A glossy tourism post on social media can make a deadly bushwalk look like just another picturesque bucket list item.<\/p>\n
That’s what happened this week on Tourism Australia’s official Instagram account.<\/p>\n
The national agency uploaded a reel showcasing the Western Arthur Range Traverse in Tasmania, along with a caption encouraging viewers to visit it as a way to boost their “daily step count”.<\/p>\n
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“In Tassie, upping the daily step count could lead you to multi-day wilderness adventures you can’t have anywhere else in the world,” the post reads.<\/p>\n
Tasmania’s own tourism department even weighed in, saying “the climb is real, but the pay-off is unmatched”.<\/p>\n
The problem?<\/p>\n
Despite its stunning views, “this ain’t a walk in the park”, as one commenter put it.<\/p>\n
Stretching 58 kilometres through Tasmania’s remote south-west wilderness, the Western Arthur Range Traverse is a demanding and technically challenging five- to nine-day walk.<\/p>\n
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This view is from the Eastern Arthurs, looking back on the Western Arthur Range in Tasmania. (ABC Open contributor tasmanianwilderness)<\/p>\n
Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) says it should only be attempted by very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills, including in navigation and emergency first aid.<\/p>\n
Under the Australian Walking Track Grading System, the track is classified at the highest rating, Grade 5, which is reserved for tracks that are typically very rough, steep and unmarked.<\/p>\n
Bushwalkers attempting the walk are warned by PWS to “expect steep cliffs, exposed rock, difficult navigation, heavy packs and unpredictable weather”.<\/p>\n
The warning goes even further: “Bushwalkers have died attempting this track.”<\/p>\n
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The technically challenging walk takes in sights such as Procyon Peak. (Supplied: Dan Broun)<\/p>\n