The South-West Coast / Port Davey Track is more than just a trek, it is an epic. It is a character building adventure and if you survive to tell the tale you became a different man or woman ... sort of at least. :-) It is often described as the hardest trek down under and I think I believe it.

The trek traverses some of the finest Tasmanian wilderness and unlike some of the more popular treks it is really just that - a true wilderness. Depending on your speed you can complete the trek in something like 10-13 days. If you don't want to do the whole trek it is possibly to fly out from a mining settlement after about 7 days. Don't do it because after all the nice beaches you shouldn't really miss the agony of the Port Davey portion which continues towards the southern center of Tasmania. While the South-West Coast trail has a reasonable layout with lots of ups and downs along the coast line the Port Davey track is a fight between you and nature or to be precise between you and the leech-invested swamps where the track is barely visible. Once you've done it it was worth every second but on the trail you always wonder why Lucifer was allowed to set up a trail. Once you've reached the day-walker area it is also of utmost importance that you scale the deepest mud (you will be wet down to the bones by then anyway) to impress the passing wannabees who still think that keeping their socks dry is a worthy attempt. By then this is the most normal thing to do in life anyway for ya.

As you may have guessed by now the track is not for everybody because it is very strenuous in part. The toughest aspect is the weight of your pack. You can make life a little easier by organizing a food package to be dropped at the mining settlement - otherwise you have to carry food for 10-13 days on top of your trek gear (like we did). However, stolen food is not unheard of so it may not be a good idea to rely on the Raisin bombers. There is only one hut on the trail - carrying a good tent is a must. The south-west of Tasmania has highly varying weather conditions with everything from hot sunshine to a rainy storm within a day. The temperatures can be pretty low even in summer time so don't forget to take some good and warm rain-gear. It is also worth to mention that the South-West is also home to some of the deadliest snakes of the planet - we encountered one or more Tiger snakes on every day of the trek, once even on the beach. Typical for most snakes these are shy fellows but better don't tease them or this may well be your last adventure ever. Both trail ends are serviced once every two days by hiker shuttles from Hobart so the access is easy.