Tahune Adventure

19th – 21st April

Our good friends Karina and Ged in their TRAKKA Jabiru, met with us at the Summer Kitchen Bakery at Ranelagh. After consuming the best pies ever they took us south to share some of their favourite haunts. 

The Airwalk at Tahune Adventure is a must-visit experience. This 1.6km walk through the forest then onto the Airwalk gave us a birds-eye view amongst the trees from 20 metres above the forest floor. The steel viewing platform, cantilevered some 50 metres over the river, was the crowning glory suspending us above the Huon River with views up and down the river to the confluence of the Picton and Huon rivers. 

Ged, Karina, Steve and Denise on the Airwalk
The joining of the Picton and Huon Rivers
The cantilevered viewing platform over the Huon River.

Bonus – We camped in their carpark that evening and chatted around the campfire eating our dinner until the wood ran out and cold drove us back to our respective vans. The campfire is our brand new, never been used, suspension mesh campfire – a successful purchase!

As we were getting up next morning the staff were getting the kayaks ready. We voted that white water rafting would be more fun than doing the other walks here so we joined the group. 

It was great fun! The guides were surprised by how much water was in the rivers today – “highest it’s been all summer”. We launched upstream on the Picton River and immediately encountered the first of many rapids.

A beautiful river for kayaking / white water rafting
We were supplied with all the gear – wet suits, life jackets and helmets.

The river flow was quite fast with calm sections where we could relax absorbing the beauty of the forest and river, before total focus required on upcoming rapids. I was grateful we didn’t fall in – the water was freezing!  

Continuing a very pretty drive south along the coast through the little fishing town of Dover we’ve pulled up for the night at Southport.

Following our friends as we leave the Tahune
Having visited the most northerly pub in Australia on Thursday Island, it seemed only fitting to include the most southerly pub in our travels.

 Leaving the tall forests around the Tahune we returned north via the forestry roads. These were all gravel roads, but not difficult driving. On the whole it was a beautiful drive through thick forests, but we passed several areas that had been clear-felled and logs were trimmed, stacked and waiting for the truck to collect them. It’s quite devastating what clear-felling does to the country. And yes I know timber from plantations is a renewable source of a product that we all need.
We were grateful today is Sunday so no chance of meeting a logging truck on those narrow roads. 

Back to Dover and we crossed over the highway to take the coastal route. Lots of ‘shacks’ (Tasmanian’s holiday homes – and most definitely not a shack) alongside the beaches and headlands. Then back to the apple, cherry and stone fruit orchards before spending our last evening with Ged and Karina in a virtually empty campsite at Geeveston. 

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