The Corinna Trip

With the ‘Slug’ still out of action we packed the Kayaks and the camping trailer up and headed to Corinna for the weekend.

Day 1

So after a stinking hot day at work we where of along the Western explorer and it wasn’t long before we seen some very strange weather that could only happen in Tassie. 

Where this photo was taken the temperature was still around the 30 degree mark yet there was a sea fog wrapping itself over the Norfolk Ranges. I wasn’t sure how it would have even been possible but it is apparently.

Not long after viewing the bizarre weather event we where coming into Corinna.  I have always been a bit apprehensive about camping here as it is ridiculously expensive at $40 a night and you don’t even get a shower or access to any power and to make things worse they double booked us so we had to stay in the bloody car park but it was the start of the weekend and I didn’t want to be crabby so I ground my teeth a bit took a couple of deep breaths and said ok to the manager and the ………….. didn’t even offer it to us for any cheaper so to quickly take our mind off the situation we set up camp skulled a few beers and went for a paddle up the Pieman to check out the mouth of the Whyte River. Between the beers and the serenity of the river I soon forgot about our little issue and moved on.

Day 2

The next day we were up early and ready to go and I noticed that the possums had made a mess of the bins around the pub and I had a chuckle to myself thinking sucked in. (This was a bad idea…. Karma Sucks).  So after our little laugh we set off in the Kayaks.

The first km or so up the river is pretty easy-going but also rather eerie as the water is very dark and deep the bush is silent apart from the occasional bird and the river is full of logs and dead trees.  The water was also like glass as there wasn’t a breath of wind. The calmness didn’t last long though as we came across our first log Jam and it didn’t matter which way you went it was difficult to get over so I went one way and then told Jacinta to go the other way and because my way was quicker and I had time to get the camera out and film Jacinta coming the other way I coped it haha.

Also a little further up there was a log Jacinta couldn’t get over so as pay back  I filmed and laughed.  After I gathered myself it wasn’t much further up the river and we where at the Creek we wanted to explore.  I have heard and read about a cave been in the area. ( there are many between Savage River and Corinna ) The information I have is very vague on location so we where going by feel a bit and rough locations.   Not far up the creek we didn’t find a cave but found a nice little waterfall so I thought I would get the camera out and get a photo but of course I forgot the clip that holds the camera to the tripod and not real keen on going back I just done the best I could with what I had.   After not been content with finding the waterfall I decided to climb the waterfall and go further up the creek to find the elusive cave and after crawling under logjam and slipping over rocks I suddenly got all excited as I could see a big black hole in the cliff in front of me but on closer inspection I found it to be a bigger and better waterfall which softened the blow quite a bit.  So I went back to Jacinta told her it was worth the look and tried to get a photo without the tripod.

After taking in the scenery and giving up on the cave for now we decided to start to head back to camp.  On the way back I had a look up a little creek and then I got all excited again as I found a red streamer in a tree and from previous experience red or pink markers usually lead to a point of interest so we ditched the kayaks and followed the markers on foot and it wasn’t until up near the end I said to Jacinta this seems awfully familiar and sure enough we came out where the trek starts, one we have attempted previously trying to find the cave (with no luck) but the markers disappeared.  This time we were determined so we re followed the markers until it didn’t make sense any more and I decided to just go bush following the sound of water flow and sure enough I came across the markers again and found what they led to……………………………………………

Unfortunately again not a cave but a pretty spectacular little waterfall that falls down through a crack in the rocks.

So after 7 hours on the water and in the bush looking for this bloody cave we thought we better go back to camp and have a late lunch and beers and relax for the rest of the day.  This lasted all but about half hour and then I was chasing birds around the camp ground trying to get a few shots.

 

yellow throated honeyeater 

That night after literally falling asleep before my head hit the pillow we where rudely awaken (must be karma) by bloody possums big fat bastards to that rocked the trailer when they jumped on it. So I got up to check out what was going on and the fist thing I seen was a possum sitting on the trailer with a hole in its head where its eye should have been, then seen another covered in massive ticks and for a brief moment I thought we where having a zombie possum apocalypse.  They even acted like zombies as they where so used to humans they just carried on trying to get into the rubbish and the kitchen side of the trailer so I gave them a bit of gentle persuasion with the dolphin torch, just when I thought I had them  gone I heard a growl come from inside the trailer and one of the mongrels had got in there so he got some extra gentle persuasion to get out.  So after cleaning up the mess and closing everything up like a jail it was back to bed for a now sleepless night.

Day 3

So after not much sleep the night before we where up like zombies and half packed up and then went and got a big coffee from the shop and decided to head west along the Pieman and check out Lovers Falls the paddle up the river was quite nice as it was like glass and had a good view of Mt Donaldson.

 

About an hour paddle from Corinna  you come across the stairway to the Falls.

From there it is about a 2 min walk and you are at the falls which were a bit disappointing as we had been spoiled the day before and there was very little water running over the falls.

They would be more spectacular after heavy rain or in winter time.  From here we slowly started paddling back and on the way I was lucky enough to see a kingfisher so I was scurrying around in the Kayak trying to get my zoom lens on the camera and it flew off so I chased it back down the river and managed to get one shot of him and then there was a twig in the road so I snapped it off and realised that I just made a big mistake as he flew of to the other side of the river and disappeared.

From here we went for a quick look up the Savage River Mouth and had a look at the SS Croydon (most inland shipwreck in Australia) which sunk in May of 1919 in the night after being half loaded with logs. (more info here)

 

At this point we had both gathered some hitchhiker.

One landed on Jacinta and the other on me.

From here we packed the rest of the gear up and headed home again via the long boring rough Western Explorer again.

Apart from the Prices at Corinna it is a beautiful spot and has a lot to offer and is very rich in history as every grain of sand has been turned over in search of gold and Osmium-Iridium with hydraulic mining and nearly every tree particularly Huon Pine  was pulled up and harvested causing shipwrecks and good stories.

Hope you enjoyed.

Cheers.

Tassietravelsblog.

Full video here.