Thark Ridge

Sunday, 29 March 2026

Photos by Joyce Batchelor

The Great Thark Hunt (Christine Corbett)

On Sunday 29th March, 15 brave souls set off from Big Bend Carpark on the Thark Ridge Track. It was gratifying to have so many attend, as we had had low attendances for walks this year, and were contemplating the future of walks as an APS activity. But this day’s walk was a joyous and sociable occasion.

It was surprising how many plants were flowering and we enjoyed the occasional Bellendena montana mountain rocket building up to a showy display of bright red seeds. It was excellent that the previous APS walk had prepared a great plant list for us to use. However, let it be said that the track is extremely rough! Much rougher than I remember it… We passed through lovely copses of Eucalyptus coccifera Tasmanian snow gum/snow peppermint. We clambered over very large boulders, and we crossed a broad thicket of Ozothamnus ledifolius mountain everlasting bush or kerosene bush, where we stopped for morning tea.

We did indeed break the previous APS record at Thark Ridge, and walked more than a kilometre. Initially diligently looking at the wonderful assortment of Tasmanian subalpine plants, we sped up to a slow hurtle by the time we got around to our lunch spot beside the track, near the site of an old hut.

Keith gave us some interesting geomorphological history: kunanyi/Mt Wellington was never glaciated but there are peri (near) glacial features, in particular dolerite boulder screes where boulders were broken up and moved downslope by the freeze-thaw action of water. Keith also told us about the ridge being named for a movie with a mysterious thark character. We were left none the wiser as to what a thark is, however.

After lunch, the Venerables turned for home. A few of us continued up onto the ridge. Kirri and Julian made a dash for it and got all the way out to Devils Throne. Some of us went half-way down the western side of the ridge, being rewarded with an impressive view of Collins Bonnet, before we decided that that was far enough to climb back up.

It was a great pleasure to have Phil Sumner, Joyce Batchelor and Ted Milne join us on an APS walk once again. They have been walking with the Plant Society since the mid-1980s! We will miss Phil and Anne greatly, as they leave us to move to the Big Island.

It was a delight to share such great company in such a lovely place. Thank you all.