Mt Field West Circuit Day 3
A relaxing finish with lakes, woodland and wildflowers
A relaxed early lunch on the northern shore of Lake Seal.
Today’s hike of 6.5 km (4mi) is the easiest of the three, without little climbing (290m/950ft cumulative gain, 250m/820 ft loss) and no scree to traverse, although parts of the trail are a little rocky underfoot; if you’ve made it this far, you’ll have no trouble. You continue to follow Lake Newdegate Track east through subalpine woodland, then head south on Lake Webster Track. Next is a short section of gravel road that forms part of the Pandani Grove Nature Walk, before you return to your starting point at Lake Dobson Carpark.
Enroute you’ll pass two spur trails, plus at least one unmarked route. It is a relaxed end to a superbly varied hike, and botanists and twitchers will find many new sights in the woodland to delight them on this last day.
Hike statistics map
How to Make the Day Easier:
The route described is the easiest and shortest one. We diverted to Lake Seal, and there is another spur to Platypus Tarn, which we did not take. Skipping either or both these trails would shorten the day, but remember that the last couple kilometres, although uphill, comprise gentle grades and the final part is along a gravel track. You will have plenty of time.
Walk with Us:
Geoff’s breakfast brew, a heartstarter very short black espresso.
There are many lightweight coffee presses for hiking. Geoff’s 232g (8.1oz) hand press CoffeeJack, that I bought for him as a potential present via a Kickstarter campaign, is not exactly ultralight and arrived several years after funding it; covid intervened and the inventors had no experience with complex products. Of course with Kickstarter campaigns you can’t expect a product at all, let alone a good one, so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived, even more so when it worked!
I don’t drink coffee so have to rely on Geoff’s assessment. According to him it works really well, but there are numerous reports of this first iteration failing early at the lugs and so we won’t recommend or link to it for that reason. Geoff follows the (many) official instructions to the letter and calculated that he would need thirty cups of coffee to break even on the (higher) current price, so we are ahead and every extra cup is a bonus!
Geoff is casual about most things but is a bit of a coffee snob; he usually prefers tea on the track rather than enduring bad coffee. As for most coffee presses, it took a while to get the grind and extraction right but, when he did, he was able to create a smooth brew without bitterness and with excellent crema, as you can see: this is a single 100mL shot in a 300ml mug. The press works using a hydraulic action that delivers a much higher pressure — up to 9 bars! — than can other manual presses such as the Aeropress.
Possibly the closest equivalent is the Wacaco Nanopress at 312g (11.02oz); it also produces good crema but is heavier; it’s also yet another electrical device to power. Instead of using the CoffeeJack’s bespoke steel tamper, Geoff cut down a cheap and light wooden Amazon one that fits perfectly. However, there’s the weight of the case plus the preloaded sealed baskets that all add grams. We have also carried individual vac seal pouches that Geoff grinds at home immediately before a hike. These are lighter but a bit fiddlier.
Nevertheless, the weight means that Geoff only carries the press on hikes of up to five days; any longer and we shave grams wherever possible.
After morning cuppa and brew, it’s time to go.
The track is a breeze compared to the scree of previous days!
Botanists will find new wildflowers, here the Grass Triggerplant (Stylidium graminifolium).
Boardwalk over boggy bits.
Crossing the bridge over Lake Webster outlet.
Delightful buttongrass moorland.
And back into forest.
Lemon-Scented Boronia (B. citriodora); it’s the leaves that smell the most citrussy!
Silver banksia (B. marginata).
Strange gnarled holes in the snow gum, perhaps remnants of branches or earlier trail blazes…
… like these.
It’s so different to the track of previous days!
Mountain Guitar Plant (Lomatia polymorpha).
You don’t have a big distance or demanding terrain today so, energy permitting, take the spur trail to see Lake Seal from a new perspective. It’s a great place for an early lunch here.
A pretty little White-Lipped Snake (Drysdalia coronoides). These small venomous chaps eat skinks, and are one of the most cold-tolerant snakes in Australia.
Fairy Tarn is right beside the track but it is easy to miss with its dense border of shrubs.
Nearly back at the car park, and easy walking. What a fun hike it’s been!
You’ll make many banner memories on this marvellous hike!
This three-day, two-night hike has been a complete delight, recalcitrant bodies notwithstanding! So many different vegetation types packed into such a short distance, and geologists will love the history writ large on the landscape. Birdlife is plentiful in the forest, and the vast views at altitude are exceptional. Highly recommended!
We acknowledge and respect Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples as the State's first peoples and recognise them as the traditional owners and continuing custodians of the land and waters of this island, lutruwita (Tasmania) on which we work, learn and live.
