Amongst the Mountains

Written by Geoff Murray

Tasmania has several alpine plateau areas and although not really high altitude per se, they are always a pleasure to visit.

A couple of days ago I packed my gear and headed for a nearby plateau in perfect weather. The walk in was through a pleasant succession of ridges, boulderfields and mountains until I reached a suitable campsite at around 1350 metres.  

On the way I passed some spectacular blooms of the endemic alpine plant Richea Scoparia.

The forecast was for the wind to pick up towards evening but the weather gods obviously missed seeing it. Just after sunset the wind dropped to a dead calm.

I had bought my Mont Supercell tunnel tent with me so I wasn’t worried about a bit of wind but total calm in the mountains is very special and always something to appreciate.

The mist drifted in as the sun disappeared and my little yellow tent glowed with cosy warmth in the increasing gloom .

Morning saw a near frost at 1.4°C and a sky totally absent of clouds. The valleys below me were filled with fog. Just perfect.

I was up at 5am and had a wander around gathering images before returning to my camp for breakfast and to pack up and head back to the car and civilisation. 

Equipment used:

Mont Supercell tent
Mont Zero Superlight sleeping bag
Mont Zero Ultralight down jacket

Geoff Murray
Mont Ambassador