“have great patience
with all attempts at changing
for patience is respect
bestowed on the present
and a kindness to time”
-Maria Popova, An almanac of birds
Range in South-West Lutruwita/Tasmania. Pentax MX, Ilford XP2 Super, Nov 2025.
We were really in it now. It was day ten in the South-West for us and there was more rain on the way according to the daily updates we were receiving from our contacts on the outside. The rivers were already high, and since we were following the Old River upstream, we were doing the only option left to the disappointed packrafter: portaging. Except portaging is meant to be an intermittent affair, not lasting more than a few hours. In our case, our portage was to last seven days.
Gorge Ridge, warm up to the Gorilla. Pentax MX, Ilford XP 2 Super, Nov 2025.
Day 10: We hung around at Slimy Ridge camp as the rain was meant to ease by 9am. Sure enough it was still raining at 845, but it did clear eventually!
We continued sidling past the Old River for another couple of kilometres towards the junction with the Solly River. We crossed the Solly on Lucky Ducky (my raft) by tying two ropes together and attaching this to the raft. After each person crossed, the remaining person(s) simply pulled the raft bag with the rope. It helps when the paddle is put back into the raft!
We had a hasty lunch as a classic South-West squall came in while we were eating and a strong westerly ended the friendly atmosphere. Junction Ridge took us to the foot of Mt Castor and allowed us some spectacular views.
We camped on a buttongrass shelf surrounded by an epic landscape. Harry’s Bluff behind, Ripple Mountain, Mt Castor and the Western Arthurs in the distance, we really were in the middle of nowhere! We had a large friendly spider as a visitor in our tent, but it was kind enough to exit when we asked politely.
Gabriel Matuszak labouring up Gorge Ridge. Pentax MX, Ilford XP2 Super, Nov 2025.
Day 11. We struck camp by 8am as we knew we had a decent day to get to the head of the Old River via Gorge Ridge. We had plans to traverse the Spiro Range but given the forecast we went with the ‘easy’ option of Gorge Ridge.
We spent a solid couple of hours battling our way across the plains to the Old River near its junction with the Collins, and although the rain was easing off, the scrub was wet so we got soaked. We saw a sea eagle which was really cool, long way from the coast, but not that far from the Old’s estuary, well as the eagle flies anyway. When we got to the Old it was just a bit too high to wade so we used one of the rafts to cross the river.
The climb up Gorge Ridge was through steep forest and there was some bauera but mostly it wasn’t horrible. The views allowed us by taking Gorge Ridge were amazing. We spent the afternoon marveling at the back of the Arthurs. There was some really nice walking on open buttongrass then a long steep descent and a horrible gully that took about half an hour to cross. Over the head bauera, etc.
Eventually we arrived to the plain of the Old River which had burnt twice in the last ten years and is beautifully flat and open. Amazing views from camp!
Looking down to the Old River. Pentax MX, Ilford XP2 Super, Nov 2025.
Day 12. The rain eased around 7 am but started again just as we pulled the tent down. Our aim was to get to the base of Gorilla Ridge, and set up an early camp as we were forecast for over 25mm of rain today. Also snow down to 700m overnight. Down to 500m the following day. It was a bit of a slog across the wet buttongrass.
Mosquito and Laughing Creek were the deepest to wade, they came just above our mid thigh. The flow wasn’t too strong so we got across okay. There were puddles inside my boots in the afternoon though when we stopped.
Thanks to a navigational error on my behalf, we overshot Gorilla Ridge by 800m, which meant some backtracking later on. Our camp was nearly flat and our tent, the Mont Hypermid was holding up well in the 50km/h+ westerlies. That tent kept us dry the entire trip.
The upper Old Valley. Pentax MX, Ilford XP2 Super, Nov 2025.
Day 13. The Roaring Forties prevailed overnight, bringing heavy squalls of rain and sleet. The rain continued till the early afternoon, after which it started breaking up, but still showered regularly every hour. Our toilet breaks had to be strategized as a result.
At times the clouds lifted to reveal the top of Geeves Bluff (our destination the next day), dusted in snow. The westerly wind was fresh, but thankfully had a drying effect so we were able to dry our base layers out after the soaking they got yesterday. We spent a fair chunk of the day sleeping and talking about our favourite foods at length with Gabe. All the things we will get to do when we get home from this sufferfest!
Honestly though, the country we had seen had been phenomenal. To follow the Old River past Harry’s Bluff, around the Spiro Range to the foot of the Eastern Arthurs had filled in a big blank in my mental image of Tasmania. Incredible wild country out there in the South-West, the land of tea-trees, bauera and buttongrass.
Being stuck in a tent allows one to reflect and on this occasion my mistakes really been played on my mind. I got the sense that maybe I am not a good person after all. And a growing suspicion that I am prone to making silly mistakes and will continue to do this in the future, despite my best efforts. Although I wish to be better than I have been in the past, I wonder if I can be any different than I have been? I was probably not the first or last person to ponder these age old questions while stuck inside a tent waiting out the rain.
Either way, we had arrived to the crux of the trip, the ascent of Gorilla Ridge to Hanging Lake, a distance of 5 km and an elevation gain of about 1000m, mostly through forest and scrub. I packed an extra big breakie, lunch and extra snacks. We set the alarm for 5, to leave by 7am. The rain is meant to ease off by the afternoon with a dry day forecast for the day after.
We received a message from Gabe’s dad, on the inreach saying a commercial rafting trip was evacuated that day from the Franklin due to high water via helicopter. It had rained about 45mm that day in Melaleuca.
At least paddling a river was not something we had to worry about at that point. First we had to traverse the Eastern Arthurs before we could even think about paddling!
Fresh snow on the Arthurs. Pentax MX, Ilford XP2 Super, Nov 2025.
-A.S., Brushy Creek, Lenah Valley 28/2/2026