Four-Wheel-Driving In Mt Field National Park, Tasmania

A guest post - by Luke Hine-Haycock

Saw Back Track Disappointment

Blue line marks the Saw Back Track

 

 

 

Having been told that the Saw Back Track was an extreme 4wd experience, a few mates and I decided to give it a go.

Sadly the track was a little disappointing for me, as I only found two challenging parts - the first one was a clay hill with a washed out step up in it and the second one was a muddy water hole.

Although the Saw Back Track was a little disappointing the Mt Field National Park area has a lot to offer and see.

Results of the clay step-up

Entry Requirements

From Bothwell we drove approx. 71km to the Mt Field National Park visitor centre, where we got the key and permits for the Saw Back track - a $300 refundable deposit was charged for the key.

Mt Field National Park visitor centre

 We had to fill out some permits to be able to get the key which required our licences and rego. numbers.

 A park's pass is also required to enter into Tasmanian National Parks.

The Camp

After we got our permits sorted, we headed to Lake Pedder where we set up camp for the two nights.

There were a few good camping spots here with shelters and old BBQs, some fire wood was also supplied by parks and wild life, although we had taken our own.

There were also long drop toilets there and although they were clean, they were a little smelly.

The first thing we did once we picked out our camp site was set up the swags in the shelter because it had been raining on and off all day.

Dustin then got the fire going while Luke set up his Webber to cook everyone a lamb roast for tea.

Getting the fire going

While the roast was cooking we decided to go for a drive around Lake Pedder for about an hour and when we got back we had a couple of beers while we waited for the roast to finish cooking, then it was time for tea.

Exploring Mount Field National Park

It was lucky there was a shelter as we got some more rain overnight.

 Saturday morning was a much nicer day and we were all pretty keen to go and do the Saw Back track and explore the old 1920s mining township of Adamsfield, where gold & osmiridium were mined. 

Old Mining Huts

Some old mining artefacts can be found scattered around the huts.

After having a look at the ruins of the old mine township of Adamsfield, we came across a new timber shelter that looked to only be a few weeks old.

This was the perfect place to stop for lunch as it was that time of day.

There was a little creek with running water and a nice big grassy area with enough room to park all the vehicles.

Not long after lunch we had completed the Saw Back Track and were back on the Gordon River road, so we decided to take the drive down to the Gordon dam and check out the impressive concrete dam wall that is 140m tall.

Gordon Dam Wall

On our return back to camp, we stopped in at Pedder Wilderness Lodge for a few beers and a game of 8-ball.

Things You Should Know

If you are planing on doing the Saw Back Track, I would recommend that you book in advance, as this is a popular spot and the maximum number of vehicles in each group is six, although our group only consisted of five vehicles.

I am told that the Saw Back track is closed annually from June to October to prevent damage to the fragile mudstone soils.

You must ensure that all vehicles are free of mud before entering Adamsfield Conservation Area to prevent the spread of weeds and fungal diseases.

Vehicles including motorbikes and quad bikes must be registered and stay on formed tracks.

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