Off the grid

The Tarkine Wilderness Area protects Australia’s largest temperate rainforest. It covers much of Tasmania’s north west region – 447,000 hectares – and remains largely unexploited. The region is bound by the Arthur River to the north and the Pieman River to the south. A single unsealed road, the Western Explorer Highway, traverses the region’s coastal fringe.

The region is home to more than 400 species of diverse flora and fauna, some it rare or endangered. This includes quolls, Tasmanian Devils, Eastern Pigmy Possums, Wedge-tailed Eagles and giant Freshwater Lobsters. It’s also contains sections of hardy, slow-growing native Huon Pine.

Garry and I didn’t make it into the Wilderness Area on our first visit to Tasmania in 2013. As a result, it was high on our list for a return visit. However, road conditions were a concern, even more so given that we were using a hire car. We decided to spend a night at Corrina on the banks of the Pieman River. The town, while isolated, could be reached from the north and south via unsealed roads that appeared to be well maintained.

We made our way to Corinna via Savage River in the north. Our route took us through the sleepy former mill town of Waratah before farmland gave way to spectacular river valleys surrounded by rainforest-clad mountains. The road proved easier to drive than expected.

We based ourselves for a night at the Corinna Wilderness Experience. This remote community is centred around a surprisingly well maintained and managed hotel. In front of the hotel, the Fatman Barge operates the only vehicle crossing on the entire Pieman River. The hotel also manages a series of restored (and relocated) miner’s cottages overlooking the river. We stayed one night in an enormous cottage surrounded by rainforest and entertained by a menagerie of native birds and Pademelons.

Corinna was a superb destination. The village is completely off the grid. There’s no mobile phone coverage, no internet and all power is supplied by solar panels or diesel generation. The surrounding wilderness is stunning. After a hearty pub lunch, we took a couple of bushwalks along the Pieman River. The following morning we spent five hours cruising the river itself before heading out of town.
 

 Our cruise was operated by the Arcadia II, a huon pine vessel built in 1939. It was a cruise vessel on Macquarie Harbour from 1961 until it moved to the Pieman River in 1970. It’s reputedly the world’s only huon pine river boat still in operation. Our journey took us from Corinna to the mouth of the Pieman River. We saw wedge-tail eagles and other birdlife along the river before setting out on foot to enjoy a supplied picnic lunch on the nearby Southern Ocean beach.

The beach was stunning. Its foreshore is dotted with ancient huon pine logs. We sat under vivid blue skies, basked in the sun’s warmth and soaked up desolate wind-swept surroundings. After months of bushfire smoke and haze it really was a breath of fresh air!