Fran Voss and I headed off to Cradle Mountain, thinking that if I'm walking, then I'd better reduce the camera bag weight, get the blunnies out and add a jumper and coat, as the weather can change quickly and without warning.

Arriving at the site, we saw people with big backpacks, tools and timber packs. Parked close by was a helicopter, that was being used to lift the packs of timber into particular spots along the track. Everything for the work had to be flown in at a cost of $1200 an hour. You can imagine my smile when I was told I'd be onboard instead of walking and follow the track through to the end.

Although six days of hiking sounds intimidating to me, 8000 bushwalkers each year, that's 16,000 feet, make that trek across the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park alpine terrain, affectionately known as the Overland Track, one of the wilderness icons of world. The terrain is rugged and remote, the tracks rough and steep in sections.

The boardwalk being installed was to stabilise the tracks and construct walkways to reduce the human impact and erosion, and create above-ground camping facilities. A five-man team, known as the "trackies", were working on a 1200m wooden board walk from the main Overland Track to Barns Bluff. They had to complete 500m on their shift that day.

Robin Breward, told us: "it's hard work, often with inclement conditions on a diet of mostly dehydrated food and lots of chocolate". One of their biggest problems was keeping the wildlife out of their camp food store.

They built tent platforms along the entire track and established huts, which was intended to reduce the impact of camping continually on the same spot, which in some areas had completely removed the vegetation.

The view from the helicopter was amazing, one could get accustomed taking photos by flying low level over Tassie, I'd love to do it more. We dropped down to the trackies, and photos were taken, the quietness that surrounded them was deafening. Moving along the track to the Pelion hut, stopping for lunch on the verandah, and talk about spoilt, wow what a view.

The work that these teams put in to make the tracks easier to access, and to protect the areas for generations to come, is surely appreciated, even those who choose to travel the track via a helicopter.

Maybe one day, well ok it might take me a few days, I'll walk along those boardwalks, with the camera and revisit this amazing place again, but not in one day.