New Pelion to Kia Ora
Overland Track
The Hike - After one of my favourite days on the Overland Track, it was a fresh day and a new challenge. With a full hut of Overland Track hikers, plus those that had come in on the Arm River Track, there was plenty of activity early on. Waking up as others on an earlier schedule to me were making noise, I had a bit of a relaxing sleep-in, feeling toasty and warm in my fluffy orange burrito of a sleeping bag. Eventually rising, I made my way to the kitchen and joined some familiar faces for breakfast. The talk this morning was about the big side trip today, the hike up to the summit of Mount Ossa.
The highest peak on the whole island of Tasmania, sitting at 1617m ASL, Mount Ossa is one of the most talked about side trips on the Overland, with good reason. If you've skipped Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff in the first couple of days, you're legs should be in good condition by now if you want to scale one of the mountain side trips. Along with Mount Ossa, there is Mount Pelion East that you can climb, both accessible from the same track junction. The legs were feeling good after my last minute decision to climb Mount Oakleigh the previous afternoon, so there was a 99.4% chance I was going to be tackling the Mount Ossa climb today. Enjoying my Radix breakfast, I was happy I discovered this Kiwi brand of hiking meals in 2023 (#notsponsored), with the protein and micronutrient content much better than anything else on the market, with the added benefit of being vego friendly.
The breakfast options in my opinion are much better than the dinner ones, with more variety in the flavour and taste, with each one being distinct, compared to the dinners which can taste a bit samey. After breakfast it was the chore of packing everything up, and here I made a bit of a silly error. I had some items hanging up to dry after a wet finish to the Mount Oakleigh climb, and I didn't do a proper stock take of my gear when I was packing it all away. I didn't realise until I reached the Mount Ossa turn-off but I had left my rain jacket behind at New Pelion. Luckily it was summer but it was still Tassie, so anything could happen. To start this day, I was going to backtrack again, walking out to the Old Pelion Hut and check out the historic hut that I didn't see yesterday. Leaving my big pack at New Pelion, it's a three kilometre return trip to Old Pelion.
Feeling refreshed walking this section instead of experiencing it at the end of the day, it was nice to take stock of the journey so far and really revel in being in the middle of a pretty fun adventure. Not wanting to say goodbye to the Pelion Plains just yet, this was a good excuse to meander around this area for a little longer. Reaching the turn-off for the Old Pelion Hut, the 500-metre walk down to the historic hut sees you leave the forest and head out on the boardwalk and through the buttongrass plains. A stand of eucalyptus trees provide a feature as you walk along, and pretty soon I was standing in front of the old hut, looking much different to the relatively modern New Pelion Hut. Poking my head inside, the dark and cramped interior would have been a fantastic refuge in the olden days, especially in inclement weather, but us modern hikers are a spoiled bunch on the Overland these days.
It's a lovely spot set out on the plains, with Douglas Creek running just nearby, and I imagine sunrise from this location would be something else. Having explored the area and taken my fill of photos, I decided to head back and get the day properly started. Passing Rob and Renee, who had the same idea as I did this morning, I was soon back at New Pelion, ready to get cracking on another new section of the Overland. The day is pretty simple, with the first half being a climb up to the Pelion Gap, before heading down to Kia Ora, throwing in one or two mountain hikes if you're game and the weather allows you. With my full pack on and fully loaded with water, I took one last look at New Pelion and that iconic view over the plains towards Mount Oakleigh. Not working in my favour this morning was the glorious sunshine, which may sound odd if you're reading this and wondering why.