Background

The project

Approximately 189,000 visitors visit Mount Field National Park each year, which is Tasmania's 3rd most visited National Park. Many of these visitors are attracted to Mount Field due to its diversity, physical attractions and the varying natural environments found within the National Park. Mount Field East is a popular alpine day walk that leaves from the Lake Dobson Road. This walking track allows visitors to appreciate varying landscapes of glacial lakes, high peaks, extensive views, snow gum woodland, alpine moorlands and herbfields, and deciduous beech (Fagus), Australia's only naturally occurring deciduous tree which attracts many visitors during Autumn.

The walking track is routed across Windy Moor, an alpine moorland, and is badly eroded, boggy and considerably braided. Sections of the track become a stream from rainfall and snowmelt which hastens the degradation of this fragile and beautiful area. The condition of the track is a deterrent to Tasmanian and other visitors who wish to visit this area.

Quite a few endemic plants grow where the track passes and they are being damaged by the high levels of traffic. The delightful cushion plant families are particularly impacted and are being broken down until only bare earth remains; recovery of these plants is slow in such an exposed environment. In total the moorland crossing extends for over 1 kilometre and the plan is to upgrade the walking track to an all-weather boardwalk track raised above the current natural surface. All of the moor is damaged and vulnerable to further degradation and this project will protect all of this area. Prior to and after the moorland the track has been upgraded by the Friends of Mount Field using local rock, but this method is not feasible because rock would have to be sought elsewhere and flown to the site. It is also quite time consuming which would make the overall cost quite high.

For this current project a helicopter is vital as it is physically impossible to carry the timber and some equipment the 1.8 kilometres to the site.

Timber has been used to harden other tracks, both at Mount Field and in other parks and reserves for many years and has proven to be very effective in allowing vegetation to recover. On this track and on Tarn Shelf previously boardwalked sections now have plants growing up to the edge of the timber and even spreading onto it. It is also known to greatly improve the experience for walkers as one of the consistent complaints coming from them is the difficulty of negotiating deep mud and the wet bogs that result.

Reason for the project

There is a twofold purpose behind the project.

1. To provide a vastly enhanced and less risky experience for people walking in the area. Currently visitors are forced to locate suitable spots to step during the whole crossing, in order to avoid the mud and water, which minimises time to appreciate the surroundings. With this need removed visitors will be in a far better position to view the scenery, which after all is one of the reasons people visit.

2. To better protect the fragile natural flora on the moorland and to enable rehabilitation of the damaged land. Currently walkers damage new areas as they attempt to avoid the mud and water on the track. With the damage halted and gradual rehabilitation that will take place, walkers will have both a vastly more attractive environment and hopefully better able to appreciate the flora.

The repair will offer a unique walk in a threatened alpine landscape permitting visitors, including educational groups, to enjoy rare and threatened species including cushion plants, snow gum woodland, rare grasses and extensive views across to the high mountains of Mount Field. There are very few opportunities within Tasmania to easily access this special environment.