Tasmania Holiday – 2019 Day 6
Ian SchulzExploring Lake St Clair and The Wall In The Wilderness
Pumphouse Point History
A little history about the pumphouse before breakfast. The Pumphouse was built in 1940 as part of Tasmania’s first hydro-electricity station. It stands 5 stories tall at the end of a 274-metre flume that protrudes out into Australia’s deepest lake at 160-metres, Lake St Clair in the Cradle Valley. The state-of-the-art facility pumped water from Lake St Clair into the nearby St Clair Lagoon before being fed to the Tarraleah Power Station. The Pumping station was decommissioned in the early ’90s and placed on Tassie’s Heritage register. In 2004 the current owner was successful in securing the lease and after 10 years of hard work the doors once again swung open on the 1st January 2015 for people to come and enjoy. There are 18 rooms on offer, so you really do feel at times that you have the place to yourself.
Breakfast and the Pumphouse lounge
Breakfast this morning was again in the communal dining hall and consisted of hot and cold morsels to enjoy. Everything you would be wanting for breakfast and local delights from around Tasmania. After our daily bread, we took the walk out to the pumphouse which all guests are able to enjoy the lounge area that overlooks the water. Once across we warmed ourselves by the fire as the weather has been a mixture of showers and what seems to be the roaring 40’s wind. So layers are definitely required as you never know what the day holds as it is quite changeable as we have noticed.
The Wall In The Wilderness
Another must visit in the area is “The Wall In The Wilderness” which has been a labour of love by artist Greg Duncan. The story depicted on the wall is a commemoration of those men and women both past and present that helped shape Tasmania’s central highland. The wall consists of 3 metre high panels that have been tirelessly carved spanning 100 metres in total in two 50 metre corridors. Some of the carvings are so realistic it is hard to believe they are made of wood and not leather for instance. You have to resist the urge to reach out and touch them to assure yourself it is not how it seems. Unfortunately but understandably no photography is allowed within the confines of the building. Stopping and checking out this marvel when in the area is something I would recommend.
Lake St Clair Lodge
Just a little further up the road from our digs is Lake St Clair Lodge and visitors centre which is a hive of activity and the finishing point for those who have walked the overland track which is 65-80 kilometres and takes approximately 6-7 days to walk, attracting over 8000+ hikers per year.
Back for the night
Now back to the pumphouse and to our room for a spot of lunch and some relaxing as it is starting to blow a gale. I’ve settled in for the evening now but my other half has been silly enough to brave the weather in the hope of securing another shot of the Pumphouse from another angle. He’ll no doubt come back with something magic and I’ll be envious but warm.
