Three Hobart teenagers have spent their Saturday night sleeping without a tent at the top of a southern Tasmanian ridge, all in an effort to get out of the house and experience Tasmania’s wilderness.
George Grundy, Ashar Maddox and Dax Temple, all aged 16, decided to “cowboy camp” on the exposed Collins Bonnet (Sleeping Beauty) in the Wellington Range after spotting a free weekend in their schedules.
The trio battled gale force winds, with gusts reaching 115km/h and temperatures dropping to a feels-like minus 10 degrees.
Grundy said they checked the forecast while packing and knew conditions would be extreme, but pushed on anyway.
“It was pretty intense, like you could kinda see the cloud kinda getting dragged across the mountain,” he told Pulse.
They set up on a ledge along the ridge, stacking rocks into a wall to block the wind before laying down tarps and sleeping bags directly under the open sky.
Despite the brutal conditions, the night delivered a spectacular show.
“The moon was coming up and … as it was rising it was a blood moon and that was pretty crazy,” Grundy said.
“We saw some pretty cool stars out there and a comet burn across the horizon and then also we could see the aurora to the south.”
The group had planned to relocate to a hut at the base of the summit if conditions worsened, but decided they were comfortable with the conditions where they had set up.
For Temple, the experience was a baptism of fire.
He had never done an overnight walk before and Grundy said the group lent him gear and convinced him to join.
The three hiked around three hours to the summit from the Myrtle Forest Falls track behind Collinsvale.
They kept warm with layers, high-protein meals and plenty of head coverings to shield their faces from the wind.
Grundy said friends watching the forecast from home thought they were crazy and their parents were relieved to see them back safely.
He said the trip was a reminder of what is on Hobart’s doorstep.
“I think it’s good just to get off your phones for a bit and get out into the wilderness and kind of enjoy what we have here in Tassie, ’cause it’s pretty special,” he said.
“It was one of the best nights it could have been … really enjoyable.”
He said a cowboy camp on Mount Ossa or the southern ridge of Mount Wellington is next on their list.
Despite the best intentions of the trio, the Wellington Park Management Trust took a dim view of their adventure.
“Camping is not permitted in the Remote Zone of Wellington Park, including Collins Bonnet,” said the trust’s general manager Amy Russell.
“No doubt everyone has an opinion, but rules and regulations are in place for good reason,” she said.
“Rough bush camping is permitted in the Natural Zone only.”
