The Terrific Tarra Valley, and more

The rare Slender Tree Fern
Cyathea cunninghamii

Friday 31st May

The day dawned fine but windy and I enjoyed my breakfast looking at the pond which featured a few ducks and some ripples but few enough ripples for nice reflections of the trees opposite. The sun promised a little warmth.

Reflection on the duckpond
at Gardenfarm Farm Stay

I tried out my new little solar panel to get a bit more charge into my phone, and while it didn't take it to full charge in the 45 minutes I was using it, it did make a difference.

Given the wind strength, I took my gas stove into the kitchenette to heat water for coffee. The stove doesn't work well in cold and or windy conditions.

Tarra Falls

I chose not to return to the Grand Ridge Road - the Albert River Road which I had travelled on the previous day was obviously little used and there was a real risk of trees down across the road. So I followed Google Maps' advice in relation to a more direct route, and it didn't take long before I was in the incredibly scenic Tarra River Valley. This route was still winding and there was lots of evidence of tree debris on the road. Some roadworkers to whom I spoke, commenting on the beauty of the area in which they were working, wryly pointed out their concern that trees would fall on their heads.

Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk

I was so glad that I had come this way. The river is beautiful, flowing and gurgling over its rocky bed; the valley is narrow and well forested and the sun was lighting the white trunks of the gum trees in a most attractive way. Tree ferns were abundant. The road winds along the side of the river. There is speed limit of 80km/hr which is enthusiastically ambitious! Murphy's law dictates that the best view are always where there is nowhere to stop to appreciate them!

Nothofagus cunninghamii
with 1000+ year old root system

I stopped to admire the Tarra falls, and while the lookout did not provide the best possible view of the falls, I chose not to ignore the warning sign to not proceed beyond that point as the goat track which presumably led to the base of the falls was wet, muddy and precipitous.

Filmy fren growing on tree fern

From there it was not far to the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk which led to Cyathea Falls. I quick diversion to use the facilities had me very wary, as the approach to that building was unbelievably slippery, so I extricated my walking poles from the car for the short walk. It proved unnecessary, the most dangerous section in the area was the approach to the toilet!

Part of Cyathea falls

An information sign at the start of the walk informed readers about the amazing Mrs Healey, a passionate and dedicated park ranger and field collector for CSIRO, contributing to the incredibly extensive species records for the park. Her dedication to the preservation of some of the stands of old growth forest were to her own personal financial loss. However, as I walked this delightful route, I reflected on how much we can be thankful for for those who have advocated, struggled and sacrificed to protect our native forest areas. I, for one, remain grateful for those who still do, despite Tasmania's draconian laws about protest.

More of Cyathea Falls

Interpretations signs along the way were informative, including one identifying a Myrtle Beech - Nothofagus cunninghamii - that had a root system that was probably over 1000 years old.  Wow!  I was also delighted to be informed about the presence of the rare Slender Tree Fern Cyathea cunninghamii.

I returned to the Tara Valley Road and it was not long before I rejoined the Grand Ridge Road and proceeded to the main entrance area of the Tarra Bulga National Park. 

Beautifully lit Eucalyptus trunks

From the Visitor Centre, the walks proceed through forest less pristine then the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk but still impressive in some ways; there were some tall Eucalyptus regnans and these were noticeably taller than the Gunya Tree that I had visited the previous day. One in particular, at 75m tall, was definitely 'three looks tall' in the words of Jonathon's Grandpa Bob.

Complex root system on a Myrtle Beech

The Corrigan Suspension Bridge crossed a rather lovely rainforest gully, enabling me to look down on some perfect treefern crowns.

Eucalyptus regnans
75m tall

There were some lovely fungi along the walk, as well as quite a bit of the epiphytic vine Fieldia sp with its beautiful white flowers.  

Treefern crown from above

Fieldia sp 

I'd consulted with the staff at the visitor center and consequently a visit to Forget Me Not Falls was dropped from my itinerary.  It had only really been a very loose 'maybe' but probably not.

I proceeded along the Grand Ridge Road to maybe visit Bruthen Creek Falls, that being dependant upon the accuracy of Google Maps.

Bruthen Creek Falls was a non-event! It put me down a very narrow road cut out of the hillside, with a precipitous and scrubby drop to the creek below. I got to the point where Maps told me the falls were and there was something that might have been a footpad headed at an improbable angle down the bank. No. Not for me.

I assumed that if I proceeded a little further I would be able to turn around, but not far down the road I encountered a fallen tree encroaching seriously from the cutting side and a major undercut on the creek bed side. I put my reversing skills to the test to reverse back up the hill a couple of hundred metres to a point where I could turn.

I stopped at Stratford (upon Avon) for groceries; when I reached Lindenow the general store looked well and truly shut up and it was not even five o'clock. Good choice re shopping at Stratford.

Google maps misbehaved and took me for a diversion off the A1 and then decided to stop working. I was not impressed. Anyway, I arrived at my comfortable Airbnb within my stated time frame and was greeted by my host David and settled in for the night to relax, enjoy roast vegetables and catch up on a little correspondence and washing.