After a week of wet and windy weather Tassie has turned on a stunning winters day today before the rains come back again tomorrow. I could not resist the opportunity to go for a ride and make the most of the day. The goal for the ride was to visit a couple of local places that I had not visited before and I decided on going to the Alum Cliffs and Montana Falls.
Alum Cliffs Trail
Heading out around 10:30 after it had warmed up a little from a chilly 1 degree morning the KLR took me up and over the Gog Range and through Mole Creek. The ride over the range is always nice but can be a little hairy at this time of year as the roads on the southern side of the range don’t get any sun and are always wet and slimy. I love travelling at this time of the year as the tourists have all gone home and the roads are pretty much free of traffic making for a really nice ride.
Turning off onto the access road to the Alum Cliffs which is located not far past the eastern side of Mole Creek takes you onto a good condition dirt road leading to a small carpark at the start of the Alum Cliffs walking track. The walk is fairly easy on a well formed and maintained trail. Toward the end of the trail it runs along the top of a very rocky ridge with a fairly steep drop on either side. Along sides of the ridge I came across a number of Pademenlons (a small wallaby native to Tasmania) in the brush. They are incredibly agile and quick in the way they move over the rocky terrain.
At the end of the trail is a viewing platform built into the top of the cliffs around 200m above the Mersey River which winds its way through the deep gorge. Unfortunately at this time of the year the sun is very low in the sky and the northern face was in a lot of shadow hiding the cliff structure but along the southern cliff face the red ochre bands were clearly visible. In the distance you can see the Great Western Tiers and the Gog Range.
Known as Tulampanga to Aboriginals peoples of the area it holds significant cultural importance and was considered a sacred place of celebration. The deposits of ochre used as a red pigment in ceremonies and art were important to the area and only the women were allowed on the site to collect it. The ochre was a valuable resource to the people and also used in trade with other tribes.
Chudliegh
Departing the Alum Cliffs it was a short ride to the small town of Chudliegh which is also known as ‘The Village of Roses’. Unfortunately at the time of my visit the many rose bushes spread along the main street appeared sorely neglected and were certainly not worthy of the towns alternate name. A visit to the ‘Hearth of Chudliegh’ which is a General Store and an Emporium with a collection of antiques and curios is worthwhile but my favourite spot is the honey shop. Stepping into the honey shop will entice you with many different flavours of honey for tasting, a lot of interesting bee information and examples of different kinds of hives. My soft spot though is for the ice cream sold here and I can never pass by without getting one.
Montana Falls
After having my fill of ice cream in Chudliegh I set off for the short 15km run to Montana Falls. The route passes through mostly rolling farmland until you reach the Leonards Road turnoff where you have forest on one side and farmland on the other. Just under 1km along the road you will come across a sign on the left telling you that you are entering the Long Reach Regional Reserve. The trailhead for the falls track is just after this on the left and easy to miss if you are not paying attention.
The walk to the falls is around 1.6km but is is relatively flat and a very easy walk to make. The falls are not very high but they are wide and are quite impressive. It is possible to get very close to the falls to get photographs and best to visit after some rains when the flow is truly pumping. If you continue along the track following the river you will come to a set of cascades which were also worth viewing. A rest, a cup of coffee and 15 minutes just taking in the area was really enjoyed.
Home via Lower Beulah
For the ride home I opted to go via a couple of good condition dirt roads passing through Lower Beulah and tracking alongside the Dasher River. The trip back just finished off a great day out and started me thinking about where to go on the next nice day that comes around. Total trip was only around 100km but it was enough to wind down and just enjoy the awesome place I live. Great scenery, awesome roads and some star attractions all within 50km of home. Doesn’t get much better than that.
