Heading to Tassie? Ebook on the Overland Track

Overland track photo by Rick McCharles

If you're thinking of doing some bushwalking in Tasmania in the near future, you may want to check out Our Hiking Blog, written by Aussie hikers Frank and Sue. They do walks in different parts of the country, but Tasmania is their favourite and they've tackled the popular Overland Track several times, both together and separately.

After offering up advice on the track on their blog for a while, they decided to put down everything they'd been dishing up in bits and pieces into an ebook, which they sell from their blog site for just A$7.00.

They were nice enough to send me a copy, and while I've got Tasmania on my "to do" list, I'm not sure how soon I'll get around to it. But I gave it a read so I could pass along my personal opinion, if you care to know it. (If you don't care to know it, then please browse through some other posts instead.)

This is really two books in one. In part, it is a guide to the logistics of planning a trip on the Overland Track. It includes useful information about how to get to Tasmania, and once there how to get to and from the track ends. It gives you insider info on what kinds of supplies you can pick up at the last minute, and what you should arrange ahead of time. This is all valuable stuff, and can save you a lot of hassle if you're trying to make the most of a short visit to Tasmania.

The other side of the book is general advice on planning for a multi-day hike. This could apply to just about any trip, anywhere. It's mostly useful for people who have not done many long walks, and aren't sure what to pack, what to eat, how to handle first aid situations etc. For hikers with many multi-day walks under their belt, this can be browsed through quickly for Tasmania-specific tips (such as - expect lots of mud, and how to treat a snake bite from a tiger snake.)

Don't expect this to be the only book you need before you go do the Overland Track. In fact, it's more of an extra luxury than the main info you need. It does not contain maps of the track, or a day-by-day track description (although they have posted trip reports about the track on their blog). There are other books available that fill that niche, so Frank and Sue have left it to the experts. This book compliments the maps and guides, but does not replace them.

That's my take on it anyway, and having not yet been to Tasmania I can only give an amateur opinion of the contents. However, at such a low price, you will probably get your money's worth in time savings alone, by learning about bus and flight details, track bookings and park passes.

To Frank and Sue - thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience. I'm sure you'll make a big difference to a lot of visitors!