Marian Harradine Posted on 2006-04-13
We drove two kilometres past Strathblane, (south of Dover). Turned right into Duck Hole Lake Track and followed the directions to Coal Hill Road. Turn right into Coal Hill Link Road and then right into the walking track access road (1.28km). The start of the walk is a about 14 km from the Huon Highway.
We left at 10.30 after listening to the beautiful bird songs all around us. It was then that we noticed that we could hear repeatedly, at least 5 diferent birdsongs in one unbroken line and realised that it was a lyre bird. It mimiced a black cockatoo, a wattle bird, a rosella, olive whistler, an I'llwetyou, as well as other chirps and whistles. We also noticed that the track had been well scatched and dug up by lyre birds almost everywhere along the way.
The track was easy in gradient, but needed a fair bit of care as it was very slippery and wet and also muddy in parts. There was also the regular large log across the track which needed to be crawled under or over or round. It was a damp rainforest sort of walk, manferns and cutting grass prolific and also pretty red flowering creepers and red toadstools and bright orange moss growing out of the green moss. We also came across a nest of European wasps which were swarming
We arrived at the Adamsons Falls after a gradual climb and a steeper last section at about 11.20, a fifty minute walk. We were very surprised at how high they were . There was a sign to Creekton Falls and we left for them at 11.45.
The track to Creekton falls was a little bit harder to negotiate as there were more recently fallen trees over the track, and we also had to be careful to not lose the track in parts. However it was not a particularly taxing track, following the contours beneath rocky cliffs on the whole, and was also through rainforest. We arrived at Creekton Falls at 1.05, taking one hour and 20 minutes to go no more than 2 km on the map. We were surprised again by the height of the falls, a little bit less than Adamsons falls but they could be admired from a bit further away which with the Adamsons falls we couldn't. We had lunch there and it misted over while we sat. We left at 1.30 and followed the sign to Duck Hole Track.
This was quite steep downhill for a while, alongside Creekton Creek. Eventually we crossed the creek and left it behind. The track was similar in standard to the earlier tracks, logs in need of some maintenance. After 55 minutes we were surprised to hear a duck quacking and then to see a bit of clearing with a nice new wooden bench beside a peaceful small lake. We could see no sign of the duck. This was Duck Hole Lake.
From there on the path was in pefect order, cleared and freshly covered with gravel and duckboards and little bridges. Work was still continuing but it was a good flat track. We left there at 2.25 and we got to the road at 2.55.
While we walked back to the car we heard a chain saw nearby with no sign of anyone around and wondered later if this was another example of the lyre bird's repertoire, apparently they are quite capable of it. We also saw a female lyre bird run across the road and later a male with his long plumage.
The whole walk took a little over 5 hours. Enjoyed the day very much.