New signs and interpretation panels are being erected along the track and in the huts. According to a Parks press release there are “new ‘welcome to site’ signs on the approaches to all huts, new noticeboards inside the huts, new signage about emergency and first-aid responses, and better information to explain the remote area toilet systems“.

The new signs are being funded by Overland Track fees, with more signs to be installed within the next six months.

Although I’m yet to see the new signs, I reckon it’s a great initiative. The old signs, while often containing nuggets of good info,  were getting a bit daggy. Hopefully the new signs will increase the understanding and respect hikers have for the region.

People sometimes ask me what they should take on their Overland Track trip, to which I respond, ‘Buy my book you cheap bastards’.

Just kidding.

Although the Overland is a popular hike, it is still a wilderness walk in a region known for its shifts in weather, where the risk can rapidly change from sunburn to frostbite.  Summer snow is not uncommon. For a happy, safe hike you need to be well prepared.

SUGGESTED CLOTHES LIST:

• Hooded, breathable waterproof jacket. This will keep out the wind and rain; thigh-length will keep you drier.
• Waterproof over-pants. Although they can be constricting to walk in, if the weather turns bad they’re invaluable. As with the jacket, breathable ones are best. They can also be worn when walking through prickly vegetation.
• Sturdy hiking boots, in good condition and with good soles and ankle support, as much of the Overland is over rough, uneven ground. Make sure they’re worn in before you hit the track to avoid blisters.
• Good quality hiking socks. Make sure they have no seams in places likely to cause blisters.
• Undies.
• Synthetic or fine merino T-shirt.

• Thermal pants and thermal top. Can be the base layer worn against the skin. In cold weather these will be your new best friends. Polypropylene thermals are effective and reasonably priced but, if you can afford them, Icebreaker or similar merino-wool thermals work over a wider range of temperatures, stay comfortable and resist getting stinky.
• Shorts.
• Collapsible broad-brimmed sunhat.
• Gloves (or else you might be finding another use for your socks).
• Beanie.
• Warm top. The insulating layer, a long-sleeved fleece or woollen jumper.
• A light, long-sleeved shirt with collar for sun protection.
• Loose, comfortable pants.
• Sunglasses.
• Towel. Synthetic hiking towels are small and dry quickly.
• A complete set of camp clothes — pants, socks and top — so you always have something dry to change into at the end of a day’s walk.
• Many hikers would also add gaiters to this list to protect their lower legs when ploughing through prickly vegetation, deep mud or snow. They also offer some protection in the unlikely event of a snakebite.
• In cold weather an extra warm layer, such as a vest, should be considered

Decidious Beech is at its best on the Overland towards the end of April

Although there are huts along the track, hikers need to be self-sufficient – bring the right gear.

SUGGESTED GEAR LIST:
• Backpack. Backpacks have the amazing ability to always be full, so resist the temptation to buy the largest available. For a multi-day hike like the Overland, a pack with a 55–75 litre capacity should be sufficient; the exact size depends on whether you’re walking alone or as part of a group (where there are more people to carry the gear). Make sure your pack is large enough to carry your tent and sleeping bag inside the pack — having large items tied to the outside of your pack isn’t ergonomic and the items are likely to get torn and wet. Some things to look for in a pack include suitable harness length, an effective waist-belt, tough material, good stitching, sturdy zips and convenient pockets and straps.
• Daypack. If you’re planning to do any of the sidetrips then bring a small, collapsible daypack. A daypack allows you to ditch your main pack at a sidetrip junction or hut, while still allowing you to take necessities and keep your hands free for climbing.
• First aid kit. My suggested basic first aid kit has two 10 cm-wide pressure bandages for snakebite, strains or fractures; antiseptic for minor cuts and burns; six Band-aids; tweezers; antihistamines for insect bites; four blister pads; Gastro-stop (or similar); roll of adhesive tape like Leukoplast for preventing blisters; Nurofen pain killer (or similar); two sets of three wound-closure strips; absorbent nonadherent dressing (to stop dressing sticking to wound) and a survival blanket.
• Sunscreen.
• Pack cover to help keep the worst of the rain off your pack and to protect it from animals while on sidetrips.
• Insect repellent.

• Fuel stove and fuel. The national park is a fuel-stove-only area. There is no cooking equipment in any of the
huts.
• Knife, fork and/or spoon. There are lots of lightweight hiking models available.
• Mug and a plate that doubles as a bowl.
• Roll mat. Slim inflatable ones like the Therm-a-Rest brand are the best as they’re small, comfortable and conserve body heat. There are no mattresses in the huts.
• Comfortable camp shoes like sandals, thongs or Crocs.
• Sleeping bag (rated to -5 °C or lower).
• Sleeping bag liner to keep your sleeping bag clean.
• A tough bin bag to line the inside of your pack. The Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair visitor centres sell pack-liners for $5. While a pack cover helps keep your pack dry, adding a pack-liner ensures it.
• Earplugs. Huts are small and snorers are loud.
• Plastic bags to carry out your litter. Also take spare bags of various sizes, including zip locks, which are useful for keeping things dry or isolating dirty gear.
• Torch. LED torches use much less battery power. A head torch keeps your hands free.
• Small trowel (in case you need to dig a bush toilet).
• Toilet paper (there’s none provided on the track).
• Toiletries, including liquid handsanitiser — useful if you need to clean your hands and aren’t near water.
• Tent. Even if you are planning to sleep in the huts, bringing a small tent is strongly recommended. Huts are sometimes crowded and noisy and in an emergency a tent could save your life.
• Some lengths of string or cord allow for flexibility when attaching your tent to the camping platform cables. String is also handy for hanging food-bags from hut rafters: essential for keeping them out of the reach of mice and possums.
• Cigarette lighter and waterproof matches.
• Swiss army knife or similar (they’re just bloody handy).
• 1.5 litre drink bottle (or larger), or a CamelBak-type water dispenser (a water bladder that sits in your pack with a tube allowing you to rehydrate without needing to fumble about for a drink bottle).
• A collapsible two-litre water bladder for storing water while at hut.
• Camera.
• Small repair kit with needle and thread. You can get ones the size of a matchbox for a couple of dollars.
• Compass. Especially for sidetrips like the Labyrinth.
• Pot scourer. With a good scourer you won’t need detergent.
• Whistle. To attract attention in case of emergency.
• A novelty or two in case you’re hutbound by bad weather — a book, pen and paper, crosswords, knitting…

Some other suggestions include a couple of candles, sturdy cloth food bags, hiking poles, playing cards, Personal Locator Beacon, mobile phone (some networks have partial coverage on the track) and GPS.

What gear to bring is a personal choice. Resist the temptation to bring too much: you shoulders, legs and back will hate you. Conversely resist the temptation to travel too light, you don’t want to end up begging to borrow equipment or food you should have packed yourself.

Happy hiking.

Hiking in Argentina is giving me a strong sense of deja vu. It’s early April and the ragged mountain slopes are          enveloped beneath a scarf of beech trees, the leaves turing orange, yellow and red – just like the decidious beech in Tasmania, and at exactly the same time. It is a reminder that southern Argentina shares a Gondwanian history with Tasmania, with many trees close cousins of ours, particualrly their beech tree, Nothofagus pumilio, which looks the splitting image of our Nothofagus gunnii.

The photo to the right is from a hike I did in the Rio Negro Province of Argentina, near the border with Chile. It was an easy 10km hike from the tourist malestrom of Bariloche to the wilds of Refugio Frey, where you can stay the night in the hut, just like the Overland Track. Although there are certain differences between their huts and ours. For starters the refugio is manned year around and provides amazing meals of homemade pasta and cake, washed down with your choice of cold beer or a glass of red (the refugio has supplies helicoptered in every 20 days). There was also a refugio cat, which took a bit of getting used to as there are many birds scuttling about the rocky landscape. There are a series of huts across the mountains (which are around 2000m), making it possible to do a four or five day circuit of the area. The area has a strong German and Swiss history, and it is rumoured several wanted Nazis fled here after the war, helping build the huts as a potential escape route to Chile.

Refugio Frey is also a mecca for rock climbers, with bands of lean youths looking up at the surrounding slabs of rock and planning their routes for the next day. From here it is off to Columbia, hopefully for some more hiking, although it will be sad to say goodbye to Gondwana…

It is great to see the book getting a favourable review in the latest edition of Wild. I really like Wild, not only for the articles, because they give a voice to a range of green groups trying to publicise enivironmental issues such as loggin in East Gippsland or the proposed Tamar Valley papermill.
The book was also given a bit of a write up in Tasmania’s Sunday Examiner on 3 April, as well as a rave in the Western Australian.

Parks and Wildlife has confirmed that the Crater Falls Track has now been upgraded and re-opened.

This is a useful link from Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania:

Track, Campsite and Reserve Closures and Re-openings

P&W advises that it is not complete. But it is a good start, and you can follow up with a call to Cradle Mountain National Park office to confirm the advice.

The Overland Track had a lovely review in the VNPA newsletter, and more reviews to come.

Thanks to the 40 good people who braved torrential rain to enjoy the fuggy warmth of Bogong Equipment for the Melbourne launch of The Overland Track guidebook.

What do they say about the best laid plans? The wild weather prevented the guest speaker, Adam Croser – 25 time Overland Track veteran – from making it to Melbourne. Fortunately Andrew Kelly, Red Dog Books’ publisher, stepped into the breach with his stirring – and completely unbiased – opinion of the book. Thank you Andrew! Then I did my bit, showing a few slides and discussing some of the track’s highlights before we were all released to enjoy the wine, champagne and cabana. Good times!

It was great so many people could make it to the event, and that so many people are considering doing the hike. Do it! You only regret the things you don’t do.

Also, hearty thanks to that king of independent hiking shops Bogong Equipment. Being surrounded by tents and backpacks made it the perfect place for the Melbourne launch. I am now all launched out and are in the process of wrapping myself up for posting to Queensland.

I’ve had some queries about the book’s weight – I understand hikers are loathe to carry unnecessary grams. The book only weights 280g. Minimising the weight was a large factor in the book’s size (18.4×12.5cm), weight considerations also dictated the font size, layout, paper type and number of pages (188). Hopefully I have got the balance about right in terms of information verses weight.

In the past I had been a bit obsessed with pack-weight too. When backpacking around Europe I tore out whole sections out of my Lonely Planet ‘Western Europe’ as I finished with them – goodbye England, Auf Wiedersehen Germany, Adios Spain. These days I’m a bit easier going, figuring a bit of extra weight means a bit of extra exercise. Anyhow, now I’m an author I can’t bear tear out pages, the loss of a single page seems like a terrible crime that leaves a book fatally crippled. At 280g, I hope I don’t see too many pages of my book dumped in dunnies or drifting like tumbleweeds along the track.