Video: The South Coast Track! | A unique experience in my life.

On the edge of leaving for my next destination and my next big hike in Australia, I finished editing the travel video for the South Coast Track. I’m more than proud to share the video below. The South Coast Track was my last stop in the south of Tasmania, and it was simply unique and breathtaking! I’ll be writing some travel guides on hiking this fantastic track later. For now, I’m happy to let the video speak for itself. 

The South Coast Track

The South Coast track is well-known as one of the great wilderness walks in the world. This hike is as remote as you can get it, and once you start, there are only two options, finish it or walk back. The 85km hike, starting from the lonely airstrip in the middle of the wilderness at Melaleuca, goes to the first signs of civilisation at the end of the walk, Cockle Creek. In between, there is only one path you can follow.

Besides, It’s called the ‘coast’ track, but it is way more than that; with multiple challenging passages, rowing a river and two mountain ranges to cross, it is one of Tasmania’s best adventures. Add river crossings, wet feet, steep climbs, no facilities, camping between wildlife and a heavy, fully self-sufficient backpack including everything you possibly need for a week or more, and you get the idea!

My adventure started with a plane from Hobart to the airstrip in Melaleuca. It was a tiny plane, just the pilot and two passengers for my flight. Luckily for me, I got to sit in the cockpit! The views over Hobart and the South West National Park were stunning and already worth the trip, and that was the start. I had yet to arrive.

After an hour of flying, the plane dropped us at the airstrip. My fellow passenger left for the hike straight away to make it to the first campsite before dark, and the aircraft returned to Hobart. There I was, alone in the wilderness. The next town was about 85km away, and I could only walk there or wait until the next plane could pick me up again. It was me, my backpack, nothingness, and a path to follow for the next week.

Hiking the South Coast Track

I admit that I was fortunate and had perfect weather for most of this hike. The South Coast Track is famous for extreme weather, and yes, I had two days out of seven when the weather wasn’t the best. But it wasn’t that bad either, and it made my walk much easier than I expected!

Those deep river crossings with flood streams are accessible when the sun is shining and there is little rainfall. Besides, the hard-to-find clean water in the muddy streams suddenly seemed a reasonably easy job. The wind blew me away, and it was considered a lucky day in the mountains. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like if the weather was terrible on top of those mountain ranges.

The good things on my hike dominated the bad stuff. Even with such good weather, the South Coast Track was sometimes challenging. I got stuck in the mud up to my knees more than once. Trust me, if you are alone with a heavy backpack in the middle of nowhere, that isn’t that much fun.

In addition, the only day I had dry shoes for the whole walk was my first day. On the worst day, weather and walking-wise, I lost the path in the middle of the rainforest. It was raining very heavily. I had just crossed the highest mountain and was making my way down through the forest, and suddenly couldn’t find the trail anymore. It was terrible and horrifying for a couple of hours, but I followed a stream I had passed earlier and luckily found the path again.

My final thoughts

As much as I loved the feeling of being alone on this track, I was also happy to get to see other people. Firstly, I met up halfway through the hike with the person on the same plane as me. Later in the hike, we even had a little group together. Although everybody walked alone, it was always a lovely reunion at the campsites. Everybody shared their little treats, from pancakes to a sip of whiskey. The scenery was fantastic, but sharing it with the other hikers always makes it unique. The South Coast Track was terrific. And, for my next hike, I have to buy more waterproof bags. If I get lost in the rainforest again, I can at least get into my sleeping bag without having to wait for it to dry 🙂 It was a fantastic adventure, for sure!

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