I’ve been wanting to return to Corinna ever since I first drove through on my first foray. The waters up on the west coast rivers are black from the tannins in the tea-tree and when the air is till the reflections are unique. Primordial forest, eagles soaring overhead and mist rising from the dense foliage and off the inky waters. Photo-heaven? Its a 6 hr drive from Eaglehawk Neck.
Anyway! Four hours in. Through the copper-cliffed mining of Queenstown the weather starts to look ominous……the parting shot of Eagle-knecked-Tas-geezer, “Off to Corinna eh, they’ll be having different weather up there today for sure”, rings in my ears. The foulest weather possible starts leaving me wondering what on earth I’m doing. Sleet, horizontal rain and snow on the mountain (apparently) left me sceptical. Press on.
An early night in my cosy cabin and a good nights sleep.
OI! NO.!!!!.. Noises and scampering on the roof and clattering against the windows, at dark o’clock mean I’m quickly knickered, torched up and out to investigate. I push the door only to have it bump softly against something unyielding and soft. A further push reveals two pairs of eyes staring from very close range and at my eye-height!!!!
A fucking army of massive possums hanging right there, next to my near-naked-me, from the rafters and on the ground outside. They have found my food bag, forgotten the evening before, hanging outside and have noisily ripped it to shreds and are stealing all my veg. I shoo at them, but the stay and continue to STARE!!!!
I rescue my goats milk yogourt, the relief fair brethren, go back inside and, now wide-awake, wolf the lot, smothered in leatherwood honey, thinking evil anti-possum thoughts. Black-water thoughts!!!
Still lashing with rain when I wake but miraculously it clears and I’m out, caffeined up and Tool in hand (so-to-speak A7 Ninja!) to see what the day has to offer.
The dark crystal waters are doing their thing……………………..pre-cruise snapping.
More essential black nectar, before heading up the Pieman and Savage (rivers)..
Reveal yourself.
This is just the beginning of my reflective journey. See what you think.
And all I’ve got to do now is drive back over the mountains without getting distracted, but I am allowed an hour or two, of ‘Being Ari Vartanen!’ The Hellyer Gorge State Reseve, Murchison Highway, HELL-YEAH GORGE!, more like. Driving heaven!
new horizons 