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The drought is really having a bad effect on water all over Tasmania. When we drove over the bridge at Lake Burbury we were both taken aback as to how far down the water level was. Even living on the west coast, where we see more rain than the rest of the state, we were noticing less than average rainfall but wasn't expecting the drop to be so noticeable.
Our first stop was Nelson Falls. We had been there once before and the water was really tumbling over the falls that time. This time there wasn't as much, making it good for getting photos without having spray blow onto the lens.
Mushrooms sprouted from just about every crack and cranny. They were small, large and every colour you could imagine. There were small tracks leading down to the creek where animals came to drink. We didn't see any but knew they were there.
The falls themselves were slowly tumbling over their rocky bed. There was very little spray, so we could actually stand in front and get some decent shots of it. The greens of the trees and the mosses and the sound of the water flowing were very relaxing. The walk is only about 40 mins return but we took a lot longer, as always. Check out this post for a more detailed description.
I felt totally regenerated when we got back to the car. My excitement now grew. We were heading to Lake King William, at last. First though we had to drive the sixty kilometres through the World Heritage Area. This is my favourite part of the whole road. The changes in scenery are spectacular to say the least, from Buttongrass Plains, to dense rainforest and alpine forest.
After an hour or so of driving, and drooling, we arrived at Lake King William. The scene which unfolded before us was breathtaking and disturbing. It was still beautifully ugly but now there was more of it. The drought was really taking its toll. Where there was once a free flowing river, the Derwent River, which was high on the banks there was now only parched rubble and ruin.
We wandered around, cameras in hand, taking in the scene. Neither of us said much. It was quiet, there was a slight breeze blowing and the sun was shining. I was feeling disturbed, disappointed, awed, inspired and sad. The "Tree Graveyard" was really living up to its name.
That night we sat by the fire and watched the stars and chatted. The sky was clear and the night time light show began. I wasn't going to move away from the fire because it was really cold so every now and then I looked away from the fire so my eyes could adjust and I could see the stars properly.
We went to bed and snuggled down into our nice warm sleeping bags. I could feel the cold ground beneath the sleeping bag and it was a little bit uncomfortable. It didn't take long to drop off to sleep though and I slept the whole night.
In the morning there was fog and mist laying low and we couldn't see the edge of the campsite because of it. I opened the fly and it was stiff. There was a heavy frost and it had frozen overnight. We found out later in the day that it had got down to minus three overnight and we weren't surprised everything had a coat of ice that morning.
When we got there the fog had completely lifted and the sun was shining brightly, it was warming. We made our way down to the lake and watched as some birds flew overhead. It was quiet, although there seemed to be quite a few people around. We had a look at what walks were available in the information hut and decided to do the figure of eight circuit, covering the Watersmeet, Platypus Bay and the Aboriginal trail. Read about these walks here.
They were mostly enjoyable. At one point we were trying to get shots of birds which were flitting around in the trees but there were children running around and screaming and the birds took off.
When we finished the walks we went to Derwent Bridge and got some lunch and headed down to Donaghys Hill to check out the scenery. The walk isn't too long but it is mostly uphill. If you like to get shots of mushrooms this place is good for it. At the lookout you get a three hundred and sixty degree view of the surrounding area. I would recommend that everyone does this walk only if it is a clear day, otherwise you won't see much in the way of the view. You can read more about this walk here.
On the way home I was feeling tired but also exhilarated. The things we had seen this weekend had reinforced why I really love this state and don't want to live anywhere else.
