S –O 2014 59the ocean meets the cli, you get a whole range of features –
wave-cut platforms, arches, blowholes and sea caves.” But the
clis here are nothing compared with the dolerite drop-os in
the southern portion of the park, at Cape Hauy [pronounced
“hoy”], Tasman Island and especially at Cape Pillar, which Luke
says sports “some of the tallest vertical sea clis in Australia, if
not the Southern Hemisphere”.
Dolerite – the ‘rock of Tassie’ – covers about two-thirds of the
island. Originating as lava about 180 million years ago, it cooled
under the Earth’s surface into columns, which are now exposed,
and tend to weather vertically, thus explaining the sheer drops.
Dierences in underlying geology and some particular traits
of the climate – notably fierce southerly winds – have created a
diverse range of habitats in the park, from patches of rainforest
to buttongrass plains, coastal heath and tall eucalypt forests.
The park was proclaimed in 1999, a patchwork of pre-
viously logged former state forestry and reserve lands,
but unusual species remain. They include three species
of the flowering herb called eyebright, found only in this
area, the distinctive heath plant Epacris marginata, and the
wonderfully adaptable Cape Pillar she-oak (see “Durable
customer”, page 66).Easy access. Only 100km by road from Hobart, the
Cape Hauy Track is a day walk on the Coastal Trail, and
it will be part of the Three Capes Track. Many Hobart-
based walkers tackle the Coastal Trail in stages, as
time and weather permit. Bushwalking mates (below,
from left) Shane Hogue, Tim Respondek and John
Kelly head back to Fortescue Bay from Cape Hauy.The geology and
climate have
created a diverse
range of habitats
in the park.
A small permanent human population of fewer than 2000
people, and the isolation caused by a single access to the pen-
insula by land (the narrow isthmus of Eaglehawk Neck), have
encouraged strong numbers among mammals. These include
pademelons, bettongs and Bennett’s wallabies; wombats, three
possum species, quolls and Tasmanian devils. Echidnas are often
seen during early summer and the smaller mammals include
long-tailed mice, swamp rats and dusky and swamp antechinus.
“We’ve just heard some interesting news about the dusky ante-
chinus on Tasman Peninsula,” Luke says. “There’s a genetic study
being done and it appears that it might be a separate species.”
The park’s wildlife and other attributes have lately been an
important consideration for Luke and his PWS colleagues, as
they contemplate imminent changes. Three Capes Track, which
is currently under construction in Tasman NP, is scheduled to
open in late 2015 (see “Three Capes Track”, page 65) and it’s
expected to attract up to 10,000 walkers a year, far more than
the few thousand who currently walk the trail end to end.
Current trail maintenance is also a low-key aair – upkeep
amounts to on-foot inspections once or twice a year, “with
a chainsaw and a mattock, just to clear out drains along the
way”, Luke says.Heath life. A New Holland
honeyeater. Below, this
Epacris shrub grows only
on the Tasman Peninsula.Phylidonyris novaehollandiae ; Epacris marginataag0914p059_tasman - 59 2014-08-12T11:42:42+10:00