Corinna and the Tarkine

Cradle Mountain turned out to be everything wed have wanted it to be – spectacular and beautiful and with some challenging (to these legs anyway) walks. But it was cold and wet for three days and the evenings remained chilly so it was with some relief that we made use of the sunny weather and headed closer to the coast and the glories of a small settlement called Corinna.

Most people will not have heard of this place, but it is a jewel. In all honesty, there is nothing much there apart from a pub that runs all the cabins, camping spots and the cruises up and down the Pieman River. The pub is the Tarkine Hotel and it, and its whole operation, is an oasis. That is not to say that the environment is lacking in any way – the Tarkine (as the wild part of Western Tassie is known) is nothing short of magnificent.

As you can see, the river is a beauty, but it is the forest that is the real star. We have seen a number of forests around Tassie now, but this one stands out as special.

Our first day saw us paddling a double kayak up the river to take a look around and the peace and solitude you feel while paddling up this magnificent river and looking at the thickly forested slopes either side just has to be experienced.

If there is one place in Tassie I would go back to then it is this one.

The pleasure was compounded by our decision to eat dinner at the hotel and this turned out to be an unexpectedly excellent meal in a lovely restaurant. The main staff there are a couple from Patagonia and they made the place feel very welcome and comfortable.

Our second day there had us walking a track to a place on the Savage River where a ship sank. The walk was pretty tough actually, but that just added to the feeling of accomplishment and the joy of being in the forest and not seeing anyone else out there at all.

Sadly, on the third day the rain returned and we packed up and headed north.