The Way to St. James, Cygnet

Early next year will be the first “Way to St. James”, a fairly easy walk of 36km, along back roads—which, sadly, lack proper footpaths—over two days:

Inspired by the famous Spanish El Camino of St. James, this two day pilgrim walk will take you through the scenic and peaceful Huon Valley to a celebration at the Spanish miſsion styled Church of St. James, nestled in the heart of Cygnet.

Through fellowship, reflection, rejoicing and ritual you will find an opportunity to reconnect with the spiritual dimensions of your life.

The walk commences on Friday 8 January, 2016, at 10:00am, from the Mountain River Community Hall and finishes on 9 January at approximately 5:00pm at St. James Church, Cygnet in the midst of the wonderful Cygnet Folk Festival.

The walk can officially recognise only 250 participants so, if you would like to join the pilgrimage to St. James, register soon.

(Note that participating pilgrims will not walk between Ranelagh and Cadoc but will be travel by bus between those towns in order “to avoid narrow sections of the Channel Highway”.  What an indictment of the lamentable lack of decent paths next to our major roads!)

Taroona to Kingston: Another Pathleſs Walk

The walk from the centre of the city of Hobart to the town of Kingston (part of Greater Hobart) is 12km (if you credulously accept the premise of Google Maps that you can walk by way of the Southern Outlet) or nearly 16km if you go by way of Sandy Bay Road and the Channel Highway.  The latter route also has footpaths for nearly 11km—seldom leſs than fair and, for most of the time, good—from Hobart until near Baringa Road, Taroona.  A few times, however, near the end of the footpath, the kerbing is not helpful to the infirm or wheelchair-bound.  See the last two junctions—to Hinby Road and to Illawong Crescent—before Baringa Road.

 

Not that there is much point for the wheelchair-bound to try to negotiate such difficulties southwards thence; soon there is no provision at all for those in wheelchairs.

At the Baringa Road junction the footpath ends completely; however, for a little distance, there is a rough track near the road.

Welcome to the Huon Trail Touring Route.

Even near the Shot Tower, a major tourist feature of Taroona, no footpath is provided.  To be fair, though, motorists are warned of pedestrians.

Wait, just beyond the town marker, is that a bike sign in the middle distance?  Might it signify, perchance, a bike lane?  Why, yes; it is a bike lane of sorts which goes for almost a furlong, and then stops.

After the bike lane ends there is no path on Bonnet Hill until very near the town of Kingston.  Children who dwell along the highway, when they alight from buses after school, and particularly in the dark evenings of winter, evidently must learn to be quite cautious, especially when vehicles occupy both lanes.

For most of the route, from the edge of Taroona to the edge of Kingston, over Bonnet Hill, pedestrians must walk on the road though a graſsy or muddy shoulder might exist here and there for a chain or two.  Near the bottom of Bonnet Hill, however, there is a marked lane for cyclists or even, perchance, pedestrians.

Not that the area so delineated is remarkably safe.

There is only one bridge on the Channel Highway between Taroona and Kingston, over Brown River; it has slight provision for pedestrians.

 

Now, having reached the town, footpaths are at last available.  Yay!

(Informal walked from his dwelling in Battery Point to the bus stop in Kingston shewn in the picture above—a distance of 14.3km, according to Google Maps—, with many pauses to take pictures, in around three hours on Monday, 14 September.)

UPDATE I (25 September):  Informal wrote (onymously) to all the councillors of Kingborough Council last week and again today asking why “there is a dangerous lack of proper footpaths between Taroona and Kingston”.  He received one response, from Councillor Flora Fox:

Dear unkown resident, I usually do not respond to anonymous emails.
This is a State Government road, not Council responsibility.  [sic]

Highways are indeed maintained by the State government but the minor roads which connect with the Channel Highway (and which also lack footpaths) are a responsibility of the Kingborough Council.  The safety of residents and the amenity of its entire area, though shared with others, are responsibilities of the Kingborough Council.

UPDATE II (26 September):  Informal received another reply, brief but more useful, from Dr. Graham Bury, the sometime Mayor of Kingborough; he wrote:

Thankyou for that anonymous note- but what is the problem with the Alum Cliffs track which provides a path exactly as you wish?

He asked a fair question, and Informal replied:

Until this morning […] I had never heard of that track.  I am no recreational walker, and I saw no sign anywhere along the road from Hobart to Taroona making me aware of its existence, but now I know of the track I shall walk thereon, ascertain how suitable it might be for casual pedestrians (and for those confined to wheelchairs), and publish a report thereof.

The name “Track” seems suggestive of a track more than a footpath but you may expect a report of the Alums Cliff Track soon. 

UPDATE III (27 September):  Informal received a second e-mail last night from Dr. Bury, kindly responding to Informal’s reply; he wrote:

The Alum Cliffs track is not designed for the disabled.  I am 79 and recently walked the track comfortably.

Informal sauntered to Kingston, this morning, by way of the Alum Cliffs Track.
The track, being a path whereon people may indeed travel by foot, is technically a footpath; however, it is very steep at times, is quite unsuitable for the infirm, and is mostly inacceſsible to those in wheelchairs or other wheeled conveyances and, as such (contradicting Dr. Bury’s implied suggestion in his earlier question), far from the sort of footpath the members of Proper Footpaths “exactly” desire.

A pictorial report is available here. 

UPDATE IV (28 September):  Informal received a second and slightly lengthier e-mail from Councillor Flora Fox:

Council and the community have been lobbying the State Government for many years to connect the up-hill bike lanes between Taroona to Kingston over Bonnet Hill.  Last year the State Government committed to complete this project, to be commenced this year.  This will make it safer for all road users, including pedestrians and the Shot Tower will be safer to visit.

Council has also constructed a walkway along the foreshore cliff between Kingston to the Shot Tower, the Alum Cliffs Walkway, with the remaining section of private land to Taroona currently being compulsorily acquired by Council for completion of the link.  This iconic walk is already very popular with residents and visitors alike and has benefited from many years of work and funding from Council.

UPDATE V (2 October):  Informal received a constructive e-mail from Councillor Richard Atkinson:

I am a strong proponent of walking and bicycle paths, as well as paths suitable for those with physical disabilities that limit their mobility.

As you’re probably aware, the provision of walking and cycling paths is restricted by the financial resources of the Council.

The particular road you wrote about, from Taroona to Kingston over Bonnet Hill is a state government road.  This year, after lobbying from the community and Council, the State Government has decided to spend significant funds upgrading the road shoulder to form a lane for cyclist and pedestrians on the uphill sections of this part of the Channel Highway.  Although not an ideal bike path or footpath, this will at least provide greater safety to those walking the road.

A further recent initiative from Council is investigation of a multi-use path from Bonnet Hill to Mount Nelson along the skyline.  I have walked this route on several occasions and think that it could make a pleasant alternative to a path beside the traffic.

There are many parts of Kingborough that would benefit from improved paths, both alongside roads and on separate routes.  For bike paths we draw community input through the Kingborough Bicycle Advisory Committee.  The Acceſsibility Committee gather[s] community opinion on priorities for the physically disabled.

Much of the construction work that Kingborough Council does for paths is as part of other road upgrades, for example the footpath along the Channel Highway towards the Antarctic Division opposite the Spring Farm intersection will have a new shared path as part of the traffic changes when Bunnings builds at the site.  Other capital work is scheduled against competing priorities on our capital works program.

I hope this brief letter gives you hope that Council takes the provision of walking and cycling tracks seriously.  We are well aware that there are short-comings in some of our paths and the details you have highlighted are among them.

UPDATE VI (2 October):  Informal received a helpful e-mail from the Mayor of Kingborough, Councillor Steve Wass:

From your email stating proper footpaths, I have taken it that you are referring to a footpath made from permanent material with kerb and guttering.

Should this be the case, I would expect such infrastructure to cost to be in excess of $1.5m (one side of the highway).  Please also note that the Channel Highway is a State road, and not Council’s.  In addition to secure a proper footpath Council would need to purchase land, as in many cases the verge of the highway is not existent for a proper footpath.  As the footpath would need to run below the highway in places, considerable safety fencing would be required, along with excavation, drainage etc.  As you can see from the above, this project could run wildly into say $3m plus.

The amounts to be expended are simply too much, and against other priorities is simply not financially viable.  Prioritisation would see this project against several towns in Kingborough that do not have a footpath in their main shopping zones.

Council has also been working towards the re-establishment of the Allum Cliffs Track from Taroona to Kingston, a track that has become iconic and much travelled by Taroona, Kingston and further afield residents.  This track away from motorists must be safer and more enjoyable to walk.

I trust the above gives some insight into the works required.

A Call for Artwork

An Infınite Path

Members of Tasmanians for Proper Footpaths complain, rightly, that Tasmanians suffer from a dearth of proper footpaths near our major roads; for instance, if you walk south towards Perth from Launceston you’ll discover that, 7km out of the city in Youngtown (not far from Franklin House), the footpaths stop:

Even across bridges, along Hobart Road, near the Southern Outlet, there is slight provision for pedestrians between the outskirts of Launceston and Perth:

However, one well-paved path does exist at the Breadalbane roundabout.

No footpath leads thither or thence but once pedestrians reach the Breadalbane roundabout they may tramp to their hearts’ content, around and around, all day if they wish, on a paved footpath which, though infinite, leads nowhither.

The New Website

ProperFootpaths.net is now established as a home for Tasmanians for Proper Footpaths and for The Great Heritage Highway Walk; the various pages thereat will be expanded gradually over the next few months.  However, this blog and the Great Heritage Highway Walk blog will remain as the chief places for updates.

The Great Heritage Highway Walk Blog

A new blog which specifically covers The Great Heritage Highway Walk has been established.

Alderman Briscoe’s Also on Board

A report from Informal, the President/Secretary of Proper Footpaths:

I had a productive, half-hour meeting yesterday with Alderman Jeff Briscoe of the Hobart City Council, who is a known supporter of improved walkways and bikeways and the like.  I am pleased to record that he listened attentively to our proposal for, inter alia, a proper, continuous footpath between Hobart and Launceston, and to details of the planned Great Heritage Highway Walk next Easter, and to other, related ideas.  Not only did he expreſs general support, he also aſsured me that he will help publicise our Walk; he will, for example, speak to the Lord Mayor of Hobart about official involvement in welcoming participants of the Walk when they arrive in Hobart.  Alderman Briscoe also revealed that he knew well that it was easier to walk between Hobart and Launceston in colonial days because he posseses diaries from an ancestor describing such a journey; he promised to send us an account of his ancestor’s trip soon.

The Tao of Walking

Prof. Gregory Baſsham’s article on walking at Scientia Salon:

Walkers are a motley tribe.  People walk for all sorts of reasons.  Sociable walkers walk for the pleasures of good talk.  Fitneſs walkers walk to stay in shape.  Nature walkers walk to enjoy nature.  Dog walkers walk to enjoy the company of a companionable dog.  Beach walkers (a tribe of their own) walk to enjoy sun and sand and a glittering shoreline,

where a confident sea

is ever breaking, never spent.

As G. M. Trevelyan says:  “There is no orthodoxy in walking.  It is a land of many paths and no-paths, where everyone goes his own way and is right.”

I wish to say a word about the special pleasures of long-distance walking.  I am thinking about two kinds of walks in particular: the all-day “tramp” and the multi-day walking holiday.  Although the notion of “the Tao [or Zen] of X” is greatly overworked, there are interesting tie-ins between Taoism and long-distance walking.  […]

Walking, for humans, is as natural as breathing.  Walking also comports with the Taoist ideal of simplicity.  In going for a long-distance walk, we free ourselves from the clutters and meſsineſs of modern life.  We say goodbye to the world of traffic, deadlines, meetings, and e-mails, and enter a stripped down, spare world of natural fundamentals:  walking, communing with nature, eating, drinking, eliminating, and sleeping.  There is freedom in this trade-off.  As William Hazlitt said, “We go a journey chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others.”

Do read the whole thing.

UPDATE I:  do also read (or listen to) “Walking Alone” by David Bouchier:

Walking is deeply is deeply unfashionable these days.  It’s not unusual to see apparently fit people manœvring aggreſsively for the parking spot closest to the supermarket door as if their lives depended on saving half a dozen steps.

But deliberate walking for exercise has not yet died out and the habit may even be on the increase as health-conscious baby-boomers reach an age when they have to give up jogging.  Some people like to walk in the suburbs where they can study the three varieties of suburban architecture and enjoy the thrill of danger that comes from having no sidewalks.  Some prefer to walk in the city so they can get their minimum daily dose of air pollutants and carbon monoxide.  Some prefer the torture machine called a treadmill, so they don’t have to go anywhere.  For myself I prefer the country, or any place where no buildings are visible in any direction.  Human habitations distract the mind, in a way that nature does not.

Distraction can ruin a good walk.  That’s why it’s important to walk alone sometimes, because the whole walking experience is about being with yourself and paying attention to the world around you.

UPDATE II:  see also “How Walking in Nature Prevents Depreſsion” by Olga Khazan: 

A study [from Stanford University] finds that wild environments boost well-being by reducing obseſsive, negative thoughts.

The Preliminary Great Heritage Highway Walk

Over this Easter some members of Tasmanians for Proper Footpaths will be walking from Launceston to Hobart along the route of The Great Heritage Highway Walk next Easter.  The Great Heritage Highway Walk is intended both to promote Tasmanian tourism (particularly along the Heritage Highway) and to publicise our advocacy of safe footpaths between Hobart and Launceston (and, ultimately, between all Tasmanian cities and towns); it will also, we hope, be an enjoyable expedition.

This year’s Walk will begin on Thursday morning at the Launceston Town Hall, at 08:30, and will end on Tuesday afternoon at the Hobart Town Hall; the itinerary will be (with approximate distances):

Thursday, 2 April, Launceston, viâ Perth*, to Epping Forest (44 km);
Friday, 3 April, Epping Forest to Roſs (34 km);
Saturday, 4 April, Roſs to Oatlands (36 km);
Sunday, 5 April, Oatlands to Kempton (39 km);
Monday, 6 April, Kempton to Brighton (24 km); and
Tuesday, 7 April, Brighton, viâ Granton, to Hobart (30 km).

Some of us will stay overnight at the following places† which offer agreeable rooms at very reasonable prices:

Rose Cottage, Epping Forest;
Roſs Hotel, Roſs; &
Kentish Hotel, Oatlands.
(Also, somewhere on the village green‡ in Kempton Town.)

We shall, whenever poſsible, walk along footpaths but, regrettably, along much of the route proper footpaths are too seldom available.  Our walking along the highway, whenever footpaths are non-existent (to demonstrate, inter alia, that walking along the highway when footpaths are non-existent is hazardous) is, according to expert advice from the Tasmanian Department of State Growth’s Transport Infrastructure Services, hazardous; we should, if this preliminary walk were a public event, need to have safety officers and support vehicles and paramedics and suchlike available, but this year’s walk is not a public event.  If our walk were a public event we should require a Place of Aſsembly licence under the Public Health Act 1997 but this preliminary walk is not a public event.  Next year, however, The Great Heritage Highway Walk will be a public event and it will also feature entertainment and peripheral events at various stops as well as many opportunities for participants to win nifty prizes.

Plan ahead for the The Great Heritage Highway Walk over Easter 2016—from 24 March to 29 March, 2016—now!  Book your accommodation early and save!

* travelling by way of Evandale is almost equidistant.
† contact details:- 

Rose Cottage,
Barton Road, Epping Forest 7211, (03) 6391 5569,
rosecott@southcom.com.au; 
  
Roſs Hotel,
35 Church Street, Roſs 7209, (03) 6381 5445,
rosshotel.au@gmail.com;  
  
Kentish Hotel,
60 High St, Oatlands 7120, (03) 6254 1119,
nadiaalbertini@bigpond.com.

‡ Kempton, since nearby hostelries closed in recent times, no longer has any hireable accommodation for paſsing visitors other than some provision for camper-vans (and, undoubtedly, for those with contacts, a few hospitable, private dwellings).  Thankfully, Kempton still has a tavern so that walkers will at least be able to procure a refreshing beverage or two.

UPDATE I:  we are reminded by a correspondent to mention that there are myriad places between those towns wherein we shall stop overnight which provide morning teas, lunches, afternoon teas, snacks etc.  We shall, for instance, make a point of stopping at The Black Snake Inn, at South Granton, during our walk between Brighton and Hobart.

One of our aims in organising this Walk is to promote the diverse providers of hospitality, fine local products, and various tourism-related busineſses along our route.  We certainly intend to enjoy some fine viands by the way.

UPDATE II:  Fiona Dewar, Tourism Officer of the Northern Midlands Council, kindly sent us some material—including a Quick Guide to the Heritage Highway, which we reproduce here—and, though this year’s Walk bypaſses towns such as Evandale, Longford and Creſsy, asks us to mention those fine places.  She writes:

Evandale has a wonderfully historic streetscape and just south of Evandale at Nile, is the magnificent historic estate of Clarendon House.  Also home to the Australian Fly Fishing Museum and the Norfolk Plains Heritage Centre.

At Longford, we have two World Heritage Listed Convict Sites, Woolmers and Brickendon.

When you get to Oatlands, there is a fabulous historic mill, the Callington Mill, and it is poſsible to book tours of the mill.  They are great tours . . . don a hardhat and go right to the very top inside the mill.  Very fascinating.  […]

At Brighton, there is the amazing Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.  Great opportunity to get up close and personal with Taſsie’s wildlife as they are cared for by wonderful people, either for their lifetime or in preparation for release back to the wild.

UPDATE III:  in an interview with a journalist from The Mercury Informal mentioned how many people have of late described the advantages of cycling through the countryside over driving.  Here is an example (which we endorse) in an editorial, “Following a Natural Cycle”, in The Mercury:

Anyone who has cycled through Tasmania will tell you that pedalling through the landscape provides a very, very different perspective to driving.

Cycling completely immerses tourists in the experience of travelling through our countryside.

Cycling tourists smell the eucalypts and banksias, breathe the incredibly clean, fresh air and feel the undulating hills and dales with their thighs.

They can hear the chirping of birds, the soothing rhythm of waves lapping at the shore and the wind as it blows through the trees.

The much slower pace of pedalling through the scenery enables riders to gain a more thorough appreciation that is vastly more engaging than peering out the window of an air-conditioned sedan.

For ‘cycling’ and ‘cycled’, of course, read ‘walking’ and ‘walked’, for ‘pedalling’ read ‘footing’ or ‘ambling’ or even ‘legging’, and for ‘riders’ read ‘pedestrians’.

UPDATE IV:  Informal is booked to discuſs the Heritage Highway Walk with Ryk Goddard on local radio—936 ABC—on Thurday morning, 26 March, shortly after 07:15.

UPDATE V:  here is the link to Ryk Goddard’s discuſsion with Informal.

UPDATE VI:  here is the link to the subsequent ABC News article, posted by Sam Ikin, “Tasmanian man to walk from Launceston to Hobart to ‘prove’ the need for footpaths on every road”.  Note that the article refers to a letter from the Premier and Minister for Tourism, Hon. Will Hodgman:

Mr. Hodgman went on to point out that a 480 kilometre trail already existed from Devonport to Dover via Sheffield, Miena, Ouse, New Norfolk and Geevston which is acceſsible for bike riding and walking.

As we noted earlier, the Tasmanian Trail is not a path—as is evidenced by its name—and at times it is not even a trail; in many places it is quite unsuitable for walking or cycling and in some places it is barely suitable for even the hardiest equestrian. 

UPDATE VII:  unfortunately, this Easter’s Walk was terminated at Roſs.  Much skin was peeling off the soles of Informal’s bleeding feet so, after only two days and a mere 78km or so, he decided to postpone the prelimary Walk to another time.  More details will be available soon.

Wilkie Will Walk the Walk

A report from Informal, the President/Secretary of Proper Footpaths:

I had a productive, half-hour meeting today with my local, federal member, Andrew Wilkie MHR, the independent member for Denison.  I am pleased to record that he listened attentively to our proposal for, inter alia, a proper, continuous footpath between Hobart and Launceston, to my hope that much of the appropriate facilities and infrastructure—of paved paths and even avenues and covered walkways, for instance—could be furnished through sponsorship from local busineſses and private citizens and with minimal funding from taxpayers, and to other, related ideas.  He expreſsed his general support; he also aſsured me that he will, within the month, write to the Tasmanian Premier and Minister for Tourism, to local councils, and perhaps to the local media, endorsing the general concept of proper footpaths and explaining, for example, how properly planned and marketed walking tours could be a boon to the economy—even with existing pathways.

We shall publish Mr. Wilkie’s submiſsion as soon as we receive our copy.

UPDATE I (18 September):  Here is Mr. Wilkie’s letter to Hon. Will Hodgman, Premier of Tasmania and Minister for Tourism:

UPDATE II (5 November):  Here is Mr. Hodgman’s reply*:

* note that Mr. Hodgman refers to the Tasmanian Trail as suitable for walking.  The Tasmanian Trail is not a path—as is evidenced by its name—and, at times, it is not even a trail; in many places it is quite unsuitable for walking and in some places it is even barely suitable for hardy horse-riders.  Furthermore, the trail avoids both Launceston and Hobart.

Attractive Walks from around the World