LWC Events Program

Please note the change of date, commencing and finishing one day earlier than originally planned.

On this backpacking walk, I am keen to explore the northern end of February Plains. We will park our vehicles at the locked gate on Borradaile Road and commence our exploration of this area, including Steers Hut No 1 and Steers Hut No 2. The plan is to follow Sardine Creek down to Lake How. It is likely we will camp in different places each night as we explore the area. You are invited to join me for an exploration of this amazing part of the Plains.

The plan is for a bus-assisted, mostly downhill ride from Pine Lake to Lake Huntsman. It is mostly sealed road with a lunch break at the Meander River before we head to Huntsman Lake for a swim to finish. Expect about 45-55 km of leisurely riding.

This will be a weekend base camping at Trial Harbour on the West Coast and will be an opportunity to climb these two new "Poimenas". Ernies Hill will allow us to visit Lake Cumberland and Pulpit Rock and is accessed mostly by 4WD road. Mt Agnew has a steep narrow track through dwarf rainforest but has amazing views of the West Coast and Heemskirk Range. Also the opportunity to relax at the beach, explore and swim. Bring some luxuries for Saturday night.

Bisdee Tier is located 125km south of Launceston near the settlement of Jericho. The tier is a feature of undulating countryside with a mixture of open forest, grassland and a little bit of scrub, which makes it ideal for a cross-country saunter. Located on the tier is Greenhill Observatory, operated by UTAS, and also one of the only communication dishes in the Southern Hemisphere, which can both transmit and receive signals from satellites. From our drop-off point on Lovely Banks Road, we will walk onto the main ridge and follow the ridge to the summit, have lunch close to the observatory, then zig zag across country to finish at our start point. On a clear day there are great views of the Midlands.
The distance will be 10-12km and it will take 4-5 hours to complete the walk. This is a suitable walk for new club members. 

The trip has been shortened from 5 days to 4 days through the use of the Lake St Clair ferry on day 1. There's also been a change of Coordinator.

The new plan is as follows:

• Day 1 – Boat to Narcissus and camp on Cuvier shelf.
• Day 2 – Mt Manfred day walk.
• Day 3 – Camp at Lake Petrarch or further through.
• Day 4 – Mt Othrys on the final day and then head home.

As all four mountains are Abels, details about each of the legs of the route are, of course, to be found in The Abels, Volume 1.

Join us for an old favourite walk up Higgs Track onto Kooparoona Niara / Great Western Tiers.

This walk is good value for only an hour’s drive. We cross the very pretty Dale Brook, then work up a sweat, steadily climbing the Tiers through beautiful myrtle, sassafras and celerytop forest to the sound of the nearby brook. The track is reasonably well made, although moderately steep in places.

We are rewarded by emerging onto open country at the top of the Tiers (Mountains of the Spirits), with excellent views looking back towards Dairy Plains and Deloraine. We will have a peek at the well-maintained Lady Lake Hut and hopefully have a restorative swim in nearby Lady Lake. An option, depending on our progress and the weather, will be a short detour west across open country to get views of Lake Balmoral. This section is off-track, but very open grassland. We return by the same route. 

This is a summer walk so bring your bathers!

This is a short excursion to our closest National Park for the Launceston Cup Public Holiday. We will leave Newstead College at midday and travel to the Ben Lomond Ski Village Day Shelter. It is mostly pleasant alpine walking with a short scree section towards the summit cairn. It is a great introduction to alpine plateau adventures. It will be less than an hour's walk to the top for extensive views of our North East. Afternoon tea (late lunch) will be leisurely. Expect about two hours of walking or about five kilometres. Please only register if you are 100% certain that you will participate on the day!

This will be a relaxing and social weekend away and an opportunity to complete some different walks around the Cradle area depending on the weather conditions.

An 8 berth cabin at Waldheim has been booked for Friday and Saturday night at a cost per person of $73 (on the basis that 8 attend). The cabin is equipped with two bedrooms each with two sets of bunks (with mattress) and a common room with fridge and cooking facilities. Toilet and shower facilities are across the road and shared with the other cabins.

There are so many walk options, but as we have time we will try a longer walk on the Saturday, such as the circuit of Cradle Mountain, visiting Linden Tarns and Benson Peak or head up past Marions Lookout to go off-track out west on to the Cradle Plateau to do some exploring. 

On Sunday, having packed up we may walk the Pencil Pine Track or Hounslow Heath Track before heading home.

This is a classic paddle. Some may like to stay the night before or after. Please note that we will meet at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre car park at 6:00 am. There is limited parking at Dove Lake so we will need to use the kayak trailer and limit the number of vehicles that we take into the National Park. Please do not register for this event unless you are 100% committed to attending as spaces are limited. The plan is to paddle the lake in a clockwise direction and then complete a second circumnavigation anti-clockwise. There may be time to visit Lake Gairdner on the way back to civilisation.

A poor weather forecast together with an extended power failure resulted in the cancellation of this trip in October 2025, so here it is again.

On the Saturday the plan is to walk between Petal Point and Lyme Regis at Little Musselroe Bay around the north east tip of Tasmania. A vehicle shuffle will allow us to carry only day packs. This will provide an opportunity to explore the Luemerrernanner / Cape Portland area and all the various beaches and headlands on either side of it. We’ll establish camp at the Parks campground at Lyme Regis (we’ll need to bring our own water). On the Sunday we’ll return to Petal Point but this time head SW along Boobyalla Beach on Ringarooma Bay, with the aim of getting as far along the beach as we can. Expect up to 16km of walking each day on generally relatively easy terrain so this trip should be suitable for reasonably fit beginners. Members are welcome to join us for just one of the two days if they wish (but they'll obviously need to provide their own transport or share with someone else just coming for the day).

We will commence this ride with a descent of the Sideling from the lookout, then follow the quiet country roads, Sledge, Koomeela and Oak Dene through West Scottsdale. We'll stop for lunch there before riding down to Bridport for a swim and icecream. Should be a fun, enjoyable day out with full bus support.

Western Bluff is Abel 31 and is 1420m in elevation. The walk is 14km in total with much of the walking being above 1250m in elevation. The walk commences from the Lake MacKenzie Road. The walk encounters some thick scrub and a boulder field, before crossing to a trig point via a rocky ridge with the summit being reached in about 3 hours. I am hoping that we are granted a clear day and views of the surrounding mountains will be expansive. Please come prepared for all weathers. Experience on scree and in scrub is essential. I look forward to your company.

Come and join TBUG for the Tweed/Retro Ride. Meeting at 10:00am at City Park. Bring a retro bike and wear Tweed or decorate your current bike in Retro. This is a fun event of 5-8 km. There will be refreshments afterwards at Boags Brewhouse. In the past there has been a $10 entry fee. This event is the start of Bike Week. For more details check out the TBUG website.

A club favourite, the Mini Bungles are a series of sandstone cliffs and pagodas located close to Poatina village. Featuring banksias, mosses and open eucalypt forest and awesome views, on a clear day over the plains to the north towards Launceston. We will need to carry all of our drinks and be prepared for some very steep climbing and descending. Don't forget the cameras. 

Rajah Rock is located close to Avoca. Today's walk will be a circuit involving some steep climbing and descending, featuring open eucalypt forest, rock slabs and boulders and 'huge' views over the Fingal Valley. We will hopefully organise a car shuffle, but if not we will have to endure a 3 kilometre road bash at walk's beginning (calling for volunteers). Should be a great day.

The plan for this SW adventure is to base camp at Teds Beach near Strathgordon and complete day trips on Lakes Pedder and Gordon depending on the weather conditions. If the weather is unsuitable for paddling we will walk so come prepared for both. There are several Poimenas in the area together with Mt Sprent. Please contact the coordinator before registering if you need to borrow a kayak.

Mt Duncan at 681 metres is the highest point in the Dial Range, just south of Penguin. This will be a coastal forest walk using a mixture of 4WD tracks and walking tracks. Starting from the Mt Gnomon carpark we will follow a 4WD track to a walking track which approaches the feature from the south. From the summit we will move in a westerly direction to join the Tall Trees Track which follows the Dial stream before cutting back to join a 4WD track which leads back to the carpark. On a fine day there will be good views of the Dial Range, Mt Roland and the North Coast. Distance 12 km.

A beautiful but challenging walk with steep sections and scratchy vegetation. Beautiful rain forest on the lower approaches and alpine environment on the higher reaches. The walk involves 1000m+ of elevation gain and a few ups and downs so we can expect a decent workout.

The plan is to drive down from Launceston on Saturday and camp somewhere close to the start of the walk.  We will make an early start on Sunday so as to drive back to Launceston the same day. Some people may choose to arrive a day earlier or leave a day later so we could have an alternative meeting time and place (e.g. Geeveston) by mutual agreement.

The access road is blocked some distance from the start of the track. Accounts of additional walking required vary from 1.5km to 2.6km. We can expect the return walk to take around 10 hours.

In case the weather is unfavourable on Sunday but ok on Saturday, we could drive down from Launceston late Friday afternoon and do the walk on Saturday.

Alternatively, if the weather is good over the two days, we could start earlier on Saturday and camp at Steanes tarn around 250m below the Picton summit. This would be a nice option but does mean climbing around 800m with a full pack. Please don't hesitate to contact the coordinators if you have any questions even prior to registrations.

There are a few approaches to the summit of Mt Blackwood at 1326m. We’ll start this walk from the last switchback corner on the Poatina Road. There’s an old hydro road that we’ll follow that zigzags up to the plateau’s edge. From here it’ll be 2km of off-track walking with scrub and rocks looking for the best route to the summit. Depending on how long this takes we can explore a bit and do a circuit on top before retracing steps back down the old road.

Departing 6:30am we will drive through Mole creek into the Mersey Valley and up Urqs loop to the new car park which is 2 km from the old car park then follow the track up through montane forest through the gap in the cliffs visible from Mole Creek and onto the Western Bluff Plateau to the summit for lunch, about 8km climbing 800m. We will return traversing the cliff edge to a great view from the western-most of the two bluffs visible from Mole Creek then drop down to the track to return. Western Bluff is over 1400m so be prepared for any weather. If the forecast is bad there will be a lower level alternative.

This picturesque midweek walk along the Wilmot River will follow Lucy's Track along the eastern side as far as Ellis Flats, at which point we cross the river and then return via Dooleys Track. Hopefully the weather will be warm enough for us to stop for a swim of two on the way!

A relaxed start today should have us walking at around 10am on the climb past Trappers Hut, then on to George Howes Lake for lunch. Off-track walking will take us to our beautiful campsite at Lake Wilson for two nights. Day 2 will find us with daypacks on an exploratory trip to climb Mersey Crag. The plan is to explore the pencil pine forest on the south facing slopes of the Clumner Plateau, returning to camp possibly via a different route. Day 3, our route out can be tracing our inward path or the longer walk via Lake Thor. This is an amazing area, gorgeous lakes and pencil pine forests. Generally the off-track bits are not too taxing unless we get it wrong.

Both Coordinators have hiked into the Western Arthurs, 3^rd time lucky, hoping for better weather conditions to reach all three summits. PWS booking system is limited to 6 persons per booking, hence Pending Approval required due to having only four members spots available.

Day 1: Exit time from Launceston mid-afternoon on Friday 13^th. Our 4h drive to Huon Campground for our first night.

Day 2: Saturday 14^th – approx. 18km with 1000m elevation. After a side trip to Mt Hesperus, our track will lead us down to Lake Cygnus to set up camp.  11+/- h day.

Day 3: Sunday 15^th – We will hike to the furthest Abel, being Mt Sirius, then across to Mt Orion with Mt Hayes being our last Abel. Heading back down to our campsite at Lake Cygnus to celebrate our adventure.

Day 4: Monday 16^th – Early rise to pack up our tents, then it’s all downhill - 1000m descent. Early start also eliminates the midday heat of McKays Trail (approx. 5h). Then the 4 hour drive home.

Alerts: Rainfall leading up to our trip may create concerns of Junction Creek levels. This event will not proceed if high wind gusts and/or rain is predicted. We have a Plan B if needed.  

Transport: 2 x cars required + 2 passengers per car.

Please bring $55 cash for your driver.

Gear: If you have hiked with me before, you should all know what to bring! Definitely wearing hiking-in shorts!

Tents: Some campsites have rubber holed matting style floor mats that I found really awkward to use with tent pegs. I am yet to research those “fishbone pegs”. There are a couple of regular camp platforms, however our last trip into Lake Cygnus noted many revegetation areas with no camping signs. No camping permitted beside the lake.

Toileting: It is essential to follow Leave No Trace Principles; you must bring your Poo Tube or suitable container to bring home your waste matter. Junction Creek and Lake Cygnus have drop loos, however being the end of summer hiking season… you wouldn’t want to use them!

Food: 3 x breakfasts, 3 x lunches, 3 x dinners, bring along a Saturday & Sunday night treat!

Cheers

Karen

This adventure to our capital city will include a visit to Salamanca Market for breakfast, summit track walk from the Springs to Kunanyi / Mt Wellington for lunch with views and afternoon tea at Sandy Bay Beach (some may like a swim) before finishing back in our city with pizza at Du Cane Brewing. It will be a longish day but with a difference. The return walk from the summit to the Springs will be via the Organ Pipes Track. We could make it even more of an adventure for those wanting to, by bringing your bikes and riding down from the Summit to the Springs.

It has been some time since our Club has visited the Tasmanian Arboretum near Devonport. This event should suit most Club members. LWC is a member with a couple of memory trees to honour our former LWC Life Members. Some other Club members have memory trees for some of their family. It is a very pleasant environment with a range of tree species from around the world, some of them critically endangered. There is a prominent lake with platypus and birds. Bring a picnic and be very pleasantly surprised by this gem not far from our third city.

The plan is to ride from the Steppes to Oatlands vià Interlaken. Expect about sixty kilometres of undulating gravel roads. We will lunch close to Interlaken. This is spectacular highlands country. Any hills can be negotiated on the bus.

Bring your USB to tonight's club meeting. 

At 1188 metres Mt Arthur is mountain number 109 on the Abels list. Starting at the end of Mountain Road near Lilydale, the walk is approximately 10km with a climb of 642 metres and should take 5-6 hours. There is an interesting cairn at the summit which was built in the 1800s as a survey marker for north-east Tasmania. On a clear day there are stunning all-round views from the top.

Starting in Legerwood, we ride mostly on a quiet road to Branxholme for coffee, then pick up the easy/beginner MTB trails. Valley Pond Branxholm Derby Link introduces features such as easy berms and rollers, and it follows the Ringarooma River. There are giant manferns along this shady trail and the opportunity to spot a platypus at Valley Ponds. Then on to Derby for a loop trail of the lake.

Finish at the lake for a relaxing swim at the beach.

Note - the floating sauna was already booked out, so sorry, no sauna this trip. 

I like to make the most of a weekend and I am hoping to cover off three Abels in the one standard weekend. Leaving Launceston at 5pm on the Friday night we will drive to the start of the Arm River Track. We will arrive at Pelion Hut about midnight and quietly set up camp. Saturday morning we will head up the Overland Track with day packs to Pelion Gap the climb Mt Ossa, the highest mountain in Tasmania at 1617m. Confidence on rocks is important for this mountain. Given that we still have daylight savings we will return to the Hut then embark upon Mt Oakleigh at 1286m. After a comfortable evening in the vicinity of Pelion Hut we will hike out the Arm River Track and climb Mt Pillinger on the way out at 1270+m. A reasonable level of fitness is required for this two Abels in a weekend adventure and please come prepared for all weather eventualities. I look forward to your company.

Join me on a 6km return day walk to Quamby Bluff, which sits at a height of 1227m with 360 degree views of the surrounding area. We leave from the car park at the Fairy Glade on the Highland Lakes Road and walk across farmland before entering the forest. The walk includes a 100 metre boulder field, a steep rocky section through a saddle, around rocks, and across low growing vegetation to reach the trig point. We will enjoy our lunch with extensive views. Expect a height gain of 511m and around four hours of walking. Come prepared for all weather conditions - it can be very exposed on top.

The Long Marsh Probation Station and Dam is located off McKays Road, which branches off the Lake Leake Road. We will explore the Long Marsh Dam, built by convicts in the 1840s on the Macquarie River. The incomplete dam, nearby Convict Probation Station ruins, a weir, and a grave all make for an interesting exploration in a beautiful forest. On our return to Launceston, we will have time to stop at Campbell Town for an afternoon tea stop. Join me for a special day out.

Join me for a walk in the fantastic Cataract Gorge right on the door step of central Launceston. Meet at the Alexandra Suspension Bridge on the pool side of the First Basin for a 9:30am start. Be prepared for steps and uneven ground. Bring a drink and check the weather forecast prior to the walk. We will have morning tea at the First Basin Café at the conclusion of the walk.

We will take the 9 am ferry from Lake St Clair to Narcissus (please note the current fare is $55 each way). From there the plan is to head north on the Overland Track for a short way to the Bowling Green (this is permitted as we are not going past a second node) where we will head up onto the Traveller Range. We will find somewhere nice to camp near Orion Lakes. From here we will explore the nearby lakes and climb The Gatepost. We will have Sunday morning to explore before we pack up and descend back down to The Overland Track and back to Narcissus where we will catch the 3.30 ferry back to Lake St Clair.

This should be a lovely relaxing weekend with plenty of opportunities to enjoy a dip.

Ben Nevis is a classic day walk in our North East. It will be a leisurely start time of 9:30 am from Newstead College. It is consistently uphill to the plateau for views towards Flinders Island. This is where we will have a late morning tea before a leisurely one kilometre alpine plateau walk to the summit. The views are extensive and hopefully the weather will allow us a leisurely lunch break before returning to our vehicles. Parts of the track nearing the plateau are starting to become overgrown so there are a couple of scrubby sections making this an easier Grade 3 rather than a harder Grade 2 adventure.

This will be more of a skills event focussing on paddling strokes and bracing with a short around the reservoir in an anti clockwise direction. There are usually plenty of birds to view as we explore.If you need to borrow a kayak please contact me BEFORE registering.

This ride will start at Hawley and follow the shared path to Squeaking Point. Then we will be on the Frankford Highway before turning onto the Bakers Beach Road to Narawantapu National Park. Before we reach the Park we will detour to Eagle Point Beach. If the weather is suitable a swim to finish is an option. Expect about 50 km on mostly sealed roads.

LWC 2026 AGM

As all positions are declared vacant, the Committee welcomes and encourages all our members to participate in our club Annual General Meeting.

For our club to continue to be successful in providing club activities, safe transport, social events, a safe environmental footprint, IT support, historical legacy, encouraging and supporting new coordinators, we need you, a club Member, to become actively involved on the Committee and sub-committees. 

This AGM will require multiple nominations as several familiar faces who have volunteered for numerous years will be stepping aside to allow a new and fresh Committee to implement new ideas. 

With the support of your fellow Committee Members, can you volunteer your time for 12 months? 

Please contact any of our existing Committee to discuss what the role description entails in the role that you would like to be nominated.

Ragged Jack is often overlooked as a destination in favour of other trips at Ben Lomond National Park. The views are worth the effort. It is a harder Grade 3 event due to the large scree slope. Expect 2.5-3.0 hours each way with plenty of photo opportunities. The walk is initially steadily up following an old logging track before embarking on the scree.