Tasmania crouches in the path of the Roaring Forties between the 41st and 43rd degrees of latitude. The waves and wind that lash the west coast travel unhindered by contact with land all the way from Cape Horn. It is one of the most mountainous islands in the world and its varied geography gives rise to unique physical characteristics.

The eastern half of the island is promoted as the Great Eastern Drive and offers tourists beaches, summer resorts and sunshine. The western half is labelled as the Western Wilds for good measure. The area has challenged all since the beginning of European settlement. North of a fishing location in Macquarie Harbour lies Sarah Island, a penal colony in the early 19th century. An infamous convict named Alexander Pearce encouraged fellow prisoners to escape with him in an attempt to reach settlement around Hobart. Escape he did. The downside was that he turned cannibal and ate some of the other felons during their struggle through the hellish mix of thick bush and rugged terrain.

The west coast of Tasmania has attracted intrepid adventurers drawn to its isolation for prospecting, mining, bushwalking and a variety of other reasons. One of those attractions is chasing the valued delicacy of crayfish. Commercial fishermen seek them out with well-equipped boats, working the coast for days when the weather allows. Recreational fishers access the conservation area on quad bikes to set up camp in secluded bays with faint chance of interruption by any wandering bushwalker.

You can reach this remote area by helicopter to camp for extended stays, totally self-reliant. The chopper lands you on a beach where the gear is dumped clear of the rotor downwash for the take-off. As the throb of the engine departs, you are left with the sound of waves rolling in and the call of sea birds swooping over the beach. Gear has to be ported up onto a small ridge above the beach, a site cleared and a suitable camp built to withstand any change in the weather. Today may be calm with light cloud scatted across blue sky but a storm can roll in over the western horizon at any time. The area receives a lot of annual rain and the winds can be ferocious. Even behind a shelter belt of low scrub, such a storm can test any camp set-up and the character of its inhabitants. It’s best to be prepared.

Tents provide comfortable sleeping cover as long as a ‘hip-hole’ is dug before being set up. When using a three-quarter lie-low to save weight in the chopper, a ‘hip-hole’ adds an extra bit of comfort. The tent fly should be treated with waterproof spray to enhance protection, but nothing beats another small tarp slung over the top. It doesn’t weigh much and ensures good shelter if the weather turns foul.

The fishing is exciting and the equipment minimal. With several people on board, an R44 helicopter doesn’t have much extra space or payload. Pre-trip planning involves considering every item, including meals. The pot to boil crayfish can also be used to carry fresh water up from the creek.

A survival knife is important and choice is always heavily influenced by personal taste shaped by experience. It should be able to fulfil various chores and most importantly, must be on hand when a problem arises. Some look great but are simply too big to carry around all the time. Some are designed by experienced celebrities. They appear good to assist marketing but in a real situation may be too small. My own choice has been shaped by the conditions in which I’ve needed to survive.

It is a multi-purpose, last resort tool. It has to be strong with a full tang and must be able to dig, chop, slash, slice, cut and in a pinch, skin small game or prepare a fish. Other tools will do each job better. In a real-life situation, a survival knife is the one you may be carrying at the time.

Historically, Aborigines regularly burned the landscape, with the new growth attracting game and making movement much easier, however the bush is now untamed. These days travel on foot is a major challenge. Saplings spring from the rotted trunks and damp humus. The fortresses of tangled horizontal scrub, bauera and green masses of cutting grass more than 2m high ensure that the region earns its wild reputation. Headway is exhausting at best and impossible in some places.

On the west coast of Tasmania shelter is important. Storms blow in unexpectedly and can be violent, with lashing wind and rain. A 6m x 4m tarp is rigged to provide shelter. One edge is pegged at ground level to offer protection against wind with a roof to fend off rain. The bottom edge is weighed down with rocks for added security. Pegs must be a decent size and hammered in with a rock to resist any blow. A pit is dug for maximum control of the campfire. This can be filled in when leaving to minimise impact on the environment. A small gas stove is used for minor cooking to reduce reliance on the fire.

Crayfish are caught using a small ring and net that fits comfortably in the chopper. Bait is usually a rock cod, caught on a hook with a small shellfish. With the need to travel light, only the line and hook are brought in then tied to a small branch. From a suitable spot along the rocky shore, the bait is positioned in among the kelp until there’s a strike. The cod is pulled out and tied to the mesh on the ring. A search of the rugged coastline always reveals a kelp-infested cleft slashing into the rocks.

Crayfish are there but sensitive to conditions such as the amount of weed, recent storm activity, clarity of the water, the amount of light as well as other factors. When everything comes together, the first sight of a reddish-orange shape crawling toward the bait really focuses the attention. Anxiety builds. Even a fleeting shadow of the hunter may startle the crayfish back into the kelp. The tension drags on while patient handling of the ring is demanded. As the crayfish crawls onto the ring, judgment must be perfect as the ring is pulled in.

Searching the clefts slashed into the rocky shoreline can reveal much of interest. The one that really captures attention is the sight of a squid a metre or more long, sliding gracefully along the bottom between waving arms of kelp. They are not the target so the visual view can be enjoyed. Crayfish would have a different perspective as those long tentacles can reach into any crevice, destroying any assumption of safety.

An eye has to be kept on the waves rolling in while a crayfish is played. Only twice have I made the urgent call to “run” as a rogue wave from the Southern Ocean rolled in over the rocks. One of those could easily wash a careless person into the sea or grind their flesh against the razor-edged limestone. The outcome wouldn’t be pleasant but the reward is irresistible. The ferocity of storms along this coast is evidenced by the remains of a fishing boat that dragged its anchor at night during a squall. The waves carried it across jagged limestone to rest against the rocky, forest-draped coast. Both crew survived the ordeal but many sailors weren’t so lucky. The west coast is an exciting place to enjoy but demands high standards of risk management.

When fishing for crayfish, bubbles determine the level of excitement. Most crayfish moving into the bait expel a small trail of bubbles. The general experience is that the bigger a trail, the bigger the crayfish. The size limit of those taken home should be determined by the bulk of the esky. If they don’t fit, back they go.

Cooking crayfish is a simple but delicate affair. They are dipped into boiling water for a time depending on size. The biggest goes in first followed by others so cooking is finished at the same time. After cooking, the antennae are snapped off and the cray are hung in the cool shade of scrub next to the beach. There they will keep until the chopper arrives. On departure day pack them into the esky, wrapped in a damp calico sack to survive the road trip home. Before going into the freezer, place them in a plastic bag with the air squeezed out.

Put them vertically in the fridge to let any liquid drain out into a bowl. Defrosted this way, the superb flavours of the crayfish can be enjoyed months after being caught. Enjoying the taste of crayfish in the wilderness isn’t difficult. It can be eaten cold with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and lemon juice. For entrée, use a pinch of salt and a squirt of green Tabasco sauce topped by freshly harvested sea lettuce. For mains, pieces of crayfish can be added to many dishes, like spicy noodle soup.

Mankind has also been drawn to this wild coast to retrieve the highly valued Huon Pine. This timber was used in the construction of coastal vessels, fishing boats and recreational dinghies, many of which still survive as the oil in the timber resists rot.

In the face of an uncompromising environment, exploration of the Western Wilds is different to mainland Australia. It is a slow and wearing struggle against wet and cold, dense forest, moorland bogs, rugged mountains and swift-flowing rivers. Each kilometre of track, each clearing, each hopeful shaft sunk into the white quartz gravel and each piece of new knowledge about the country was sought at the cost of loneliness, frustration, extreme discomfort and relentless toil.

Immense riches of gold, silver, lead, copper and timber rewarded the lucky few. The lure of fishing and adventure still satisfies those willing to test themselves against this unforgiving setting.