From wrecked to wild

Queenstown was so appallingly man-wrecked, so barren, on such a vast scale, that I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I could barely stand to stop and take a few photos. The ‘moonscape’ just went on and on. 

Environmental vandalism to rival the Hunter Valley’s open cut coalscape… except Queenstown’s is in the past; the Hunter’s is ongoing.

I later learnt that this devastation is from decades of deforestation, sulphurous fumes from the copper smelters, and topsoil erosion. I am told that some locals resent the small amount of vegetation growing back, as it spoils the now-famous barren look…

I camped near Lake Burbury to recover, and next day headed into Franklin Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

First stop was Nelson Falls, where a gentle and green short walk led to this soothing split waterfall.

I aimed to stop at every short walk chance, and next along the Lyell Highway was Donaghys Hill. Great lookout at the top, but with uninformative signs; poetic verse when I wanted to know what I was looking at. I can only assume it was the Franklin River and Valley I could see. Wilderness, in any case. The much-needed antidote to Queenstown.

On that short steep walk I saw many of these shrubs, which I have now seen elsewhere; I think it is the unimaginatively named Pink Mountain Berry, which could be Leucophophylla juniperiana?

There was a Franklin River picnic area, with a short nature trail. While these all seem to feature lots of moss, the forest is always slightly different.

I note the way the moss is disposed, as on this greenly lumpy trunk, or the size of the fungi that share the trunks.

It’s still all a sort of fairyland to me.

I am to camp at Lake St Clair tonight, which will be a different world again… the other end of the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park.