Even though the track notes promise "no more uphill" there is still enough undulation to make it seem like we walked up a few hills. It was a quiet camp at Narcissus with most other walkers choosing to stay at Echo Point for the night.
Distance: 9km Time: 3-4 hours Terrain: Gradual, easy decent to Narcissus through eucalypt forest and across buttongrass plains. Track Surface: Almost entirely natural surface through the forest (gravel/tree root base), with duckboard over the buttongrass plains. Whether you’re finishing your walk at Narcissus, or continuing on foot to Cynthia Bay, either way, there’s no more uphill! It’s a gentle walk down the glacier’s path to Narcissus Hut beside Lake St Clair. Relax and enjoy your final hours of walking. Aside from pockets of wet forest beside creeks, you’ll be walking in an environment most Australians are more familiar with – amongst tall eucalypts and fragrant heath shrubs, surrounded by birdsong and scurrying skinks, and perhaps even an occasional snake on warmer days. About halfway to Narcissus, is the track junction to Pine Valley Hut. The hut is a popular spot for Tasmanian bushwalkers who journey up from Lake St Clair and use it as a base to explore the Du Cane Range. As you near Narcissus River, the dolerite columns of Mount Olympus form a dramatic backdrop to the golden glow of buttongrass moorland. The comfortable duckboard track, which protects the boggy peat soils, is a welcome change, allowing you to stroll along, savouring the view, instead of constantly watching your feet. Crossing the Narcissus River is exciting – it’s the only suspension bridge on the Overland Track. A little further on, you’ll find the small and rustic Narcissus Hut on the banks of the Narcissus River. If you intend to catch the ferry down Lake St Clair, confirm your ferry booking using the hut radio. And a little further on again, is the jetty where the ferry will collect you – and where you can FINALLY take off your pack and your boots and celebrate your remarkable achievement! On arrival at Cynthia Bay, remember to sign out/de-register your walk and write some reflections in the walkers’ journal of your extraordinary journey on one of the world’s most famous long-distance walks in the heart of Tasmania’s magnificent world heritage area. For those walking through to Cynthia Bay around the edge of Lake St Clair on the Lakeside Track, you have another day of beautiful rainforest ahead of you.