The journey to Long Island was, until relatively recently, an arduous journey across a mixture of high ground, deep peat bogs and rocky terrain. There is now a gravel road from Stanley to Long Island House which makes the journey much quicker and easier. However, we chose to take the 'pretty way'!
The journey on the old route starts at Moody Brook at the West end of Stanley and initially follows the old Moody Brook track. This is a boulder-based track which makes for uncomfortable (and sometimes suspension bending) driving. A now ill-defined track heads North to Corner Pass where a deep ford crosses the River Murrell (the scene of the first of several 'boggings' that day!). This is followed by several miles of very wet peat bogs and a boulder-strewn climb up to the 'Saddlebacks'. After several further miles of dodging boulders and avoiding stone runs we climbed up Long Island Mountain. This culminated in a difficult steep descent to Long Island itself, which is not really an island but a narrow isthmus of land with a glorious white sandy beach. Strike Off Point, where an isolated colony of Gentoo Penguins can be found is a few miles to the East.
The total journey, which involved travelling only about 35 miles took over 4 hours (including a couple of obligatory beer stops!). So we stopped for a barbecued lunch before visiting Long Island House.
The journey back, via the new gravel road took less than an hour!
(Click any picture to see a larger image)
There are also a couple of panoramic photos below: