I wake in my wilderness cottage in the historic hamlet of Corinna: the gateway to the Tarkine. Overnight rain danced like a possum on a hot tin roof before the ear-bleeding screeches of a Tasmanian devil fight. There is no mobile reception, nor internet access. Here, time ticks to a different beat. It’s a dark, cloudy dawn. It’s wet. It’s off-season. And it’s perfect. From this remote off-grid eco-village, I’m about to explore some of the 447,000 hectares of the Tarkine’s renowned biodiversity.
Enchanted forests
The settlement of Corinna began in 1881 as a base for miners and piners in search of riches. Leading directly from the lodge is this bewitching forest walk bordering the Whyte River, which was once rich in gold. However, by 1919, mining dried up and the town had all but died.
Today, the unspeakably beautiful jewels along the Whyte River Track are found growing on and hanging from its tangle of forest. The easy 90-minute circuit walk (southern bracket fungus) protrude from hospitable host trees — some, shelved in the hundreds.
