Sunday, November 07, 2010

Paradise Cove

Yesterday some friends invited us to visit Paradise Cove with them.  We have lived back on the coast for a few years now and every so often we hear about this place.

Sadly Miss and Mrs TasTrekker were away but the boys and I jumped at the chance to visit this mythical destination.  A couple of hours before low tide, we headed east from the Penguin viewing platform at Lilico Beach.

The foreshore reserve varies in width so a GPS ensured we were steering clear of the surrounding unfenced private farmland.  The excitement started to build as we roudned the last hill and saw the double curve of Paradise Cove.  The first half is a rocky beach but the second half features a beautiful arc of sand seperated from the sea by an inter tidal lagoon and rock shelves.

This would be a great place to visit at high tide when the sea reaches the sandy arc.  However, steep cliffs either side of the cove prevent access without straying onto private property.

Sadly the small dunes of the cove are being devoured by sea spurge.  There are also problems with erosion where stock have wandered down steep banks to the foreshore.  On a good note though we noticed some shrivelled cape weed in the pastured sections of the coastal reserve.  Someone has done some hard work on that score.

On the way back, we marvelled at the columnar rock formations and wondered at the almost black sand of the next bay to the west of Paradise Cove.  To top off a ripper walk, a penguin at the viewing platform decided it would have an uncharacteristic stretch in the afternoon sun, much to our delight.  As if that wasn't enough, we rendezvoused with Mrs TasTrekker who was waiting at Don Heads with a delumptious hot dinner.

(Photos later)

Mt Roland

I love a family who is up for a challenge.  My wife and sons joined me for an assault on Mt Roland today.  The weather forecast was ordinary but we decided to have a go anyway.  Progress up the face track from Kings Road was slow, steady and dry until we reached the cliffs.

As we approached the top of the climb the rain set in and a nasty wind chased onto the plateau.  Just before the summit we stopped for shelter in a cave to have lunch in the dry.  At this point we decided to continue past the summit in the hope that cruising down the back of the mountain would be more sheltered.

Our decision was doubly rewarded.  As soon as we left the summit it became apparent the back track to Gowrie Park was much better maintained than the track up the front.  No more scratchy scrub.  Hooray.  Secondly our hunch about the wind was correct.  The back of the mountain was eerily still with mist preventing views more than a hundred metres or so.  The rain even stopped for long enough to get the camera out for the board walk section.

After descending past Reggies Falls and down the mossy valley of O'Neills Creek we connected on to the new track to Gowrie Park.  This new track adds as much as 3km on to the walk and made a tedious end as it gradually contoured its way below the face of Mt Vandyke.  Thankfully my mother-in-law was kind enough to respond to our request for a lift after our summit change of plans and we completed our circuit with the short drive back to our car.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Basil Steers Hut No. 3

From my old blog 4th October 2006...

Basil Steers' 1974 February Plains hut
Back in April I went for a trip to February Plains.  On that trip I found a classic, yet very run down, example of a trappers hut.  (8/11/08 - I now know this ruin was Basil Steers' No 2 hut after reading Simon Cubit's "High Country Heritage.")  As mentioned in that post, I have heard there are other huts on the plains but I didn't know how to find them.

In June I went back to the plains armed with information about how to find Basil Steers' most recent hut.  It was built in 1974 just before the craft of trapping skins in winter was outlawed in Tasmania.

On this trip I took my mountain bike to save some time on the approach.  The instructions I had were a little vague but sure enough I found the tell tale signs of chain sawed logs in the bush where a path had been cleared to take a horse drawn sled to the hut.  This was fine until I reached the open plains where there were no more sawn logs and no obvious sign of a track.

Photos I had seen of the hut showed it was in trees so I wandered around the edge of the plains in an anti-clockwise direction.  I should have gone clockwise because I was almost back to where I started when I caught a glimpse of the hut through the trees.

This hut is being very well looked after and has been completely closed in.  It is so luxurious that there is lino and carpet on the floor.  The bunks would sleep 8 walkers in comfort.  I'll certainly bring the family back for a trip another time.

On the way home, I stopped by Gads Falls beside Lake Parangana.  The top of the falls can be glimpsed from the road and are way up on the mountainside.  I looked forward to getting a closer look.

The marked trail leads through a narrow valley below the falls clad in dark rainforest.  After a short walk, I arrived at the first set of falls.  These were quite pretty but I knew I was still well below the falls you could see from the road so I kept climbing.

I don't think the 'official' track continues past the first set of falls but I was clearly following a well worn path that soon rewarded me with a second fall.
I still felt as if I was a long way below the top falls so I continued upward.  It appeared I was no longer following a well worn track.  The sides of the valley were now dominated by slippery banks of shale scree.  With a fair amount of difficulty, I made it to a 3rd set of falls.

Even worse scree made the next part of the climb extremely difficult and I still had not glimpsed the top falls since leaving the car.  Above the scree I reached a section of cliffs reaching into the valley from the south.  From a precarious vantage point on these cliffs, I could see a 4th and 5th set of falls where the valley kinks to the north a little.

To my great frustration, the shape of the valley was now preventing me from seing the ridgeline above.  The falls I could see from the road were still out of site!!!  From here, I had a choice between some serious rock climbing or a big descent to tackle the valley from an entirely different approach.  At this point, common sense overruled my 'waterfall bagging' ambitions and I carefuly made my way back down to the car.

As I drove along the road, I didn't dare glimpse back at the waterfall gracing the skyline.  I'm sure it would have been taunting me.  A closer look will have to wait for another day!

Mount Barrow and Barrow Falls

From my old blog 28th July 2006...

Last week, I drove to Mount Barrow while I was showing a corporate guest around a rainy and gloomy Tamar Valley.  The only walking that the weather and our equipment permitted was a quick lap of the nature trail at the picnic area immediately below the mountain.

We drove to the car park at the top of the road and observed the driving rain and howling gale from inside the car before wending our way back down through the dozen or so hairpin bends.  The picnic shelter and hang gliding launch ramp were just visible through the mist.

Previous visits to Mount Barrow have not been so bleak.  On several occasions, I have climbed the steps from the car park to the buildings and transmission towers perched on the summit ridge.  From here it is a short rock hop along the cliff tops to the summit.

The short ridgeline traverse is a great introduction to the decaying dolerite caps that adorn so many of Tasmania's highest peaks.  Ice and snow in winter add to the fun and care must be taken to avoid the north facing cliffs that plunge away close at hand.

Clear weather offers uninterrupted views in every direction.  Farmland and forestry operations dominate the middle distance with Launceston and the Tamar valley a little further away.  On the horizon, the long, dark line of the Great Western Tiers leads the eye away to the distant Black Bluff and Mount Roland.  Bass Strait is visible as are the numerous peaks of the northeast with the Ben Lomond massif brooding beyond the communications tower on South Barrow.

Below Mount Barrow are the Mount Barrow Falls.  When I visited 15 years ago, this sizeable fall had no track to it.  I accessed the falls via State Forest to the north as part of a mountain bike ride from Launceston.
I have since found the Mount Barrow Road runs through part of the Mount Barrow Falls State Reserve.  This is well downstream from the falls so I am not sure whether a good access route exists from this direction.  There’s room for more exploring another day!


As mentioned above, I have not managed to get any Barrow pics organised.  While I had hoped to use my own photos, a quick search on the Internet found a couple of photos that beat anything I have to offer hands down...
I now know the National Library of Australia have a good collection of historic photos available on-line.  Among these are photos of...  you guessed it...  Mount Barrow and Mount Barrow Falls.

Mount Barrow by Frank Hurley

Mount Barrow Falls by Stephen Spurling

Do the photographers' names ring a bell?  Hurley is best known for accompanying Sir Ernest Shackleton on his infamous expedition to Antarctica and the amazing Southern Ocean rescue that followed.  I am not so familiar with Spurling's work.  There is a Mount Spurling just west of the Mountains of Jupiter on Tasmania's Central Plateau.  I guess this was named after him?

Friday, September 03, 2010

Dove Lake Circuit

From my old blog, 17th June 2006...

It’s the tail end of June school holidays in Tassie and I have had the past couple of weeks off work.  The break has been dominated by all manner of family activities with barely a day to spare.

With so much to do in the two weeks, I knew opportunities to head bush would be limited.  Therefore, with not much happening on the first weekend, it was time to plan a family trip into the mountains.

The weather forecast for Sunday and Monday was terrific.  One cool, crisp, still, clear sunny day followed by another.  The Cradle Mountain area was chosen for our family foray and a 2 bedroom, 8 bunk cabin behind Waldheim Chalet was duly booked.

After a pit stop at Railton, we bypassed Sheffield and continuing cautiously through the icy hairpin bends of the Cethana Gorge.  Next stop was my in-law’s ‘shack’ at Moina.

The ‘shack’ sits on a 5 acre clearing beside Lake Gairdner, which is formed by the Wilmot Dam at the confluence of the Iris and Lea Rivers.  On this particular morning, the frost was very heavy and sheets of ice had formed around the lakes shore.

Back on the road, we had a quick stop at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre to pick up our key and then it was on to Dove Lake for our walk.

The walk starts by crossing the lake outlet where the Dove River is born.  The dramatic Glacier Rock is a worthwhile detour but care must be taken to keep children under a tight rein so they don’t get too close to the edge.
Along the eastern side of the lake, 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter jostled for the lead while our one year old son sang happily from his perch on my back.

Less than an hour’s walk brought us to a lunch platform situated amidst giant button-grass tussocks right below the part of Cradle Mountain known as Weindorfers Tower.
After lunch, the track changes as it sidles some cliffs with water lapping below the walkway.  The spectacular ballroom forest is a feature of the western shore where ancient species of alpine plants seem to cling impossibly to the steep slopes of the Cradle Plateau.  Once again, it was less than an hour of walking that returned us to the car park.

A short drive led us around to our accommodation.  It soon became apparent that a permanent electricity supply had been connected since our last visit.  A new walking track linking the Visitor Centre with Cradle Valley provided an opportunity a couple of years ago to bring services such as power, sewerage and communications into the park.

Once settled in our cabin, we strolled around the nature walk through Weindorfers Forest dominated by huge old Pencil and King William Pines.
Waldheim Chalet at Cradle Valley

Next day, we packed up and returned to the Visitor Centre where we walked around what the children call the ‘Wheelchair Walk.’  A 500 metre long ramp/boardwalk leads through several types of alpine plant community before arriving at a lookout beside Pencil Pine Falls.
The prehistoric looking plants at the back of this frosty scene are Richea Pandanifolia or Pandanis to us normal folk.  They are also called Giant Heath and are the world's largest heath plant.
From the Cradle Mountain area, we decided to return home via Burnie on the North West Coast.  The new road (about 15 years old) heads over the Black Bluff Range where we took advantage of the cloudless skies and walked to a lookout just a short distance uphill from the highest point on the road.  At the lookout, a plaque lists the major mountains and their distances.

Our final outdoor stroll was a brief visit to the ghost town of Guilford.  In the past, this was a busy spot at the junction of the Emu Bay Railway from Burnie to Mount Bischoff (Waratah) and its southern extensions to Rosebery and Zeehan.

One of the great things about bushwalking in Tassie is the wide range of bushwalks available.  The wilderness that provided such a challenge to early explorers is still largely intact and opportunities abound for the hard-core walker.  However, as this weekend illustrated, there is plenty of walking suitable for those with more tame ambitions such as families with small children.

Family Fireworks Fun and Bright Lights on the Bluff

From my old blog, 25th May 2006...

Yesterday, the 24th of May, was the old Empire Day.  When I was little I never realised what cracker night was celebrating.  Apparently it was Empire Day.  I'm still not much the wiser.  I guess it's celebrating the British Empire that was the predecessor to the British Commonwealth.

My extended family used to get together at our cousins' house, secluded in a quiet country gully behind Burnie and have a bonfire and cracker night celebration.  Sometime after that (I can't remember how long ago) safety regulations made it much harder to get hold of crackers.  Family cracker nights became a thing of the past.

The little town of Westbury where I live now has a population of about 1300 people.  Last night I reckon 250 of them turned up at the showgrounds for a bonfire night with a fireworks display and sausage sizzle.
It was a great night and the fireworks display was beyond my expectations.  My children are aged 7, 5 and 1.  We all had a ball.  For a small town, Westbury seems to be able to celebrate rather well.

During the day, there was an odd celebration of another kind.  Quamby Bluff is a mountain just behind Westbury.  There has been an arty focus on the bluff in recent months.  Yesterday, someone had the idea of taking a large composite mirror up on the mountain and flashing it to a photographer circling the mountain in the helicopter.  I think this was all done in the name of art.

Someone at Weegena, a good 40km away called the hikers on top of the mountain and asked them to aim the mirror that way.  Another phone conversation confirmed that they had seen the flash and taken photographs.  It will be interesting to see the results.

Quamby Bluff is a moderate half day walk with a little bit of rock scrambling on the way up.  I've climbed it a few times before.  I'll blog about that another time.

Old Blog is Sick

It appears my old blog at http://blognow.com.au/tastrekker is dying.  When I tested this evening, the last few posts appeared but older entries would not display.  I was able to log in and start copying the entries from my earliest posts but after grabbing a few the site stopped responding.  I'm about to have a go at grabbing the source from one of those old posts and uploading it here...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Cathedral Plateau

Twin Spires

Last weekend we had planned to do another overnight walk with the whole family. The plan was to set off after our children's soccer games in the morning and walk in to the Scott-Kilvert Hut at Lake Rodway in the afternoon. On Friday night, a couple of our children showed signs of having nasty colds. We decided this was not a good start so we abandoned the family walk idea. Instead, we decided I would toddle off on my own for a solo walking treat.

Grail Falls

As these opportunities are rare, I thought carefully about my destination. The forecast was fine so a mountain walk would be very appealing. There was also some snow left on the higher peaks. Even better! After some contemplation, I eventually chose to walk up the Moses Creek Track to the Cathedral Plateau.

Lunch spot beside a frozen Challice Lake

In my first few hours' walking, I climbed steadily out of the Mersey Valley into the picturesque surrounds of Chapter Lake. The dark silent waters of the lake contrasted to the brilliant white gushes of Grail Falls as they crash into the valley with a mighty roar. A cairned route leads up to the ledges above the falls and then on to my lunch spot where I could see Convent Hill over a mostly frozen Challice Lake.

Cathedral Mountain

My original plan was to setup camp at the lake and take a couple of half day walks exploring the Cathedral Plateau from there. Instead, as I was feeling fit and the weather was great, I decided to continue on with my full pack. A small rise took me to Tent Tarn where I lost the cairned route.

Sunset over Pelion East

I tip-toed through the fragile cushion plants south of the Tarn and then headed up hill towards Twin Spires. I did not go far before the thick scrubby vegetation was starting to get me down and for the first time in the walk, I could feel the weight of my pack. The scrub looked marginally better further south so I sidled a bit and much to my surprise, I came across the cairned route again. It must have recommenced at some point after Tent Tarn.

The moon watches over the pre-dawn sky as Pelion East, Barn Bluff
and Cradle Mountain peek out from their cotton-wool blankets.

My reunion with the cairned route was timely as I had just reached the snow line. As I got higher, it became apparent that the route was leading me to a high point on Cathedral Mountain itself. This point turned out to be almost 500 metres back from the edge of the escarpment. The views of the surrounding plateau and mountains were terrific but I was looking forward to seeing the view over the brink to the Mersey valley below.
First light catches Mount Ossa

Rather than heading directly to the cliff tops, I headed towards the Twin Spires, the northern peak of which is the highest point on the Cathedral plateau. There was just enough snow cover for this to be a very easy traverse. The last serious snowfall was almost two weeks ago so the compact icy surface was almost like walking on a footpath over or between the shrubs and boulders.

Sunrise over the Walls of Jerusalem

It was not until I reached the very highest point of the Twin Spires that I gave myself the satisfaction of looking down to the valley below. The roar of the Mersey River drifted up and the grassy flats of Lees Paddocks looked like a giant golf course. The private hut at Kia Ora stood out with the peaks of the Du Cane and Pelion ranges providing a stunning backdrop.

First light reaches Twin Spires

With light starting to fade, I quickly found a level patch of snow about 15 metres from the summit where I could pitch my tent, cook dinner and settle in for the long dark night. In the morning I woke an hour before sunrise, cooked a delicious breakfast and headed outside in the pre-dawn light. The moon smiled down on the peaks to the north-west which rose out of valleys filled to the brim with layers of cotton wool fog.

Twin Spires camp site starts to thaw

Cradle Mountain was the first peak to be set ablaze by the rising sun. A few minutes later as the sun eased its way over the Walls of Jerusalem, Mount Ossa was the next peak to glow. As I watched in awe, one by one the other mountains caught the suns rays. In the meantime, the dense fog was starting to rise out of the valleys. To the north, upward-flowing waterfalls of cloud were pouring over the cliff-lines of Deans Bluff and Bishops Peak. Soon, I too was enveloped by the rising blanket and my sunrise show was over.

Fog pours out of the Mersey valley over Bishops Peak

On my return, I foolishly headed straight down towards Tent Tarn and predictably got buried in the scrub I had encountered 20 hours earlier. A detour back to the cairned route to Cathedral would have been quicker and far less scratchy. Oh well, never mind. I shouldn't complain. The scrub here is no where near as bad as other parts of the island.

Looking from South Twin Spire to Mount Ossa

After descending past Grail Falls, I returned to the car via a taped route which follows Moses Creek down from its Chapter Lake outlet. I had done this route as a day walk previously but again found myself marvelling at the amazingly steep path taken by Moses Creek as it plunges over an almost constant succession of waterfalls before suddenly leveling out for its final approach to the Mersey River.

North Twin Spire from South Twin Spire

My walk finished on an uncertain note. When I last went to the Moses Creek waterfalls, I branched off the Moses Creek Track after it crossed Jacksons Creek to pick up the taped route. This time, heading in the reverse direction to my previous visit, I followed the tapes expecting them to swing east any minute to join the other track. They didn't! When I finally reached the confluence of Jacksons and Moses I came to an unpleasant realisation. By following the tapes all the way to the end, I now faced a very steep climb back to my car as I had descended more than I needed. The short, sharp climb to the car was not the ending I had expected but my sense of satisfaction and achievement overpowered my aching muscles and before I knew it, the car park was upon me.
 
Chapter Lake

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Mount Wellington

Zig Zag Track near the summit of Mount Wellington

I have never lived in Hobart but if I did, I would love Mt Wellington on my doorstep. Recently when Mrs TasTrekker had a workshop at the university, I took the opportunity to be dropped at the summit ready for a leisurely downhill trot.

Mount Wellington's Organ Pipes

While there are probably more interesting and obscure walks on the mountain, I am a Wellington Walks newbie so I picked what looked like the most direct route down stringing as many features together as I could. I'm organising a camp for people heading to Tassie from all over Australia in a few months time so this was a test-drive for one of their activities.

Sphinx Rock

My selected route took me down the Zig Zag Track from the summit. As I left the howling wind and frozen puddles behind, the track soon lived up to its name. Before too long, I diverted onto the Organ Pipes Track for closer inspection of the dolerite columns so many Hobartians must take for granted.

The Octopus Tree

The Sawmill Track then took me down to Strickland Falls via short detours to Rock Cabin (not really worth the detour), Sphinx Rock (kinda cool on top but even cooler underneath where some rock climbers were dangling from the overhang) and the Octopus Tree.

Strickland Falls

Monday, June 14, 2010

Cradle Snow

I started holidays today so I can look after the junior TasTrekkers while Mrs TasTrekker has university exams.  There's been some snow down to low levels so I took our youngest children on a trip to Cradle to find some snow.
We stopped into Moina along the way where Lake Gairdner was at a very low level.  We were excited to find a 'shipwreck' near the boat ramp.
After passing Daisy Dell, there was still no sign of snow but by the time we reached the visitor centre, it was starting to fall.  At Ronny Creek we found some drifts big enough to play in but too small for sliding.

On the way home we stopped to look at a property in the Vale of Belvoir which has been targeted for purchase by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.

Ice Skating

While this is not strictly bushwalking, it did involve cold and ice.

We had a lot of fun slipping and sliding around the rink in Hobart.

This was a birthday treat for Mrs TasTrekker.

A highlight was an ice skating billy cart!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Family Bushwalk to Pelion

Over Easter we took our 11, 9 and 5 year old children to walk the Arm River Track. While Pelion Hut was the loose objective it was not set in stone. The area has many lovely spots for camping so the plan was to do whatever we could do then setup camp. With enough meals to last 4 days our agenda was delightfully flexible.
On day one, we had a fairly late morning start. While there was a bit of complaining, we all made light work of the infamous hill one kilometre after the start. Ironically, it was after the steep bit that we struggled to maintain motivation as we sidled around the top of the hill to our lunch spot beside the outlet from Lake Price.
Lunch at Lake Price with Mt Pillinger looking over us.
After lunch, renewed spirits allowed us to scoot over to Wurragarra Creek and the highpoint where the Cathedral Range and DuCanes joined Mt Pillinger to provide a breathtaking panorama. Steady progress was made down the hill but, as we approached Lake Ayr, spirits were flagging again. The last 4km had taken us 1.5 hours, we had 4km to reach Pelion Hut and there were 1.5 hours of daylight left. It was not hard to make the decision to pitch our tent on a small rise beside a creek where we enjoyed spectacular views along the lake to Mt Oakleigh and back to Mt Pillinger. The remaining daylight was spent relaxing, and cooking a superb dinner. Mrs TasTrekker had invested in some of those fancy dehydrated hiking meals which cut down on weight and ensured we could enjoy fairly normal and wholesome food.
Mt Oakleigh and Lake Ayr from our campsite.
Day two started enthusastically and 90 minutes' walking took us to a deserted Pelion Hut where we settled in for morning tea and card games. A group from Anthology's Cradle Mountain Huts arrived at the hut soon after us en route from the private hut at Pine Forest Moor. They tucked into their gourmet lunch and then set off to climb Mt Oakleigh.
Mt Pelion West looms over the Douglass River bridge.
Pelion Plains offers some hidden treasures for a family not looking to scale the heights of surrounding mountains. Some copper mines and an old hut are worth exploring along with the recommended swimming spot at the pencil pine flanked Douglas River.
Old Pelion Hut
We took our lunches and stoves a short walk along the famous Overland Track to the historic Old Pelion Hut. While enjoying lunch in the hut's grassy surrounds we had a visit from the friendly local track ranger. She was heading down to the old bridge on the Wolfram Mine track (more recently known as the Forth Valley Track) to 'take measures' to prevent people using the bridge. The treated pine decking looked to be in good condition but underneath the steel beams were completely rusted through.
Rusty bridge over Douglas River on Wolfram Mines (Forth Valley) Track
Over an hour was filled as the whole family were entertained by the antics of tugging at planks and dismantling the decking. Everyone chipped in to lend a hand. In a weird way, there was a strong sense of irony heading into the wilderness and engaging in some serious demolition work.
Ranger Jen calls the shots as we 'take measures' to discourage people from using the bridge.
Once all the planks and old nails were collected, we got back to our original agenda which was a visit to the old Pelion Copper Mine. A distinct pad leads 250 metres down the valley from the hut to a brightly coloured tailings heap which extends all the way down the hill and into the river below. The boys and I explored the adit which went far enough in to be completely dark when we turned our torches off.
Pelion Copper Mine
On the way back to the Overland Track, the children stopped on a new section of board walk to test the depth of the bog. In the photo it looks like they are engaged in constructive track work. If Ranger Jen returned to continue her board walk construction, I'm sure there would have been three willing young helpers.
On the track to Old Pelion Hut.  Mt Pelion East in the background.
In the evening, dinner preparations and the ensuing feast were accompanied by a lovely sunset transforming Cradle Mountain, Barn Bluff and Mount Oakleigh into stately silhouettes against the fading hues of a fine and still autumn evening. Card games and socialising were the order of the evening. Even the junior walkers found friends they had met on a previous holiday camp so the hut atmosphere was very lively.
Barn Bluff, Cradle Mt and Mt Oakleigh are sillhouetted at sunset.


Ready to set out from New Pelion Hut
On the morning of day three we joined the throng of walkers preparing for departure and, after a family snap, set off along Lake Ayr. The first four kilometres melted away as we dawdled through the mist, taking photos of shrubs, cobwebs, flowers and berries along the route.
The gradual uphill climb from the Pelion Plains up towards the Wurragarra sadle caused spirits to flag a little so a cooked lunch beside 'Tarn of Islands Creek' gave us the necessary encouragement to continue back to the walk's high point. From here, the panorama opens up to include the Cathedral and DuCane ranges along with Mt Pillinger close at hand. Ironically, as they rested on a large rock, my family seemed more inclined to watch the tadpoles in a tarn rather than take in the stunning scenery. Each to their own I guess.
Twin Spires, Cathedral Mt and Castle Crag from the Wurragarra saddle.
At this point we had covered eight kilometres since leaving the hut and we were four kilometres from the car. We had food to do another day but being this 'close to home' with the possibility of a home day before returning to work made it an attractive option to push on. There was just the issue of enthusing the troops. We made a strong start heading down over Wurragarra Creek but the slight climb to Lake Price caused our youngest trekker to threaten mutiny. The others were starting to enjoy the thought of being back to their own beds that night.
Lots of encouraging and distracting chatter pulled us through to our day one lunch spot at the Lake Price outlet stream. An Easter Sunday afternoon tea of celebratory eggs was in order and, with all that chocolate in our collective bellies, it seemed only a hop, skip and a jump to the steep descent into the Arm River valley. At the bottom of the hill, I wondered how we would go with the final kilometre to the car. As it turned out, everyone was able to focus on the goal and with much celebration we bundled into the family wagon and headed for a Sheffield take-away dinner. There was even energy in reserve to don fancy dress for an easter supper with the in-laws in Burnie!

What a trip! Walking with young children is a joy when appropriate precautions are taken. We have been fortunate enough to gather some good gear for the whole family. Complete sets of thermal underwear, sleeping bags, inflatable camping mats, rain coats, boots and a 4-person Macpac Spectrum tent that fits all of us made this trip possible. Walking with an open agenda, listening to each other's needs and being willing to stop whenever the need arose were other critical factors. Of course, the trip would not have happened without the willing participation of the whole TasTrekker family. I am very proud of everyone!