Veronika Wild

  Awful photo, but it's too early in the morning and there's very little light in these clefts between the hills Westmorland Falls at Caveside While I was in the area, I thought I’d visit Westmorland Falls again to see if it had recovered from the disastrous floods in 2016 which had washed away its banks and tracks and had made it unsafe. It had been closed for a long time but had now become part of the Karst National Park and was managed by Parks and Wildlife.  Unfortunately the last   800m of the road to it is still rough, so it would have been better to have left the van at the unmarked parking area on the RHS near the turn -off, but from   the main parking area onwards,   there are new signs, clear tracks and a new bridge. Although classed as a Level 3 Walk, the track wasn’t especially hard. There were a few ups and downs and some places which could be slippery after rain. It passes through light wet sclerophyll forest – think tree ferns, mosses and t...

Part of the slippery descent to the entrance of the Growling Swallet Don't you love that name and please note that I said ‘at’ and not ‘in.’ At 360m, the Growling Swallet  is the second deepest cave in Australia, but requires you to be an experienced member of a Caving Club to enter. Looking over the rules and membership requirements – abseiling skills, proficiency in rope work, a rescue course, a high level of fitness and ability to carry lots of gear, with scuba diving skills as an optional extra,  that’s unlikely to happen any time soon, though the importance of these skills was highlighted with the rescue of the Thai junior soccer team this week.  Fortunately, if the idea of being underground appeals, there are at least three sites around Tasmania which are not only spectacular, but open to the public and where you can view such wonders in complete safety. These are listed at the bottom. Meanwhile getting to the start of the track to the Gr...