WORK CONTINUES ON BURNED TRACKS IN ICONIC WILDERNESS
SOME of Tasmania’s most iconic bushwalks are expected to remain closed for months longer as work continues to fix damage from the 2018-19 bushfires.
Big areas of national park and associated infrastructure were destroyed by a series of fires which burned through 210,000ha.
The fires caused damage to 117km of walking tracks, along with 119km of roads, bridges and other Parks and Wildlife Service assets.
Then Environment and Parks Minister Roger Jaensch said in July last year work on the Mt Anne Circuit would be finished by December 2020.
A Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman said the new target was now this coming December.
“There are a number of tracks that have been attended to and reopened following the 2018-2019 fires including Lake Rhona, Farmhouse Creek and a section of the Western Arthurs via Moraine K,” the spokeswoman said.
The range is currently closed east of West Portal.
“Final work including completion of new stairs is underway at Mount Anne with an expected opening in December this year.
“Three track work teams have been rebuilding Lake Judd and Mt Anne tracks with over 5km of timber planking, 20 bridges, about 4000 steps and 400 waterbars
completed in the past 14 months.”
The Eastern and Western Arthurs are considered one of Australia’s best bushwalks, attracting visitors from all over the world for their wilderness values and rugged views.
Work was continuing on other tracks to bring them back into service, Parks said.
“PWS has contracted 24 Tasmanian businesses to supply an extensive range of materials from treated timber, metal plates, chicken wire, bugle screws, gravel, fibrereinforced polymer sheeting and tent platforms during the rebuilding of the tracks that were impacted by fire.
“The rebuilding of tracks has not been without its challenges with Phytophthora cinnamomi (rootrot fungus) discovered on the Eastern Arthur Range.
“As a result, the PWS has undertaken mitigation steps to reduce the spread of the disease, including track diversions.
“The Eastern Arthur Range Traverse — between Hanging Lake and Cracroft Plains — and the Western Arthur Range Traverse (north/east of West Portal) are closed while this work is undertaken, with a planned reopening in late autumn 2022.