Tread lightly: responsible off-roading in Tasmania
Tasmania’s tracks and trails provide abundant opportunities for 4WD enthusiasts. Ruth Dawkins meets some of the drivers who have embraced sustainable, low-impact off-road exploration.
From long stretches of firm white sand to muddy forest tracks with a bog-hole around every corner, Tasmania offers an unrivalled diversity of landscapes suitable for off-road adventures.
Whether you’re seeking a self-drive experience, a tag-along tour or a fully guided day trip, there’s an option available for every level of experience and budget. What unites them all is a commitment to responsible, respectful off-road practices.
Responsible off-roading means more than just driving safely. It also encompasses principles such as planning ahead and securing any necessary permits, minimising impact on the environment, protecting wildlife, and proper disposal of waste.
Collectively, these principles are known as Leave No Trace – a philosophy that applies to all outdoor recreation, not just off-roading, that has been adopted by organisations and land managers worldwide to build awareness and appreciation for natural and cultural heritage.
Roaming responsibly
RoamWild Tasmania provides adventure tourism activities around Queenstown, including in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Its guided 4WD tours include an exclusive No Dams Mt McCall experience, which involves a trip to the summit of Mt Owen followed by a drive deep into the Wild Rivers Heritage Area to learn about the region’s rich history of environmental protest.
“For us, 4WD is a mechanism,” says Anthony Coulson, co-owner of RoamWild. “It’s less about the driving itself and more about bringing small groups of highly engaged people into World Heritage Areas. It’s great for people who might be a bit older or less physically capable, or who may not want to spend several days trekking or rafting, because it allows them to experience that incredible sense of wonder that Tasmanian wilderness inspires.”
Credit: Lusy Productions
Credit: Lusy Productions
Anthony and the team at RoamWild fully embrace Leave No Trace principles. They travel on established tracks, regularly clean their vehicles to remove any debris, and are fastidious about ensuring no waste is left in the wilderness. Rather than simply avoiding damage, the company’s ethos is to actively try and leave places a little better than they found them.
“Every time we go into places like Mt McCall or Wild Rivers, we know it’s an absolute privilege to be there,” Anthony says. “Part of our responsibility in exercising that privilege is to care for the environment, so if we notice something that needs to be fixed, we’ll always stop and do that. We’ll collect litter that has been discarded by others, and we’ll remove any foreign or invasive weeds we see and report those instances back to Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service for monitoring.”
Low-impact activities
With three World Heritage Areas, 19 National Parks and nearly 800 reserves under its care, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) is responsible for the management of almost 50 per cent of Tasmania’s landmass. Contrary to what you might expect from an organisation tasked with conserving the state’s natural heritage, PWS is not opposed to off-roading; instead, it tries to provide opportunities for people to pursue that interest in a sustainable way.
Nic Deka is PWS Regional Manager for North West Tasmania, a region that encompasses some of the state’s most iconic and popular 4WD tracks including Sandy Cape Track, Climies Track between Granville Harbour and Trial Harbour, Balfour Track and Montezuma Falls.
“As an organisation, our perspective is that off-road vehicle use is a legitimate outdoor recreation activity,” he says. “Our aim is not to stop off-roading from happening, but to direct people to the appropriate places where they can enjoy those opportunities without having too much of an impact on the natural or cultural values of the reserve.
Credit: Lusy Productions
Credit: Lusy Productions
“We want people to enjoy the activity, but we want them to do it in a sustainable way. If you’re on reserved land, stay on the track. Don’t spin your wheels going up a hill if you don’t need to, because that leads to erosion. There are a number of techniques drivers can use to minimise their impacts and those are the behaviours we encourage.”
The PWS website is a valuable resource for anyone seeking information about which tracks require permits, and what rules are included in the Code of Conduct for reserved and Crown land.
But according to Rob Saltmarsh, Operations Manager and Guide with Tall Timbers Adventure Tours in Smithton, there is no substitute for calling or visiting a PWS field office and speaking to the rangers directly.
“If people come here with the right frame of mind – a respectful frame of mind – they’ll have a good time. Part of that – especially on the West Coast where we have so many important Aboriginal heritage sites, and especially if you want to do beach driving – is looking at the conditions day by day. Don’t be impatient and tear straight down to Arthur River without stopping. Talk to Parks and Wildlife or go into the Visitor Information Centre and speak to the people there who can give you an informed heads up on how things are looking.”
A caring community
Drivers with the equipment and experience to tackle Tassie’s tracks independently, rather than with a guide, may be familiar with 4WD Tasmania – an umbrella body for the off-road community, with affiliated local clubs located across the state.
The organisation’s secretary Barnaby Campbell has been a 4WD enthusiast for more than 25 years and says that members are motivated by many different interests. “Some drivers love the challenge of a track, but others want to access bushwalks, go camping or do some diving at a remote spot. For me, it’s just about getting into the outdoors and enjoying Tasmania.”
The work of 4WD Tasmania includes arranging insurance for members, representing the off-road community in discussions with land managers, and community engagement at events like Agfest. It also provides training courses that teach drivers how to use their vehicles in a safe manner that minimises environmental impact.
“When we say things like ‘don’t leave your rubbish behind’, or ‘don’t do wheel spins and cut up the track’, a lot of that might just seem like common sense,” says Barney. “But it’s important to educate people who might not have had the opportunity to learn previously. We try to teach drivers how to avoid the pitfalls and enjoy a trip without causing any harm to themselves or to the environment. If we can do that, then we’ll be able to keep having fun out there – and that’s what everyone wants.”
Note: RACT Roadside Assistance does not cover vehicle service on off-road tracks.