VIEW TO A THRILL

Gemma Boyle felt joyous but cold standing atop Mt Beattie, overlooking the remote waterways of Bathurst Harbour in southern Tasmania. The 32-year-old was at the tail-end of what was supposed to be a seven-day kayaking trip from Bathurst Harbour to Melaleuca.

“It turned into eight because of the weather,” says Boyle, who is shown here with Melaleuca Lagoon (where the South Coast Track starts) in the background.

“The planes couldn’t get in so we had a night at Clayton Cottage, the former home of Win and Clyde Clayton. It meant we could walk up to Mt Beattie, and from there we could see where we had kayaked from. Being able to see what we had achieved was amazing.”

Boyle was able to do the trip with Roaring 40s Kayaking after winning a $7500 travel voucher for her entry into Tourism Tasmania’s #TassieStyle social media competition last year.

“It was my first time kayaking and it was hard at times when it was windy and cold. The whole trip is weather-dependant.

“Some people might not even get out to Port Davey,” says Boyle, who walked the South Coast Track from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek with friends after finishing her paddling trip.

“The kayaking felt like a once-in-alifetime experience, but I could do the walk again,” she says.

Tourism Tasmania’s #TassieStyle Instagram competition is open to Australian residents (over 18) and runs until Sunday, April 15. There are 12 weekly prizes ($500) and three major prizes to the value of $7500 from TasVacations for self-designed Tassie holidays up for grabs