60 Walks Challenge - Walk #31 & #32 & #33

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

After a good nights sleep for Jett, and a fair bit of tossing and turning for me (it takes a while to get used to a thermarest - my hips are really sore by the morning) we were up at around 7.30 and packing up.  We hit the dirt roads just before 9am and navigated our way back to the upper carpark for the official Liffey Falls Walk (a longer walk up to the falls could be done right from where we camped - we checked out the start of it the previous evening and it looked really nice but we felt we had to stick to the book to be able to tick it off officially).   The top carpark had bike racks and bbqs and it was a really pretty 15 minute downhill walk through ferns and past smaller cascades to the bottom of the falls. It's probably not the best year to be looking at waterfalls and rivers - it's been so dry, but it was still really nice.

  • Name : Liffey Falls
  • Distance : 2k return
  • Time : 45 minutes
  • Official Walk Numbers : 32

 

 

It was here that we brought out the very last Kvikk Lunsj that Bjorn had brought out for us from Norway. We'd been saving it for an adventure just like this!

 

Then it was back to the paper maps to find the best route to Leven Canyon - which is about 45 minutes south of Ulverstone. With Ms GoogleMaps probably in rehab by now, we decided to take the easiest route on the big roads via Devonport.  We stopped in for petrol and better maps at the information centre which was a relief - my new big paper map was not all that useful once we left the sealed roads. As it happened Leven Canyon was well signposted from the highway so we had no trouble - arriving at about 12.  The picnic / camping site was really nice again - bbqs, toilets, grassy banks and ferns made it a place you'd linger (especially after suffering all the driving). We decided to set off on the walk, then have lunch afterwards.. 

  • Name : Leven Canyon
  • Distance : 1.2k circuit
  • Time : 43 minutes
  • Official Walk Numbers : 36

 

Leven Canyon is a short circuit - but Parks and Wildlife have really made the most of it - it has two pretty amazing viewing platforms and a long  600 step descent between the two.  We spent some time at each, gazing over the hills and looking down into the canyon. It was a surprisingly warm & sunny day, so lovely to be out and about.


Back at the picnic ground we had lunch, then set off for another long haul - back through Devonport then on to Narawntapu National Park, to tick off our last walk for the day - SpringLawn Nature Walk.

I'd never been to this coastal park to the east of Devonport before - there was a nice information centre and a helpful ranger and I was expecting nice little walk with some nice vistas to the sea.

 

 

looking out the bird hide 

  

  

Well - it was strange - the 3.8k walk went to a lagoon thing and bird hide,  then skirted faily boringly through scrappy scrub around the back of the dunes (no views), then inland around the other side of the lagoon (which was really just felt like a long walk through a paddock - as that's what it actually used to be, before the Park was made).

the paddock.. 

 It was a strange choice for a Great Walk - there were other walks in the park that were a only slightly longer which would have taken us up a hill for views, AND gone via the seabird lagoon (if seabirds are your thing). I dunno what the reasoning was for this particular walk.  1/3 of the way through the paddock our enthusiasm had well and truly run out, and obvously the enthusiasm of the trail maker too, as the trail itself (as well as the directional markers) petered out and we were pretty much left to our own devices to complete the circuit and get back to the information centre (still around 1k away). I had picked up the little map of the area so we knew which way to go but any lesser adventurers might have got themselves lost by this point.  

Back at the visitor centre we celebrated our survival by splurging on an icecream (our spending had been entirely on petrol to that point) and the $13 camping fee then drove 4k out to Bakers Beach, one of the three camping areas within the park.  Despite being the school holidays it was very quiet so we had no trouble finding an empty spot and setting up.  Then we rode our bikes a few k back to a beach access point to get to see those veiws of the coast we'd been wanting to see earlier.  That was fun.

 

Back at the camp it was pasta for dinner, then a walk along the inlet (the bit facing Port Sorell), then we made hot chocolates and were in bed just after 8.

 

 

Camping in autumn is tricky - it gets dark at 6 - so you don't necessarily want to be cooking in the dark, but then you don't want to be going to bed at 7pm either! We generally tried to stretch out our evenings with a torchlight walk and some idle time staring into the fire and roasting marshmallows.

2016summary
Christmassy Photos Friday, 30 December 2016
Noosa - Day 5 Thursday, 15 December 2016
Noosa - Day 4 Tuesday, 13 December 2016
Noosa - Day 3 Monday, 12 December 2016
Noosa - Day 2 Sunday, 11 December 2016
Noosa - Day 1 Sunday, 11 December 2016
Being Bothered Pays Off. Sunday, 11 December 2016
Swimming tour of Brisbane part 2 Sunday, 11 December 2016
Paver Project Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Swimming tour of Brisbane Wednesday, 23 November 2016
The end of an era Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Snowvember Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Tramp-a-bag Monday, 31 October 2016
Mt Wellington Monday, 31 October 2016
Online Only Challenge Monday, 31 October 2016
3 Capes Monday, 10 October 2016
Packing Regrets Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Fantasy Amazing Race Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Before and After then After that #37 Monday, 3 October 2016
Before and After #36 Zali's Room Take 2 Monday, 3 October 2016
That's DR McComb to you.. Friday, 26 August 2016
'Mrs', 'Miss', or 'Dammed feminist'? Sunday, 14 August 2016
Who is really paying for the bake sale? Friday, 12 August 2016
Running Sunday, 31 July 2016
The Kettering Incident and Why I am the Smartest in the Room Friday, 29 July 2016
Before and After Sneak Peak Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Vacuum Cleaner Update Tuesday, 26 July 2016
How not to go to the movies Tuesday, 12 July 2016
How Not to Sell Vacuum Cleaners Monday, 11 July 2016
Melbourne Mini Break Monday, 27 June 2016
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #35 Thursday, 23 June 2016
Treasure Chest Cake Thursday, 23 June 2016
Shark House! Saturday, 11 June 2016
Before and After #35 - CD Tower to Mirror Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Maths - it could happen to you. Thursday, 19 May 2016
Power Tools Tuesday, 17 May 2016
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #35 Friday, 22 April 2016
Sheffield Rail Trail & Derby Thursday, 21 April 2016
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #34 Wednesday, 20 April 2016
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #31 & #32 & #33 Wednesday, 20 April 2016
60 Walks Challenge - Walk #29 & #30 Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Creatures of Habit Thursday, 7 April 2016
Let me count the ways.. Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Canberra 2016 Friday, 25 March 2016
Un armed.. Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Full day of activities Sunday, 13 March 2016
Dumped Saturday, 12 March 2016
Double Tromble Friday, 11 March 2016
Million Dollar Lane Wednesday, 9 March 2016
2nd International MFSC Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Tip Run Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Blackberry Season Thursday, 3 March 2016
Packed Lunches Wednesday, 2 March 2016
so yeah.. Sunday, 28 February 2016
Cradle Mountain Run Curse Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Last Pictures Tuesday, 9 February 2016
All the kids Tuesday, 9 February 2016
Overland Track - Day 7 Monday, 25 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 6 Monday, 25 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 5 Sunday, 24 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 4 Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 3 Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 2 Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 1 Monday, 18 January 2016
Overland Track - Day 0 Sunday, 17 January 2016
Slow Progress Thursday, 14 January 2016
Pakning på, opp og stå, ut og gå Monday, 11 January 2016