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Destinations > Tough Interview
Tough Interview
The latter option is a rough, flood prone link with the Western Explorer Road, and notorious for its plentiful bogholes. For 4WDers it is an ideal exit from the Arthur - Pieman as it follows in the tracks of a wooden tramway used in the early 1900s to transport copper ore from the mine at Balfour to a harbour at Temma (then called Whales Head).
A permit is required to access the beach areas around Arthur River, and to exit the conservation area via the Balfour Track. A special permit must be obtained to drive the difficult section between Greenes Creek and the Interview River.
Access to the shack communities within the Arthur - Pieman are relatively easy, deteriorating as you head further away from the main routes. Beach access everywhere is difficult, and the Interview River leg can be impassable. The latter destination demands experienced convoy groups, recovery equipment and capable vehicles.
At the time of printing access to Sandy Cape was temporarily closed due to bridge maintenance. Check with Tasmania PWS for current access and conditions.
The camping area is found adjacent to several middens and the almost invisible waters of Greenes Creek, which emerge from a sand blow to trickle out in a broad fan onto the rock strewn beach. No facilities are provided at Greenes Creek, and it is from here that more difficult vehicle travel will be experienced.
Lower your tyre pressures to around 15 - 18 psi and travel in close convoy on the beach run to Sandy Cape to facilitate a speedy recovery should the need arise. However don't drive so close to each other that a simultaneous bogging is possible; this remote country is unforgiving, and it is claimed that on average one vehicle is lost per year to the ocean.
We find that most 4WDs will need to remain in low range for much of the beach run as the sand is routinely quite soft and power sapping. Firmer sand is usually found closer to the water's edge, but be on a constant look out for freak waves and waterway gutters.
You will cross several rivers enroute to the Interview with the Thornton being the first serious crossing, and a litmus test for those following. In wet years it may be impassable, while a drier than average summer can see it retreat to a mere trickle. Either way treat all waterways with caution, and time your crossing to coincide with the ocean's ebb.
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PERMITS
A permit is required to access the beach areas around Arthur River, and to exit the conservation area via the Balfour Track. A special permit must be obtained to drive the difficult section between Greenes Creek and the Interview River.
TRACK STANDARD
Access to the shack communities within the Arthur - Pieman are relatively easy, deteriorating as you head further away from the main routes. Beach access everywhere is difficult, and the Interview River leg can be impassable. The latter destination demands experienced convoy groups, recovery equipment and capable vehicles.
At the time of printing access to Sandy Cape was temporarily closed due to bridge maintenance. Check with Tasmania PWS for current access and conditions.
Beyond the Balfour junction, twin wheel tracks creep through stunted coastal heathland to a crossing of Brooks Creek and some views at Ordnance Point. Greenes Creek is just a couple of kilometres further on, with a fenceline flagging the left turn to a sheltered camping area.
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The camping area is found adjacent to several middens and the almost invisible waters of Greenes Creek, which emerge from a sand blow to trickle out in a broad fan onto the rock strewn beach. No facilities are provided at Greenes Creek, and it is from here that more difficult vehicle travel will be experienced.
Lower your tyre pressures to around 15 - 18 psi and travel in close convoy on the beach run to Sandy Cape to facilitate a speedy recovery should the need arise. However don't drive so close to each other that a simultaneous bogging is possible; this remote country is unforgiving, and it is claimed that on average one vehicle is lost per year to the ocean.
We find that most 4WDs will need to remain in low range for much of the beach run as the sand is routinely quite soft and power sapping. Firmer sand is usually found closer to the water's edge, but be on a constant look out for freak waves and waterway gutters.
You will cross several rivers enroute to the Interview with the Thornton being the first serious crossing, and a litmus test for those following. In wet years it may be impassable, while a drier than average summer can see it retreat to a mere trickle. Either way treat all waterways with caution, and time your crossing to coincide with the ocean's ebb.
next page »
