in blocks that are quite large, much larger than is really necessary for a good cooking fire, almost forcing you to create larger than usual campfires. A bit of a waste unfortunately. It was nice though to have the wood supplied, and if you have a block buster with you, then splitting it into smaller pieces is no drama.

An abundance of birdlife add to the beauty of this isolated location. You will also find pademelons in large numbers here, and these ones seem to have no fear of people, often grazing within arm's reach of campers. They were great to observe at such close range, but always ready to quickly dash off if you appeared to be approaching them.

To the south west of here you will be able to see the Arthur Ranges, considered the toughest walking track in all of Tasmania. The track is only 15 kilometres long, across the top of the peaks and is considered to take an average of 10 days to complete, with only around 60% of those who attempt it actually finishing. The greatest problem facing thse contemplating this trek is the changeable weather, with only one out of 4 days expected to be clear. We actually spent an entire week waiting for the clouds to clear enough from the ranges to grab a few shots of these beautiful peaks. It is definitely a walk that I would like to attempt one day.

The entire region and lakes here are definitely a place not to be missed. There is definitely a feeling of isolation and peacefulness that will add to your overall enjoyment of this very well kept campground. It is without doubt a location.

Tips if you are heading here:

• Last major supermarkets are located at New Norfolk
• Fuel and sundries can be found at Westerway and Maydena, but these are small stores with limited range.
• Do not forget to stop at the Westerway Middle store and see Colin for the best and cheapest take away food in Tasmania.
• Check local weather conditions before heading in. Under snow or ice, the road could be quite treacherous.

Our Lake Edgar Home

Location map

Map supplied by Tasmap, for more mapping information
please see www.tasmap.tas.gov.au

[Shane V]

Lake Edgar is a peaceful area where I thought we were the only ones around most of the time we were there. There were a couple of other people staying in the campground but they only stayed one night. I really liked this spot because of it's remoteness and rugged looks and weather. Most of the time we were there it was overcast only occasionally giving us glimpses of what she was really like.

We had a site right near the back of the campground where it was sheltered. I like the way the campground is setup, with each site having it's own table and campfire. It was well maintained by National Parks. Wood was supplied. Water was plentiful, the toilets were clean.

The ground was fairly flat and it took a hatchet to get the pegs to go in. There was lots of wildlife in the area. Birds galore and pademelons as far as the eye could see. Most of the day and night we could hear these little beasts munching on the grass and mosses around the campsite. They seemed to be tame but were also very flighty. we witnessed what appeared to be a joey's first time ouside the pouch. It hopped around it's mother and then attempted to dive back into the pouch. It was a very quick little animal. We did manage to get a couple of pictures of it.

The Arthur Ranges to the South west were a sight to see. The cloud covered them most of the time and when it wasn't cloudy we couldn't see them for the mist that hung densely in the air. I must say that these ranges are my favourite mountain range in Tasmania. Seeing them appear the morning we were leaving the area reinforced my love of them. I think the volume of water in Lake Peddar increased with all the drool.

I reckon this campground is a campground. It has peace and quiet, it has beauty, it has weather, it is well setup for campers, it has wildlife galore. Take a look at this site but be careful in bad weather on the road.