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Tasmanian Micro-Adventure With Photographer James Kerstan

03 October 2022

One of the great things about living in Tasmania is having the endless opportunities to seek out adventure. When Merrell sent me a pair of their Moab Mid Gore-tex boots I knew there was only one place that I wanted to go that would give me a chance to put these boots through their paces.

 

I packed my bags and set off on an overnight trip to Cradle Mountain. From waterfalls to wildlife, mountains, lakes and the endless supply of hiking trails, Cradle mountain would have to be one of the places in Tasmania that has everything an adventurer could ask for.

 

Setting off on my 4.5hr drive from Hobart I was quietly excited to hear along the way that there was a fresh dumping of snow awaiting me for when I got there.

 

Arriving late in the day I set off on my first short walk the Dove Canyon Track it was pouring down with rain and it set for some of the most amazing conditions, while entering the forest it felt like I was going back in time to an ancient mystical rainforest with the luscious green moss surrounding the boardwalk up into the canopy of the trees. It was an amazing experience but after 5 minutes I managed to take one photo before the rain became too much for my camera to handle.

 

 

Sadly leaving the forest I made my way to the grand view of the park, the mountain. I’ve seen this place countless times both in person and photos, no picture or explanation can ever do this place any justice, it’s just one of those things you have to get out and see for yourself.

 

Every time I’ve been here I’ve always faced different weather conditions, from pouring rain to being stuck in the middle of a snow storm but I’d never had the chance to see the classic postcard conditions of dove lake. This time my luck had changed, I arrived to what was a crystal-clear reflection on the lakes water but with no colour in the sky. Having similar experiences at different locations I knew not to turn around and leave. I set up my camera and had one shot in mind, I was waiting for over an hour with nothing happening, I thought the sunset had finished and was just about to leave until the sky completely lit up in a stunning pink and purple haze, It only lasted a few minutes but wow was it spectacular.

 

 

If you’ve ever been to cradle mountain you’d probably know that the lake seems to have it’s own weather system up there. It could be completely clear at the visitor’s centre but as soon as you turn that last corner to the lake it could be completely clouded in. So the next morning I set off from the campground with completely shocking weather conditions, I had already dismissed the idea of getting any photos for that sunrise but to my surprise and complete luck I turned around that last corner and the clouds were nowhere to be seen and the water was possibly the calmest I’d ever seen.

 

It was like the weather had itself timed perfect for sunrise. Just a few minutes after the good light had gone the big thick clouds that were at the campground had made their way to the lake and masked the mountain in a matter of minutes. Although this weather is not ideal for photographing the mountain it certainly makes for some great light chasing waterfalls.

 

I set off on the last walk for my cradle adventure and hiked into Crater falls, 30 minutes of walking later I had arrived back in another forest that would normally be covered in moss but this time the moss was immersed in a few inches of snow.

 

 

Running out of time I took a few shots and moved on to the waterfall. Crater falls are definitely one of the harder falls I’ve photographed, but with previous boots I had always been restricted to the banks of rivers in fear of getting wet feet, with my Moabs I decided to put them to the test and took a few steps in the water. Sure my feet were cold with the icy water rushing past them but they were completely dry! I could walk through the water and not one drop made it through the waterproof layer.

 

 

 

 

 

Although Crater falls were my last place on the list for cradle mountain I still had the 4 and a half hour drive back home. Frankly that’s just too much and I knew I needed a break along the way. With my new-found love for these waterproof boots I checked my map and made a slight detour to another waterfall I had been meaning to get to for over a year. I had a general idea as to where these falls were but had never been there before, so I met up with a few friends and we set off on the hour hike to lower chasm falls. The hike was certainly no walk in the park, treading through ankle deep mud, hopping over giant mossy rocks, rummaging through trees it was definitely a challenge.

 

Again, just like with everything in Tasmania, photos just don’t do any justice as to how amazing these falls looked in person, but I still took some anyway.

 

 

 

Photography has taken me on so many adventures that I couldn’t even begin to count. I’ve been through all sorts of different brands of shoes, from low end imported eBay boots to high end name brand shoes but nothing has ever compared to the comfort that the Moab Mid Gore-tex boots have given me. Straight from the box they felt like I had warn them for miles.

 

 

 

Written by Photographer James Kerstan.

Follow more stunning photography follow James on Instagram or visit his website.

 

Instagram: james.kerstan 

https://www.jameskerstan.com/  

 

 

 


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