There are countless accounts of the Du Cane Range Traverse, which is off the quintessential Overland Track in Tasmania. I read these accounts before heading off on this adventure and they didn’t convince me that the walk would be the most stunning hike I’ve ever done - in fact, I thought that it would seriously inferior to the Western Arthurs. But man, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wild, windswept peaks. Uninterrupted 360 degree views. Empty campsites beside perched lakes. The golden glow on jagged peaks in the still of dusk. I’ll let the following photos speak for themselves.
Length: 5 days/ 70+ km
Access: Boat from Lake St Clair, or an extra 20km each way
Water: Tarns and lakes reliable until Falling Mountain
Difficulty: Advanced - navigation required and altitude gain substantial
Day 1: Lake St Clair to Pine Valley Hut
Day 2: Pine Valley to Acropolis and then to the start Lake Ophion
Day 3: Lake Ophion to Lake Helios via Mt Gould South and then to Mt Hyperion
Day 4: Lake Helios to Lake Marion
Day 5: Lake Marion to Narcissus