Fenton Track
Bridge and Track near Lake Fenton
The Story
One of the major walking destinations in the alpine area of Mount Field National Park is Mount Field East. Walkers going there now have a vastly improved start to their journey. The track begins at Lake Fenton and the initial, mostly uphill, part used to be difficult to negotiate. Now thanks to a Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife grant, walkers can nowadays pass safely well above the mud and water, following bridge construction and track refurbishment.
The initial phase of the project was to bridge Lady Barron Creek, the only outlet creek from Lake Fenton. It is quite an unusual situation as the flow at this point is intermittent simply because water is taken out of the depths of the lake by a siphon pipe and then put back into Lady Barron Creek a short distance downstream. Although Lake Fenton was a natural lake it was dammed with a small concrete wall in 1954. Where the track crosses the creek just below the dam there is usually little water running, however this changes when the lake is full and the overflow enters the creek. This can see quite large amounts of water rushing down.
Since getting the grant the Friends of Mount Field with the coordination of the Parks and Wildlife Service got off to a flying start and had completed the bridge within a month of receiving the money. In early January 2016, the track to Mount Field East starting at Lake Fenton was closed for two days whilst a contractor with heavy machinery removed the existing pipes and cleaned out the creek bed at the crossing point. A few metres downstream the debris that had built up from past flooding was removed as part of the work. The old pipes were re-seated and two new pipes added to allow for better flow of water. Boulders were added on top followed by gravel to provide a smooth walking surface.
Prior to the project walkers had to go down over a few small boulders, walk on the top of two cement pipes and then ascend again via more boulders to reach the creek bank. The completion of work raised the track level somewhat and it became a smooth almost flat crossing. However, despite the work being done with engineering advice it did not allow for the enormous flooding that occurred in July 2016 which resulted in everything bar the pipes being washed away. We were back at square one.
Ironically a much higher and secure bridge will be the final outcome. Because the bridge work had been substantial it was able to be the subject of a successful insurance claim. It was deemed that the replacement would need to be a truss bridge with the pipes to be removed from the creek to give unimpeded water flow. Overall a very agreeable outcome from what seemed a real setback. The new bridge was installed during April 2017.
The major part of the project was the construction of a board walk over the existing walking track. This track has a 100-metre section that has become eroded and consequently now has a considerable flow of water in all but very dry spells and has some boggy stretches. The wet area was unsightly, made walking unpleasant and muddied the water that ended in the drinking water catchment. The board walk overcomes this by improving walker comfort and protecting the environment. This water eventually flows into Lake Fenton, which supplies 20% of the water for the greater Hobart area. Any action that helps the water quality is most beneficial. A further section of track beyond this area is also degraded and muddy and was similarly boardwalked,, taking the overall length to 145 metres.
The work resulted from a grant from Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife for the purchase of timber to upgrade the start of the Mount Field East track
The replacement bridge over Lady Barron Creek
An insurance claim following the destruction of the previous one allowed this higher level construction
Bridge and Track Project
The Development Stages
The first job was staining the planking recently installed at the start of the Mount Field East walking track. Previously we had bought a brown coloured stain but Brendan, the Ranger in Charge, thought a darker colour would give a better blend with the environment. Chocolate was our selection but when applied it at first seemed a funny grey then quickly went almost black. We did think that Brendan might not be too happy with the colour, but he did want it darker and darker it certainly was. On returning a couple of hours later it was a relief to see it had dried to a dark sort of brown, and did in fact look quite good. We will now have to wait to hear what Brendan thinks of it; hopefully he will give it the OK.
All the new sections had wire placed down on them to reduce the chances of people slipping. A staple gun was used and it did make a good job of it and probably had an advantage over hand nailing.
The worst section of track at the start of the Mount Field East track was done in Autumn 2016 and because of the savings made we could purchase additional timber to extend the boardwalk. After delivery and allowing time for it to dry, this batch was carried to the site in November last year. Some of it was installed by PWS staff and Friends of Mount Field volunteers in that month, but this still left more to do.
With reasonable weather forecast, volunteers and Parks staff took up the effort again and completed a section up to a well rocked part of the track. Timber not needed here was moved to a location further up the track and soon after mid-day installing this section began. Both sections needed several steps which makes for slower progress, but the work was completed by knock off time.
In a joint operation with PWS, several lengths of timber were installed at the end of planking that was put down in March 2016. the next section to do will have several stepped parts due to the gradual incline of the track.
Part of a grant from Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife was used to purchase timber to add to that already laid at the start of the Mount Field East track and it needed to be moved to the site. On a delightfully sunny morning it was ferried from the workshop at the park entrance and then the hard work of carrying the planks commenced.
Each plank had to be taken about 250 metres up the track and required two people for each one. There were five volunteers and three parks staff, making a nice round number and meant four trips for each pair. Even so it was still quite an effort for most of us.
The timber will be used to extend the hardening of a further wet area on the track, which is also an area of extensive tree roots that have become exposed. Walking over the earlier section is already a vast improvement and this will add another 50 metres or so for the benefit of both walkers and the environment.
15 July 2016 Bridge destroyed by floods
September 2016 Additional timber received
Once the bills were received we realised that we had enough funds to harden the next section of track. Additional timber and materials were ordered and the timber was received in September and stored to allowing drying.
26 October 2016 New timber was stained to see how it blended in to the environment. An experiment desired by PWS.
Between the 14 and 17 March contractors with some assistance from PWS staff installed planking on the area. In fact we oversupplied timber and still have enough to add a couple more 6 metre sections, which hopefully can be done in the coming months. Wire netting was also added to reduce any slipperiness for walkers.
The work was carried out during dry weather, but the day after it was finished there was significant rainfall and the benefit of the project was very evident when visiting on the Saturday. It is also reducing the risk to drinking water as it flows into Lake Fenton.
Photo of planking at a very wet and muddy area
Contractors were scheduled to start laying the timber for the wet area shortly after the start of the track to Mount Field East. It was imperative to get that timber onsite so the work could commence and along with two parks staff we carried it from the old Lake Fenton car park up the track for some 200 metres. Now 200 metres might not sound very far, but each plank of timber is mighty heavy and it takes two people to carry each one. It was also compounded by the uneven rocky bit of track plus the bends to be negotiated, but it all got there after some 2 ½ hours of solid effort.
Two extra pipes added to creek, debris downstream removed and rocks and gravel placed on top of the pipes to forma bridge. Work done by contractor using an excavator
Page from FNPW Autumn 2016 journal page 10
Article in FNPW website click at left for the website view
Improving Access to Mount Field National Park
National Parks are for all of us to enjoy. However, some areas can be a challenge, with difficult terrain in remote areas discouraging the less adventurous to visit. But these are sometimes the most pristine and biologically diverse places in our protected Parks system.
FNPW provided over $11,000 in funding to improve access to Mount Field National Park in Tasmania. The alpine area of this popular park attracts a large number of visitors; however, this has led over the years to a degraded track prone to flooding.
More visitors will now be able to visit this pristine wilderness area thanks to newly installed bridge and boardwalks, which will protect both walkers and the environment.
This project focused on the start of a popular walking track at Mount Field National Park. The construction and maintenance of a new bridge over Lady Barron Creek and a new 145 metre boardwalk over a wet area after the creek crossing has significantly improved access to the trail.
The Lady Barron Creek is crossed just below Lake Fenton, an area subject to flooding. Each year hundreds of people of different ages and fitness levels make this crossing. The improved bridge has made it much easier and safer for walkers and has improved the water quality of the creek, which supplies 20% of the water for the greater Hobart area.
The surrounding area of the project site is home to the Deciduous beech (Nothofagus gunnii), or fagus as it is best known. It is the only cold-climate native deciduous tree in Australia. The new bridge and boardwalk allows visitors to view these popular trees, particularly in autumn when the fagus turns a spectacular range of autumn colours.