DON’T BUY A BUS PASS BEFORE YOU COME TO TASMANIA !!!!!!!!!!

If you are planning to visit our wilderness areas PLEASE pay special attention to the Regulations & Codes of Practice pages.

The information in these pages can save your life and help you avoid substantial fines !

Bus Passes
 As a general rule :

DON’T BUY A BUS PASS BEFORE YOU COME TO TASMANIA !!!!!!!!!!

DON’T  let a travel agent talk you into a pass "THAT WILL LET YOU TRAVEL EVERYWHERE"
There is no such thing !!!!

Don’t become one of the frustrated traveller's we see constantly, who have wasted much of their holiday time trying to work with a pass that doesn’t suit what they want to do or where they want to go (getting stuck in a town for 3 – 4 days because your pass does not apply to the only bus out over the weekend does not make a happy traveller ).

WHAT DO YOU DO THEN ?

(1.) Just buy your air or sea passage to DEVONPORT.

(2.) Catch the AIRPORT SHUTTLE BUS ($10.00) or the Mersey ferry from the SEAPORT.)

(3.) Ask to be dropped off at THE (BACKPACKERS) BARN  where you can relax , get into Tassie mode and check out ALL of the possibilities for travelling around.

(4.) CATHY AND STAFF will be there to greet you and to help you work out a basic itinerary that includes all the things you want to do, ------------------- THEN ADVISE YOU ON HOW TO ACHIEVE IT !!

(5.) IF A BUS PASS DOES WORK OUT TO BE THE BEST VALUE FOR YOU -- O.K.!

We can direct you to whichever company office you require. All  are only 10-150 metres FROM THE BARN!!

(6.) While you are at The Barn you may meet up with other travellers whose plans coincide with yours and decide to share the cost of CAR HIRE for complete freedom and flexibility. We can help you find the best prices available

YOU WILL FIND THAT SHARING A CAR IS VERY GOOD VALUE COMPARED TO THE TOTAL COST OF INDIVIDUAL PASSES.

(7.) IF YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO BUY A PASS BEFORE ARRIVAL, you will already be feeling confused just trying to understand the timetables - DO NOT DESPAIR ! You will not

   WE MAY LOOK A LITTLE STRESSED AT TIMES BUT WE WILL NOT GIVE UP UNTIL WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN WORKING OUT THE BEST POSSIBLE PLAN FOR YOU.

A POINT TO REMEMBER :

TASMANIA IS FAMOUS BECAUSE OF ITS

WILDERNESS & NATIONAL PARKS

AND ITS

NATURAL , UNDEVELOPED QUALITIES !

Pre-Booked Tours

If your time is very limited or you don’t like travelling alone – a guided tour gives you a hassle free way to see the main sights.

CHECKOUT ‘UNDER DOWN UNDER’ who do a 5 day round trip by bus – designed for young and backpacker types. Small groups – informal easy pace – lots of free choices along the way – great guides – and lots of FUN. Great value too at around $ 300.00(Aus.)

For some its their complete Tassie holiday – for others it’s a short introduction to Tasmania that helps decide where to spend the remainder of their time – or perhaps a gentle wind down after some hard days walking in the mountains.

For more specialised tours you can choose from an exciting list of companies catering for many interests and conducting one day to 14 day tours ( and some do it yourself options as well )

4 X 4 TOURING - -Devil 4 Wheel Drive, Wild Spot, S.W. Adventure , Blue Wren .

CANOE / KAYAK – Arthur River Canoe Hire, Tasmanian Expeditions.

CYCLING – Tasmanian Expeditions, Discount Bike Hire, Rent A Cycle, Great Tasmanian Bike Ride.

CAVING – Wild cave Tours

SEA FISHING – Margaret Pearl Sea Fishing Charter Tours, S.W. Adventure Tours.

HORSE RIDING – Highland Trails, Saddle Tramp Horseback Tours, Tullah Horseback Tours.

SAILING – Tasmanian Sea Ventures, Margaret Pearl Charter Tours.(?)

WILDLIFE – Wild Spot, Blue Wren, Forest Walks, Margaret Pearl, Penguin Point, Kangaroo Hop.

RAFTING – Tas. Expeditions.

ASBESTOS RANGE / BAKERS BEACH – Kangaroo Hop Tours
Note: Despite it's name, "Asbestos Range National Park" does not pose a health risk to visitors.

BUSHWALKING: -

CRADLE MT.-LAKE ST. CLAIR – World Adventures, Tas. Highland Tours, Tas. Expeditions.

N.W. RAIN FORESTS – Club Tarkine

ALPINE FORESTS – Forest Walks & Eco Tours.

SOUTH COAST TRACK - Tas. Expeditions

FREYCINET – Tas. Expeditions

FRENCHMANS CAP, FEDERATION PEAK, THE WESTERN ARTHURS – no organised tours available.

DIAL RANGE / PENGUIN TO PENCIL PINE TRACK – no organised tours available.

MT. ROLAND – no organised tours available.

MARIA ISLAND, TASMAN PENINSULA – no organised tours available.

DO IT YOURSELF – all areas are possible to walk without assistance if you are well prepared and get good advice beforehand  Bushwalkers maps and detailed guide books are available at The Barn. However, some tracks require a high level of fitness and experience and it would be foolhardy to attempt them without excellent gear and some previous experience of Tasmanian conditions.

CHECK OUT "THE BARN'S" ADVICE, WEATHER NOTES, GEAR LIST, ETC. & ASK US ABOUT ANYTHING & EVERYTHING.

(old bushman says) "There is no point thinking of the questions you should have asked when you are up to your bum in mud and half way along the track"

The greatest danger in our mountains is Hypothermia which occurs rapidly if clothing is wet. Our wind chill factor is extreme as prevailing winds come over thousands of miles of very cold ocean from Antarctica before hitting our South West Coastal ranges, then the Central Plateau and you.

Your pack must contain basic first aid items and some form of emergency shelter.

A lightweight tent fly, tarpaulin or survival bag kept in the bottom of your day pack will ensure you are safe in an emergency, while doubling as ground sheet, tent floor protector or wind break.

A lightweight survival blanket is also a useful extra for both safety and first aid purposes.

Tent fly or Tarpaulin – can be pitched for shelter, laid flat for ground cover, wrapped around for water proofing and warmth.

Survival Bag – exactly as it says – is a huge tough orange plastic bag that provides a dry, warm spot to climb into and hide if you get caught in extreme conditions. The colour ensures its easy to see. Not fancy or comfortable but better than nothing – and cheap (under $10)

Survival Blanket – made of reflective foil to wrap around the body to retain warmth and prevent hypothermia. There are 2 types.- one, simply a single sheet of lightweight foil. The other has a foil layer backed with a tough woven fabric so it can be used repeatedly – and also double as a ground sheet (commonly known as a space blanket).

Carls Law : "If you don't like the weather in Tasmania - come back in half an hour!"

NONE OF THE ABOVE EMERGENCY OPTIONS ARE SUITABLE FOR EXTENDED TRIPS

– ONLY A TENT WILL DO.

HUTS – are not provided on all tracks Where huts are provided they are basic, weatherproof shelters with wooden slat beds (no mattress) a table and, in some, a coal or gas heater for warmth. These heaters are not suitable for cooking. Huts cannot be booked ahead nor for your exclusive use. The rule is – if another person comes in everyone else just moves over to make room!

TENTS – On extended walks the only safe way is to be completely self- sufficient. Then you can make camp whenever you need to, rather than pushing on to a hut through bad weather or with an injured or exhausted walker. It also gives you the freedom to choose to camp away from the crowd and, believe me, in summer a cool tent is preferable to 30 hot bodies squashed in a hut! You will find camping platforms for tents at most huts.

SNOW CAMPING - Tasmania has no permanent snow fields and skiers often wait nervously for a good ski season. Snow falls mainly in the highlands Tasmania and the snow season is generally limited to the Winter and Spring periods. Our heaviest falls occur in the months of September and October and our Ski season is brief. Walkers should always be prepared for unexpected snowfalls in the highlands.

NEVER WALK ALONE – If you have no walking partner you can leave a message on our boards at The Barn and at the accommodation – its usually easy to find someone else who is alone or a group who don’t mind another member. We understand all the reasons why you may like to walk alone – but it is simply a stupid thing to do. At least if you begin and end each day with a companion, someone will notice if you are missing and go looking for you. You just may appreciate that if you are lying at the bottom of a cliff with a broken leg!

EQUIPMENT LOAD – The general rule for load is one third of your body weight. Another good reason for walking with a partner is that you can share the heavy items such as tent and cooking equipment (and also the cost if you have to hire or buy them)

REFER TO THE equipment check list (PDF) and eliminate any excess items.

Remember: The Barn can arrange storage or forwarding for you.

LET SOMEONE KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ! It may sound romantic to disappear into the hills on a sudden whim and wander about like a free spirit – that is until you find yourself ‘bushwhacked’ (Oz for ‘lost’ ) or having slipped off the edge of a rocky outcrop, become injured and realise that no-one will know where you are! Not a pleasant realisation!

Always leave a TRIP PLAN with your family or a friend or a registered contact point such as the Barn or the Police. Then you are reassured that someone will notice if you don’t return on time and will raise the alarm.

You are required to lodge a trip plan with the Park Rangers when you register your departure, so take a copy for them to save time before you set off on the track. (The Barn has a cheap photocopy service)

Be sure to sign any log books you may find along the tracks and  include the date and time.  Someone will then always know the last place you were and when, this will indicate the best  area to start searching around. This alone could help save your life.

Always sign off at the conclusion of your trip and its a good idea to contact the people you notified before you left and let them know that you have finished your trip safe and sound. This will stop false alarms being raised and very expensive searches being got underway for no apparent reason. Which you could end up having to pay for.

Please read the next three repeated points... and help yourself survive and it will also ensure you do not waste other peoples time or lives.

OPEN FIRES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN NATIONAL PARKS .

Because of the danger of bush fires open fires are rarely permitted, except where there are designated enclosed fire-places.

In summer especially, the risk of fire is so high that there is often a TOTAL FIRE BAN across the state for several weeks. Memories of the devastating bush fires of 1967 in which 61 people died, mean Tasmanians are very strict in enforcing such bans.

COOKING STOVES. (Important : Read about "Fuel Stove Only" Areas)

Portable stoves using liquid fuels or pressurised gas are acceptable, but must be used with extreme care, well away from dry vegetation.

Do not use hexamine solid fuel tablets. They are simply too risky in our parks where the soil is peat and fire can penetrate deep underground and smoulder for days before emerging and re-igniting.

We do not sell fuel tablets at all and strongly discourage their use.

Never cook inside your tent – fumes can cause asphyxiation and the heat generated is enough to ignite the flammable coatings on modern tent fabrics. Use the tent vestibule (with care) or a hard earth or rocky spot nearby (who wants cooking smells in their tent anyway?)

Carry a piece of heavy duty aluminium foil that can make a wind shield or heat resistant stand.

Huts usually have a heat resistant table of bench area for safe use of stoves.

CANDLES - Tents are burnt down because of accidents with candles than from any other cause. We therefore recommend, and sell, only short, broad based, dripless, smokeless candles and preferably inside a good quality candle lantern.

To ensure that you have the right equipment for your trip, please check our equipment check list, (PDF) and remember we maintain and extensive range of equipment and fuel supplies.

WATER Tasmania’s mountain stream water is still drinkable and there is usually plenty of it available within short distances of camping areas and huts. In summer when the water levels are low it may be wise to carry some purifying tablets (MicroPur tastes best) or a water filter, especially if you are a little sensitive to water changes. Its probably only a matter of time before our water is contaminated with giardia but the situation is being monitored. It’s always wise to check for yourself.

Generally there is no need to carry water in any of the National Parks, except Freycinet, which has no permanent water although it does have some winter streams.