By the time this walk goes ahead, the shortest day will have just come and gone, so a great idea to have a walk closer to home, with the opportunity for a warm drink during a break in the walk.
Starting from Duck Reach, we head down past the "second basin" where the river broadens around what becomes an island during floods, to the First Basin. There will be time for coffee and a snack at the historic Cliff Grounds tearooms (Gorge Restaurant) before the walk resumes, up Snake Gully and following fire trails back to the northern side of the gorge above Duck Reach. Possible further exploring in that area before the steep descent to the old power station, with its historic interpretation information, and across the suspension bridge before the steep climb back to the car park, before we head our separate ways for lunch. Total walk distance is about 5 km, all on well-formed tracks. Suitable for energetic children, but not suitable for prams, strollers or wheelchairs. People with those needs could link up with the group during the time at the Basin area.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone John Potts on 0418 576 011. The departure time is 9 am from Door of Hope car park, although most people will likely meet at Duck Reach car park (West Launceston/Summerhill side in Corin St. NOT the Reatta Rd. Hoo Hoo Hut car park!) by about 9:15 am. If you wish to meet with the group at any other place, please arrange with the leader. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time. However, you still need to contact the walk leader, if intending to walk. The leader should be notified of any other people you intend to bring along. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time.
To access this area from northern Tasmania: The walk is in the Launceston area. See notes above about car park.
Warnings:
The following codes [from our 2022 walks calendar] apply:
S Steep incline for at least part of the way
For this walk, there are no special clothing requirements apart from normal precautions against cold or rain (carry a raincoat, please!). Solid shoes or sneakers (with reasonably thick socks to protect against blisters) should be fine, and gaiters are not needed.
Map details:
For this walk, there are some good maps in Trails in and around Launceston, a brochure which can be downloaded from https://yourvoiceyourlaunceston.com.au/2773/documents/3921
See (and perhaps print) page 10 for the route we will follow.
No peakbagger points on this walk! For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm The same web page contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.
No gpx or Google Earth tracks for this walk. Various websites show walks in the Cataract Gorge reserve including Duck Reach and Kings Bridge (6.7km), Cataract Gorge Reserve, TAS > Trail Hiking Australia, although that walk also includes the section from Kings Bridge to First Basin.
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions of tracks for Boots N' All Walks: Click here to download.