Everlasting Oberon

There was a moment I will always remember, where I walked into this saddle and saw this view of Lake Oberon for the first time. Adversely to my usual process, I didn't even get the camera out initially. I just stopped and stood there taking it all in, I had finally made it here.

I still think about this journey often, I still find myself consumed in thought regarding possibly the most physical yet rewarding photography hike I have undertaken to date.

It was intense on many levels, it was remote and it was a trip worth every bit of investment I undertook to get here.

If I start at the end, I can remember being back in the car driving north to get to the Spirit of Tasmania, with legs full of excess fluid, saw muscles and fatigued. but the memories and photographs I was able to create far outweighed any other aspect. It's part of what I came here for, to push myself and photograph a view I may not see again.

The trip took place in the summer of 2018, a group of friends and I were finally making our way to the Western Arthurs in Tasmania. We would be on the trail for six nights and there had been a number of years of planning to get to this point. If you are not aware, the Western Arthurs area is synonymous for its remote location, amazing views, hard hiking and changeable weather. It's also known for Lake Oberon, possibly one of the most celebrated Tasmanian view points along the traverse. For years I had wanted to achieve a photograph of this area, and I made a promise to myself that I would make it happen.

It's pre-dawn on the day we started the walk and I hadn't really slept, I was keen to just start. There was much anticipation in the group, with thoughts focused around risk mitigation, gear, repacking and what lay ahead.

The first day really went quite smoothly, with a large traverse up the range to our first camp at Lake Cygnus, roughly 16 kilometers. We decided to walk further than anticipated and this ended up paying off, as we had an extra day at Lake Oberon. The next day saw us leave early and push for the view I had been anticipating, and at roughly 2pm we made it to the all inspiring scene over Oberon. But the weather was coming in, we had been pushing against it all day. One of my biggest fears for this trip was to be shut down by low cloud and poor visibility. I have spoken to some hikers who didn't see the views on the traverse because bad, wet weather and low cloud set in for days on end and they didn't really see much at all.

Photographing that view on the way to camp on that afternoon, stood as an important milestone in the trip. In fact, if we had arrived at the saddle an hour later, I may well have missed the photograph all together due to the weather and rain. The weight of the decision to push further on the first day became evident.

Amazing pre-storm light over Lake Oberon with Federation peak in far left

All too suddenly, it started to rain and the weather set in, so we made our way down to the camp beside the lake in wet slippery conditions. The rainy, cloudy weather stuck with us for the next two days. It foiled plans of hiking back up to this saddle location for dawn and dusk sessions. But we were still able to get out and use the cameras in moody conditions, but it was hard and the views were limited. This was our turn around point, meaning we could stop for a few days and just enjoy being out in this very remote and beautiful place. We did short walks around the lake, focusing on the Pandani palms, small streams and rock formations.

All too suddenly it was time to pack up and leave, the weather forecast looked better for the next day and we had to leave, our time in this special place was over. But we had experienced it and the group were ready to head out. Every piece of gear was soaked after good amounts of rain and no opportunity to dry anything. We just packed everything into our bags, and started walking. I did manage one last photograph, as the light danced around through the clearing weather though.

We arrived at our last camp, back at lake Cygnus, in completely sunny weather. It gave us an opportunity to unpack everything and dry it out, even the tent. After several hours we found a platform, carried the tent there and settled in for a nice clear, calm night. At roughly 2am, another large storm system hit the Western Arthurs, with plenty of lightning and a lot more rain. We rode it out and once again packed everything up wet the next morning. We left in heavy mist with a further 16 kilometers ahead of us to the car.

By this stage fatigue started to set in, we were running low on food and looked forward to getting to the car and to civilisation. Once we ventured back down the range, to the button grass plains, it was a walk in perfect sunny conditions. It was time to walk, be with our thoguhts and refelct on the journey that we had just undertaken. Time to take stock and be thankful nothing had gone wrong, we were all safe and healthy.

Climbing into bed on the Spirit of Tasmania felt like it always does when I leave Tasmania, it has a habit of kicking my butt. Its so wild down there and I always want to go back. I am not sure if I will ever take on this hike again, maybe.