#1: [26-May-01] (incomplete)

18-Jan-2002 -- My earlier attempt at 42 South 147 East on the Central Plateau of Tasmania had been foiled by private property signs. However some photos I took of the signs provided enough clues to track down the owners, a timber milling company in Launceston. After a few phone calls I had instructions on how to find a local resident of Arthurs Lake who acts as caretaker for an extensive area used for timber felling, hunting and trout fishing.

When I fronted up to the caretaker in the small settlement of Wilburville, he was busy concreting a new front path for his house. My explanations of confluences and web sites probably didn't make much sense, but he issued me a permit anyway. I also found out from him the answer to a mystery from my earlier attempt. A strange sign saying 'Jawbones and Datasheets' on a shipping container was for deer hunters to drop off jawbones and written records of their catches, presumably for scientific research purposes.

After passing through the gates that blocked me last time, I drove along progressively rougher roads for several kilometers, past a few shacks and signs of logging activities. This area of Tasmania is at an altitude of over 900 meters, very rocky and subject to snow at any time of the year. Being in a four wheel drive meant I got to within a kilometer of the confluence before starting walking over undulating terrain dotted with stunted gum trees. After about half an hour I reached the confluence site on top of a series of small cliffs on a hillside that gave distant views of Arthurs Lake.

I just managed to get a snap of the GPS and locality before the batteries of the borrowed digital camera faded. After a leisurely lunch in the sun I walked back by a different route along more logging trials, this time seeing several wallabies. Overall it was a more successful but much less eventful trip than my first attempt.