We spent another morning in the Mole Creek area, taking our time to enjoy the quiet before heading out to the Alum Cliffs. This part of Tasmania has a way of making us feel quite small, especially when we look up at the Great Western Tiers, but it was a much smaller local resident that caught our eye first.
On our way to the cliffs, we had to come to a complete stop for a local pedestrian. A short-beaked echidna decided it was the perfect time to cross the track directly in front of us. He didn't seem particularly bothered by our presence, just continued his slow, waddling pace across the dirt and into the dry grass on the other side. We find these little fellows fascinating; they always look like they have somewhere very important to be, but no real sense of urgency to get there.
After our wildlife encounter, we continued on to the lookout. The walk itself takes us through some beautiful forest, and as we reached the edge of the ridge, the landscape opened up entirely. The Alum Cliffs are made of massive walls of limestone and siltstone that rise high above the valley floor. Standing there, we could see the sheer scale of the rock faces, which have been carved out over millions of years. It is a very vertical world out here, with the grey rock providing a stark contrast to the deep green of the forest clinging to the slopes.
Looking straight down from the edge, we could see the Mersey River winding its way through the bottom of the gorge. From this height, the river looks like a narrow silver ribbon, but the water is clear and flows steadily over the rocky bed. We stood there for a while, just listening to the sound of the wind through the trees and the distant movement of the water below. It’s a peaceful spot that makes us appreciate the slow, steady work of nature. We couldn't help but think about how much water must have passed through this gorge to cut such a deep path into the stone.
It was a good reminder for us to keep our eyes open, whether looking at the grand scale of the cliffs or the small movements of an echidna in the scrub. Mole Creek continues to turn up these quiet, interesting moments for us, and we are quite happy to stay on its schedule.
