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Family fun day at Hastings Thermal Springs

13/11/2009

Hastings Cave is throwing open the doors to the thermal springs pool for a family fun day on Saturday, 28 November.
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Planned fuel reduction burn in the southwest

29/10/2009

The Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Tasmania are conducting a planned burn in the Southwest National Park and on lands managed by Forestry Tasmania today.
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Volunteer Campground Hosts Sought for Cockle Creek

21/10/2009

The Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) is seeking people with a passion for the beautiful Cockle Creek area in Tasmania's far south area to be volunteer campground hosts for several weeks during the coming summer.More

Hartz Peak

12. Hartz Peak

time 3-5 hour return
access
From Geeveston take road C632 for 21km to the national park. Continue 13km until the road ends. Road is unsealed for last 21km and can be covered with snow. Do not drive in snow unless your vehicle is fitted with chains as, should you become stuck, death from hypothermia could result. No rangers are based in this park. See map
fees Park entry fees apply.
facilities Toilet, tank water, picnic shelter and barbecue 10.5km before track start. No camping.
grade Level 3. It is a 400m climb from the car park to reach the summit of Hartz Peak. The summit is at 1254m.
what to take Group C items
cautions White-out conditions frequently occur making navigation by sight impossible. Keep your party together and stay on the marked track. Subject to severe weather conditions all year round.
prohibited No pets, firearms or bicycles

In fine weather, this relatively accessible peak in the Hartz Mountains National Park gives views of the South West wilderness including Federation Peak. Walkers are warned that blizzard weather conditions can occur with little warning, in any month. All walkers, must be equipped with suitable clothing and all walking parties require navigation skills.

Highlights

Hartz Mountains National Park ranges from 160 metres at the Picton River to 1255 metres above sea level at Hartz Peak.

The great backbone of rock extending almost the entire length of the park is dolerite. This igneous rock which is very resistant to weathering, intruded into the earth's outer crust around 165 million years ago during the break-up of Gondwana. This area has also been modified over time by several ice ages. The cirques, horn peaks, aretes and glacial troughs were all formed during glacial activity on the Hartz Range.

Several frog species can be heard calling during the day. This includes the Moss Froglet which was previously unknown until it was discovered at Hartz Mountains in 1992.