Introduction

Amongst the great mountains of the world, Australia’s ancient, rounded peaks often stand as a poorly represented demographic. It has even been said that Australia has no real mountains; at least not the kind that lure climbers to the world’s loftier peaks. However, in Tasmania there are mountains which do attract people from all over the world. Their appeal does not lie in their height; indeed, many are not as high as some peaks of mainland Australia.

Their attraction lies in their spectacular form. Sculpted by ice age snows and glaciers, they stand rugged, precipitous and cliff-bound, their flanks outcropped with dolerite or quartzite. Many are so special that they have been protected within World Heritage listed regions. The unique shape and sheer cliffs of Frenchmans Cap make it a striking mountain from every distance and aspect. It caught the attention of the Tasmanian native people, and the mountain’s magnetic appeal has lured people ever since.

Amongst Tasmania’s most distinctive peaks — the ragged curve of Cradle Mountain and the savage fang of Federation Peak — the elegant tower of Frenchmans Cap has become an instantly recognisable icon. The giant quartzite dome, standing at 1,446 m (4,744 ft) and gleaming white on the skyline, often deceived people into thinking that the peak was perpetually snow-capped. ‘The White Mountain’, ‘The Monarch of the West’, ‘The King of Western Mountains’ and ‘Australia’s Matterhorn’ are all names that have been applied to the peak in the past. Today, many people believe Frenchmans Cap stands as Australia’s most majestic peak.

Certainly few mountains possess a more interesting and diverse history. Surrounded by a colourful progression of people and events, the story of Frenchmans Cap traces much of the passage of human activity in Tasmania. Tasmanian Aboriginal people and escaping convicts, explorers and gold seekers, prospectors and bushwalkers; all have passed by Frenchmans Cap and left their stories.

Frenchmans Cap earned an early reputation as ‘The Mystery Mountain of the West’ because its isolation and tight defences made for difficult access. Few people knew much at all about the white peak surrounded by dense forests and rugged ranges, except that it stood on the edge of the unknown. Frenchmans Cap was looked upon with foreboding, leaving most people content to view the mountain from a distance.

Today, though the region has been thoroughly explored, mapped and visited, many mysteries still remain. Who named the peak? When was it named? And what, exactly, is a Frenchman’s cap? Did Strzelecki really become the first European to climb the mountain? Who were the convicts in James Sprent’s party who made the first recorded ascent? Where was bushranger Samuel Britton’s Frenchmans Cap hideout? And who was the mysterious French girl, known to us only as Nicole, who became the first woman to climb Frenchmans Cap?

Today’s visitors, armed with reliable maps, equipment and aids to communication, often find it hard to conceive of the difficulties that confronted the first parties to Frenchmans Cap. They make the journey in the comforting knowledge that help is never far away, even though they find themselves surrounded by very rough country.

For the earliest visitors to Frenchmans Cap, isolation was complete. Swallowed up in the depths of twilight rainforests and deep valleys, any emergency that arose had to be dealt with on the spot. Today, looking back from the safety of our comfortable and cosy world, these people seem almost a race apart. Amazingly, they all emerged from their journeys unscathed.

The allure of Frenchmans Cap, as with all wild places, comes with a warning: for the ill-prepared, the wilderness of Tasmania is a harsh mistress. Death through misadventure has been a fact of life for many of Tasmania’s best-loved mountain regions. Yet, over the years Frenchmans Cap has been surprisingly kind and forgiving to its visitors. The region has been described as ‘beautiful country with teeth’, characterised by a harsh terrain and the potential for some of Tasmania’s worst weather. For many early visitors Frenchmans Cap acquired an almost human persona: ‘the gigantic Frenchman unveiled his mighty head, affording us a distant view of his remarkable cap’, ‘The Frenchman raised his hoary head’, or ‘he bid us a final farewell’. The old timers used these terms with affection and respect, particularly if a storm was blowing across the face of the mountain.

Today, Frenchmans Cap draws international recognition and acclaim. The journey to the mountain is acclaimed as one of the world’s great wilderness walks. The region increasingly draws visitors from every country on earth. Although much loved, guarded and appreciated by proud Tasmanians, who rightly claim the mountain as their own, the spirit of Frenchmans Cap has moved on. It is no longer anyone’s ‘territory’. The mountain belongs to anyone who can appreciate it.