Annual Report for 2016 Year

One of the motivations behind the work of the Friends of Mount Field is to make bushwalking in the park a nicer experience. Most of our volunteers enjoy bushwalking and so we get a direct benefit which is quite an encouragement to do the work. Working there allows more time to look about and soak up the beauty of the place than when passing through on a walk.

The year ended on a high with success in gaining substantial grant, from the Tasmanian Community Fund, to repair the badly damaged Windy Moor. Something that has been on our wish list for years and is one spot that Head Ranger, Brendan Moodie, has wanted to have done since he arrived at the park. At the beginning of 2016 we received funds from the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife to fix a notoriously wet location on the Mount Field East track. This made a huge difference and there has been lots of appreciation received from walkers.

Still on grant funds, this time for hut repair and maintenance at Lake Belcher and K Col has had the group racing to get the work done before the due completion date.

Time, of course, was spent on the routine track maintenance, some work necessitated by damage from the winds of winter. One of the delights of the year was adding in a rustic seat by the shore of the lovely Beatties Tarn, now just a short 10 minute walk off the track to Lake Nicholls along a really good track that we reopened during 2015.

Something of a new experience this year was working with the kids from Westerway primary School in tree planting. It is part of the Wilds’Cool programme and seems to be working well. Another area of planting, this time with an NRM south grant, was to plant out a degraded area beside the car park and new track to Junee Cave.

All this has come about because of the fabulous crew of volunteers that make up the Friends of Mount Field. Not only that, but we have obtained funds totalling over $100,000 for the park and in 2016 contributed 842 hours of work worth $26,000. Since inception the Friends of Mount Field have given 6593 hours valued at $195,000.

Mount Field also celebrated 100 years of becoming a national park during 2016 with the standout being the huge crowd who attended the Fagus Festival over two superb weather days in April.