Circular Head Council, Tasmania, has endorsed an expression of interest application with the National Parks and Wildlife Service to establish the state’s next iconic multi day walk in the Tarkine Wilderness area.
Council’s submission; The Tayatea Trail, will be a four day / three night walk which begins in the Rapid River Valley near the junction of the Rapid River and the Arthur River on the Tarkine Loop road, and concludes at Mount Bolton adjacent the Western Explorer road and the Norfolk Range.
The application follows the Tasmanian Government’s call for expressions of interest to establish the next multi day walking experience in the state.
The Tayatea Trail takes its name from a Tasmanian Aboriginal word for the now rare and threatened Giant Freshwater Crayfish which occupies many of the river systems in this region.
Mayor, Daryl Quilliam, said, “The trail represents an opportunity for a unified approach to carefully accessing and developing the highly valued and often controversial Tarkine region.
“It’s anticipated that an interpretation centre and activity hub would be established at the start of the trail, potentially overlooking a spectacular section of the Arthur River.
“Activities based around this centre would likely include provisions for mountain biking trails, kayaking and rafting the lower sections of Rapid River and family friendly canoeing on the Arthur River.”
Mayor Quilliam said it was significant that the start and finish points for the trail were close to Smithton, making them highly accessible and a benefit to the economic activity within the Circular Head region.
“A walk of this calibre in the region will attract employment and expansion in the areas of transport and catering services, local accommodation, visitor guides and educators (Rangers), track infrastructure maintenance crews, and adventure tourism operators.”
Many local and state groups and organisations were consulted during the development of Council’s proposal, with both the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and the local Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation providing strong levels of support for the project.
A summary of the proposal was posted on Council’s website and Facebook page which attracted a largely positive response from the community.
