BOOK REVIEW
THE POIMENAS
Whisper it gently, but Bill Wilkinson may be mellowing.
The wilderness-loving author whose precise system defined The Abels series and prompted a legion of like-minded hikers to seek out Tasmania’s highest mountains, has taken a second look at the state’s topographical temptations.
And the result is another collection of intoxicating adventures, only far less regimented and considerably … what’s the word … oh yes, easier.
Wilkinson’s criteria for designating Abels – that they are at least 1,100 metres high with a drop of at least 150 metres on all sides – was designed to leave no room for debate. The result was a definitive list of 158 Tasmanian mountains which have become a sought-after altitude quest in the same vein as imperial equivalents like Scotland’s Munros (above 3,000 feet) or the self-describing 11,000ers in Canada and 14ers in the US.
Bill Wilkinson’s latest project, billed as “companions of The Abels”, sets out to be rather more relaxed. Named after an Aboriginal word meaning “a little hill”, Poimenas are intended to be enjoyable and rewarding walks achievable by anyone with reasonable fitness. Even too much scrub renders some ineligible. So, while certain Abels require multi-day wilderness camping, climbing experience and may yield no view, Poimenas are defined as day walks to amenable hills and knolls.
Wilkinson said the criteria were deliberately vague in order to maximise enjoyment. “Basically, a Poimena is a pleasant walk that reaches a place with beautiful views or a beautiful setting,” he said. “It’s got to be an enjoyable walk because I want to encourage young children to get out with their families. I want them to enjoy it, so it can’t be too difficult. And maybe they might then go on to explore the Abels.”
Each Poimena has been classified into one of four grades. Time frames are from 20 minutes to six hours, while heights range from 30 metres (Cape Deslacs on South Arm, Hobart) to 1,280m (Mount Field lookouts which did not qualify as Abels). Several (including Fluted Cape, Bishop and Clerk, Cape Hauy and Donaghys Hill) feature in the Great Short Walk series published by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, while many are sufficiently obscure to be unnamed. Some are on private property and consent of landowners is MANDATORY (Wilkinson’s capitals, not mine).
Bill Wilkinson divides Tasmania into eight areas with the south-west, south-east, central west, central south and central east covered in The Poimenas Part A (Forty South Publishing, $39.99) and featuring 131 walks. At least another 120 will follow in Part B, covering the north-west, central north and north-east, which is currently in production. With such a flexible criteria, the series is open to further expansion.
“We’ve already found another four,” said Wilkinson, who estimates he explored 100 more possible candidates before rejecting them on grounds of insufficient enjoyment. “And we’re actively seeking advice from experienced walkers of other hills we don’t know about. So once Part A and B are out, we may have a Part C that’s statewide and a top up for each area, which would be wonderful.”
Bill Wilkinson is a 68-year-old, Launceston-born, Hobart-based father-of-two and retired telecommunications technical officer, and he is justifiably proud of a venture which he hopes will follow the success of his earlier project.
Without a height restriction, entire new areas of Tasmania are opened up to Wilkinson and his devoted army of walk chroniclers. For example, nothing in Freycinet National Park comes anywhere near Abel height but the Poimenas series can include the “wonderful granite manifestations” of Mounts Parsons (331m), Dove (485m), Amos (454m) and Mayson (415m) in The Hazards range, along with Mount Graham (579m) and Mount Freycinet (620m) further down the peninsula.
Devotees of Wilkinson’s extensive body of work will be delighted to know his latest project retains room for his distinctive command of the English language. The fast-flowing Collingwood River near Donaghys Hill “provides a soft auditory garnish”, the white waratah on Ripple Rock Ridge “leaves an outstanding floral memory” and Schnells Ridge is “a great place to soak up the atmosphere of the mind quieting down”.
And a gentle warning that the split rock feature on Mount Hobbs is tight and “those with larger builds may not fit through it”.
Rob Shaw was born and raised in England where he trained and worked as a journalist. Coming to Australia in 2002 with his young family was supposed to be temporary, but Tasmania had other ideas. He has since spent his time working as a sports reporter, exploring our state’s wilderness and realising that he is staying here for the term of his natural life.
