Day 2 of our Overland Track trip starts at Barn Bluff and continues through to the hut at Pine Forest Moor, complete with stunning views of Mt Oakleigh.

Lake Will and Barn Bluff, Overland Track Tasmania

Leaving Barn Bluff around 9:00, it was a short walk through a very dry Waterfall Valley to the first landmark of the day – Lake Will. Lake Will is around 30 minutes from the main track and is well worth the detour if the weather is clear. Barn Bluff, which had been dominating the skyline in front of us for the previous afternoon, was now at our backs, and viewed from Lake Will looked like a very imposing slab of dolerite indeed.

Scoparia and Barn Bluff, Overland Track

The flowers were out and looked stunning. Our guides kept commenting that it was basically like mid January on the track – marshy areas and small creek beds were completely dry, and even mud had hardened and indeed, getting your shoes dirty was quite the challenge! The scoparia was in flower, as was the Tasmanian waratah, and many tiny heath flowers along the way.

Lake Windermere, Pine Forest Moor and the heart of the Overland Track – Pelion East, West and Mt Ossa

Overland Track Tasmania – Pelion, Mt Ossa and Pine Forest Moor

Continuing on from Lake Will, and leaving Barn Bluff behind, our attention turned to the heart of the Overland Track, the Pelion area, including Mt Oakleigh, Mt Pelion East, Mt Ossa (Tasmania’s tallest mountain) and the imposing Pelion West. At this point we also caught our first views of Lake Windermere, which is the location of the second night hut for those in the public huts. Our hut was a fair distance beyond, making the second day noticeably longer, but in actual fact making all 6 days on the track very even (approximately 10 kilometers per day, not including side trips).

Forth Valley Lookout, Overland Track

Night falls on Pine Forest Moor with Mt Ossa and Pelion West

After another stunning day in the heart 0f the Tasmanian wilderness, we arrived to sheer comfort at the hut at Pine Forest Moor, and I set out looking for another aurora. No aurora this evening but a stunning night under the stars at a lonely tarn not far from the hut.