MOT Tour Day 66 - Western Tiers

We spent the day moving along the Western Tiers - a series of mountain bluffs which form the northern edge of the Central Plateau which dominates so much of Tasmania and keeps it as largely a state of wilderness. We had driven up and past a key member of the bluff group yesterday, when we made the journey up to the great lake. Today, instead of climbing them, we drove along the edge.

Our first stop was our furthest, Mole Creek Karst Caves. Run by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, there are two caves at Mole Creek, although one of them has two chambers, so in effect, three caves. Karst refers to caves consisting of limestone - the classic underground cave formations often seen in caves.  Unfortunately, owing to an injury I sustained a few days ago, I was unable to make the trip into Marakoopa Cave to see the underground rivers - there are two of them - and the glow worms. Sue reports below.

I took the Marakoopa Cave tour today. I mostly wanted to sea the glow worms but the caves were fabulous. Two rivers/ streams run through these caves which make them wet caves and moist enough for glow worms. Seeing and hearing the rivers made it better than most caves I’ve been in. Toward the end of the tour, a large area was darkened and then the ceiling sparkled with blue dots … the bioluminescent glow worms/larva put on a brilliant display. 

Meanwhile, the poor people were back at Earthwater Cafe, a few exciting kilometres back down the hill. I say exciting, because without Sue's back in the car to consider, I could drive the bends they way the Forester deserved. The cafe was nice, although having the first mocha up-ended on me by the wait staff wasn't a good start. When the replacement arrived, I stood well clear and waited till he left before being seated.

Rejoining post the cleaning of my trousers and the gleaning from the cave, we had lunch on a picnic table outside the Parks Office, high up along Marakoopa Creek but still 850 metres below Western Bluff's peak above us. We couldn't see it of course, as the forest is thick at that and many other points along the tiers.

Boy Miles reconstructed hut.

We stopped several times for shots of the bluffs and again in the town of Mole Creek itself to read about and experience one of the reconstructed mountain huts built by Ray Vernon Miles - known locally as Boy when he returned from time working on the Burma Railway for his captures, the Imperial Japanese Army. He worked for the Forestry for a while but found he didn't fit any more, so took to trapping and skin trading, mostly alone in the mountains of the area. As a mark of respect to his memory, the Mole Creek Progress Association, with permission, removed one of the hut and reconstructed in the main street with accompanying information boards.

The sculpture on the Alum Cliffs walk.

A detour to the Alum cliffs, which overlook the Mersey River on some of its lonely trip through the Cog Mountains and eventually entering Bass Straits at Devonport, proved to unsuccessful. The track was listed as being 800 metres, but 950 metres in, we still had a third to go and my knee was already acting well beyond its threshold, so we reluctantly turned back. It had promised a splendid view of the Western Tier but we had already had a good eyeful from the main road. Along the way, at the top of the main ridge, we say another of the wonderful art installations which seem to be very much a part of the Parks and Wildlife statement of purpose. "Soulevement - Triangulaire Point de View" by David Jones, is a large wood triangular shaped (sort of) sculpture with three large rocks, one at each point. These markers and the arms of the sculpture point to the three major physical feature of the area - Quamby Bluff, WEstern Bluff and Allum Gorge.

We compensated at Melita Honey Farm, where I had a delicious Leatherwood ice cream and Sue put some yummy treasure in the bank for later. Its sells lots of wares that are bee/honey related but also provides lots of really interesting information and a live hive ... no jive. This includes a clear shoot between the access point on the outside wall, allowing you to see the bees land and progress into the hive. The staff could not have been friendlier. 

Click here for today's photos.

Back into Deloraine, we were too late for the textiles display at the information centre or the Folk Museum. I was not overly disappointed. There was just time for a Guinness at the Empire Hotel, who are more famous for their platypus tours than their food or drinks service. We walked in at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon and the place was literally empty. A nice day ended and our last in rural Tasmania. Tomorrow we drive up to Devonport, via a coffee with one of Sue's former pottery instructors and a friend from home, Merv Zell.

Devonport until Thursday and then its back to the mainland.