TasWeekend: Tasmanian wilderness guide Erin Hibberd is pumped about life

Surrounded by nature, sometimes it’s people who make the real difference on a holiday.

Pumphouse Point, at Lake St Clair, Tasmania, is a beautiful spot to start any adventure into the wilderness. Picture: STU GIBSON

THE minute you meet wilderness tour guide Erin Hibberd you are bowled over by his enthusiasm and energy.

The cheerful 49-year-old Hobart guide is passionate about our state’s wild, remote natural environment, and he has an insatiable love of life. And it’s not surprising he can’t stop talking about how much he loves the great outdoors because about 13 years ago it saved his life.

When aged 36 Erin weighed 152kg, but then lost half his body weight, about 72kg, after becoming obsessed with bushwalking. The former IT manager says when he was at his heaviest, he hated exercising.

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Erin Hibberd, of Wildside Tours Tasmania, is now Pumphouse Point’s official tour guide.

I’d tried it all from dieting to gym memberships but nothing worked. Then one day I finally gave in to my workmate’s nagging and agreed to go on a bushwalk with him.”

He says his friend dragged him to the Walls of Jerusalem on a three-day walk. He says he was sore after he got back but his conversion was instant. He spent the next four years walking and mountain climbing every moment he could and turned into a lean machine.

“It changed my life … it was like escaping from prison,” he says. “I just put my boots on and got out. I didn’t change anything else. But I found once my life was filled up with positive things the detrimental things were squeezed out.”

Guests on Erin Hibberd’s Central Highlands wilderness tours leave from and arrive back at Pumphouse Point. Picture: ADAM GIBSON

In 2011 he officially launched his business, Wildside Tours Tasmania, and has been sharing his love of the wilderness with bushwalkers ever since. First he only took tours on weekends but he loved it so much he left his day job in 2017 to become a full-time guide. He is now partnered with Lake St Clair’s Pumphouse Point and is the boutique hotel’s official tour guide.

Erin Hibberd’s guided walks around Lake St Clair, which start and finish at Pumphouse Point are the ideal way to explore the National Park’s unique flora such as its silver banksias and towering eucalypts.

My husband and I took a walk with him around Platypus Bay, at Lake St Clair, and were immediately put at ease by his chatty, friendly manner.

Erin is obviously extremely knowledgeable about all things to do with Tasmania’s unique environment and the area’s Aboriginal heritage but he’s also happy to tailor his tours to the individual needs of clients. With us for example, he was quick to pick up on the fact that being locals we didn’t need as much of a lesson on the local flora and fauna as visitors from interstate or overseas would.

Erin Hibberd’s tours are fully supported which means walkers can enjoy the views and wilderness without having to carry all the heavy gear needed. Picture: ADAM GIBSON

Erin describes his tours as “fully supported wilderness adventures or adventures for everyone”. He offers seven guided hike options for walkers of all levels, from half-day to multi-day walks, including shorter ones around Lake St Clair, to day walks up Mt Rufus and around the Shadow Lake circuit, up to four-day walks to the Walls of Jerusalem.

All Central Highland tours are exclusive to Pumphouse Point guests, and leave from and arrive back at the hotel, and are fully supported. On the multi-day hikes clients need only carry their own clothes and sleeping bags. Erin and his fellow guides carry all the heavy gear including food, tents and camp chairs.

Pumphouse Point, at Lake St Clair, Tasmania, is a beautiful spot to start any adventure into the wilderness. Picture: STU GIBSON

On our walk around Lake St Clair, which Erin explains is known as “sleeping waters” by the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, we saw Bennetts wallabies, black currawongs and yellow-throated honeyeaters and flora from silver banksias and buttongrass to towering eucalypts.

Erin has had an attachment to the area his entire life. Born and bred at Tarraleah nearby, he spent his childhood summers swimming in the lake and fossicking for gemstones on its shores.

Pumphouse Point’s sublime location is wonderful to return to after a hard day’s walk. Picture: ADAM GIBSON

After our tour Erin dropped us back to base at Pumphouse Point where after a day of travelling and walking we were eager to put up our feet and relax. As expected, despite now being four years old, this stunning boutique hotel is first class. Staying out in the intimate Pumphouse rooms and being able to look onto the lake in a high-end, well-appointed room is the ultimate treat.

Pumphouse Point’s cosy lounges with their peaceful water views are the perfect place to relax and unwind in after a long bushwalk. Photo: ADAM GIBSON

The evening meal, featuring local produce and Tasmanian wines, beer and spirits was a real highlight. It was great to be able to share and compare our wilderness experience with mainland tourists, who if it’s possible seemed even more enamoured with the beauty of Lake St Clair than we were.

Some of Erin’s infectious enthusiasm must have rubbed off on us, as by the end of the trip we both agreed that by far the best thing about the experience was meeting Erin, his fellow guide Oli, and all our interesting and varied dining companions at the hotel.

As Erin says his favourite bit of guiding is meeting people from all walks of life. “You grow old when you stop being amazed by life,” he says.

The author was a guest of Wildside Tours Tasmania and Pumphouse Point