Rediscovering Tasmania - Pieman River

I do not cease to be amazed by the extraordinary beauty of the West Coast of Tasmania. It is rugged, unspoilt and just stunning. I had visited several parts of the west coast, including the Gordon River - a top tourist destination, the Arthur River - more remote and quiet, the several lakes and waterfalls, the mountains etc etc. One needs a lot of days to see it all thoroughly.

One place I had not visited was the Pieman River. It has been on the to-do list for some years, but just did not happen. Well, after Waratah, we drove through the stunning Tarkine Forests to Corinna, which is on the Pieman River and from where one has to cross the Pieman by barge - there is no bridge. It is named 'Fatman' Vehicle Barge and is now the only cable driven vehicular barge in Tasmania. When we arrived at Corinna, the first thing that struck me was, what appeared to me, a film-set, complete with all the appropriate props that one sees in western movies, except for horses and cowboys. Well, that was my first impression.Corinna, once named Royenrine was proclaimed a township in 1894. As a gold mining town in the late 1800s it had two hotels, one of which is still standing. 'The largest nugget of gold ever found in Tasmania weighed 243 ounces (6.89 kilograms) and was found in nearby Rocky River.' (Quote from 'A Wilderness getaway')

Today, the nugget of gold is the Pieman River's outstanding and unspoilt beauty. By the way, it was the explorer, Captain James Kelly who discovered the Pieman River in 1816 and orginally named it the Retreat River. But what a place!

Here we experienced the awesome power of creation in a way that I rarely experienced before. So, let me share just a tiny part of our experience. My personal experience was all the more profound in the context of the emptiness that was part of my life since my 70th birthday in April. It was on the Pieman River that I sensed a release from that emptiness as we traveled this wonderful waterway that included the Savage and Donaldson Rivers, which run into it.

With the regular cruise vessel (MV Arcadia II) out of commission, we were offered a small 8-seater boat and were the only two passengers on a day that was overcast & wet. Being a small boat, we were able to negotiate much further up the smaller Savage & Donaldson Rivers and were ever so grateful that the Arcadia was not operating at the time. Dale, our driver, was a great guy who obviously enjoyed our enthusiasm and our unbridled delight. He was happy to share his own love for the Pieman to the extent that he was late back at Corinna. Instead of 2 hours, we were gone for 2.75 hours. We were just hoping that he would not get into trouble over that. He certainly had two very grateful passengers who were gobsmacked with what he showed us. So perhaps, with these opening words, I should show you some of the magic, but have to warn you that photos do not do full justice nor can capture the absolue beauty we encountered.

But, I should start at the beginning.

The Corinna accommodation is outstanding with beautifully restored miners cottages and the building of new ones with that lovely old 1800s look. I highly recommend it!

The owners did a wonderful job and we enjoyed our 2-bedroom cottage immensely: It was delighfully private with the back verandah facing the bush
and wallaby just hopping around.
We were also on the look out for Tasmanian Devils, but did not see any:After a long day on the road, remembering that we left King Island that morning and spent time in Waratah as well, it was good to relax, facing the bush and hearing the rustling of the wind in the trees, and enjoying each other's company. It was good enough to down a bottle of Tasmanian red wine!

The following morning was time for our big adventure on the river. We rugged up and were glad we did as it was cold on the water, though once under way, we hardly noticed it. Dale, our driver steered us straight to where Huon Pine trees grew in abundance. Having done the Gordon River on a number of occasions, I just expected to see a bit more of the same - and that was always welcome. However, for me, the Pieman River had more Huon Pine than I have seen in any other place. Whereever we looked, we were surrounded by old trees, hundreds of years old, that are unique to our little Tassie. Nowhere in the world are they to be found. They mature only after hundred of years and can go back a couple of millenia. I love the trees and love the timber, which is popular with craftsmen for wood turning.

Above & below, Huon Pine trees, looking so small, but are hundreds of years old!An indication of the weather. It rained, but made for a special mood!The misty clouds added considerably to the atmosphere!

The whole trip was one magic scene after another. At every corner we anticipated variety with reflections, colourful trees, branches and tree trunks here, there and everywhere. We just took it all in and I kept thinking of that great song

'Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art!'

Do yourself a big favour and click on each image to enlarge it and share the full impact of our experience. Some of the detail astounded us (The white spots are as a result of the rain we could not avoid). The following selection of scenes is only a small sample of what we enjoyed:The tour included a visit to Lover's Falls and Dale took us through the rain forest to view and enjoy this fall. We all expected more water at the falls, but what we saw was special enough!

Above: The waterfall finally cascades into the Pieman River, and below, the pattern of the water among the ferns makes for a lovely photo.The isolated Lover's Fall, though not a large waterfall, was spectacular and so ideal in a rain forest setting.

From here, Dale steered the boat up the Donaldson River and once again we were entranced by the beauty and peace of this stretch of water. We were just so impressed with Dale's careful handling of the boat and at the same giving us maximum opportunity to take it all in. He himself was rather surprised how quickly the time went. So, the Donaldson River and you may say, 'More of the same'. Yes, perhaps, but yet so different. So, once again, a small selection of what we took:

Now you have to admit, the above ferns reflecting on the river is great,
and the mood along the river below just quietens the heart!This tree captured my attention and I love its character and how it is shaped. Fallen gracefully!This is about as far Dale dared to go. The rapids, the soft mist, the trees. It all added to the great morning we experienced!Above & below: We had company and were accompanied by this one cormorant

And finally, a scene on the Savage River where I want to return to in the foreseeable future, hire a kayak, and explore more of the Pieman River, the Savage River and the Donaldson River. Plus, a few bush walks won't go astray either.Anything I post after this blog chapter may be very mundane, but I'll try and give you a feast with a difference. I did get carried away with this one a bit and do not apologise. It was just a great adventure.