Tasmanian Field Naturalists* Club 
1923 Easter Camp at Lake Fenton 
National Park, Tasmania. 
► —-— © —-—- 
GENERAL ACCOUNT 
By CLIVE E. LORD, F.L.S. 
For tne past eighteen years members 
of the Field Naturalists* Club have ar¬ 
ranged an Easier Camp at one or other 
of the numerous eoastal bays whie.i 
fringe the picturesque coast of South- 
Eastern Tasmania. This year it \va» 
resolved to forego the seaside in favour 
of an inland site, and Lake Fenton, 
National Bark, was selected for several 
reasons. 
The club lias always taken a keen 
interest in the Bark, and for the work 
done- in assisting towards its establish¬ 
ment it has a representative on tin 1 
board of management. Owing to the 
increasing popularity of the National 
Bark it was thought only proper that 
members of the el till should be allowed 
an opportunity of visiting the area, 
although many considered that Faster 
was rather late in the season to arrange 
a camp in the western highlands. For¬ 
tune favoured us, however, as apart 
from a rather severe storm on Good 
Friday, the weather was unite mild: 
the sunshine of the autumn days was 
taken full ail vantage of. and outings ar¬ 
ranged to many places of interest. 
Owing to the site of the camp being 
at an altitude of 3300 feet, the ques¬ 
tion of transport of the necessary im¬ 
pedimenta was of some moment. (t 
was necessary to limit the number of 
numbers who could attend, and also 
make arrangements to send the luggagi- 
in advance, in order that it might he 
transported from the nearest railway 
station by means of pack horses to ui «;r 
Fenton. This- work having been car¬ 
ried out. an advance party left Hobart 
by the S.40 a.in. train on Wednesday. 
March 2S. 
The journey through the picturesque 
Derwent \ aiiey was of interest owing 
to the hop picking operations which were 
in progress. This lent an air of ac¬ 
tivity to tlu* more settled areas, and 
.offered a contrast to the quietness of 
the general autumn tenor of the valley. 
National Bark station was reached 
shortly aftei noon. Here lunch was 
partaken of. and Ranger W. A. Belcher 
joined the party. It was owing to the 
activities of the ranger that the camp 
was made porsible. and the thanks of 
all the members are due to him, for 
the work of transporting the camp im¬ 
pedimenta from the railway to the camp 
site was his responsibility. To the 
ranger affd also to his patient, sure¬ 
footed packliorses, we are much in¬ 
debted. 
National Bark station is a little over 
•>00 feet above sea level, and the track, 
six and a quarter miles in length, to 
Lake Fenton rises another 3000 feet In 
that distance For the first mile tnr 
track winds through a forest of giant 
eucalypts, and then into a fairy glen 
of "old man*’ fern I Dieksonia), above 
the spreading fronds of which beech 
(Fagtis) and blackwood stretch their 
leaves towards the skv. The track 
is enclosed as if it were some great 
cathedral aisle, and one wonders at the 
contrast which await- one at the enci 
of tin* trail. 
The overspreading foliage and mossy 
carpet beneath the undergrowth give 
no indication of the open moorland* 
and rocky crags which cap the summit 
of the mountain not many miles dis¬ 
tant. Nov. and again a Mock of parrot- 
• ass across the track or remain perched 
