“Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is coloured by such impressions.” -Marcus Aurelius
Gabe standing in the saddle with Port Davey behind. Pentax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.
We left our campsite in the scrub just before 9am. I had a dream about soccer, where I saw how a team can win against all odds when they work together against a team whose defence is a bit slack (due to their assumedly superior position).
Lone Tea Tree, Lost World Plateau, Pentax MX, Kodak Portra 800, Nov 2025.
The Lost World Plateau lived up to its name, the topography was a bit convoluted but we managed to pick our way through with only a couple of minor navigational errors. I could have been paying more attention than I was in all honesty and missed some minor cues but nothing catastrophic.
Lost World Plateau High Point, Petnax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.
The plateau was a series of windswept buttongrass hills, with a clear highpoint to the north of our route. Up the top wasn’t particularly warm, classic south-west showers and a moderate westerly ensured we didn’t dawdle for too long. It took us about 4 hours from our camp near Heather Bay to the Port Davey Track.
Lost World Plateau High Point II, Pentax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.
A further 3 hours of walking along the ‘Highway of the South-West’ saw us arrive to the Spring River Camp. We were a bit torn about where to put in the next day as we were quite ready to stop walking with our packs and paddle as soon as we could. But the river looked pretty woody and we didn’t want to stitch ourselves up by ripping one of the rafts on a sharp tea tree, of which there were plenty in the river. We made plans to walk just a bit further the next day. If we knew what the next bit of the Port Davey Track was going to be like, we probably would have paddled from where we were in the morning.
Navigation at times was a bit convoluted. Pentax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.
PS: “Lot more rain forecast… might be interesting trying to head up the Old River”.
Back on the PDT. Pentax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.
-A.S. Sandy Bay, 16/1/2026.
Hills near the Spring River. Pentax MX, Portra 800, Nov 2025.