Lees Paddocks - Nov Long Weekend

[Phil]

Hi guys

Well, after much deliberation we decided to bite the bullet and head in to Lees Paddocks on the weekend despite what the weather had been doing/was meant to do during that time. The party consisted of myself, my wife (who hasn't bushwalked with me for a few years), and my 6 year old son Zac; this was to be his first extended walk; his only other walks were things like Liffey Falls, Trevallyn Reserve, Hollybank Forest, Tamar Island - those type of walks.

As we headed along Mersey Forest Rd, the rain was still pouring down Fortunately though, as we pulled up and got out of the car it had subsided to a slight drizzle. We did cop some decent rain for about 20minutes as we walked through Pine Hut Plain, but that was to be the last of the 'rain' for the two days. Thankfully the weather was quite mild, and it did drizzle slightly from time to time over the next 36 hours but only very lightly to the point where you didn't actually 'feel' wet from it.

The walk in took us around 5 hours; there was heaps of mud and plenty of creeks to cross; the track at times was an ankle deep creek as the water from the previous 12 hours was coming down off the hills and running into the Mersey River. Lunch was at Oxley Falls which was pretty spectacular!! The young fella did really well and insisted on 'leading the way' for the mostpart until the final 1km or so where he needed some encouragement as his legs started to tire!!

There was also plenty of water coming down across Lees Paddocks down to the Mersey which made for a few final creek crossings before reaching the hut. With the water charging through the last creek I carried Zac over the 'bridge' (if you could call it that) which made for a nervous few seconds!!

To my wife's delight, we didn't have to pitch the tent and had the hut to ourselves. We got the fire cranking which quickly dried out some of our gear that had gotten damp on the way in, enjoyed a hot milo with dinner and had a good nights sleep.

We headed off at around 9am the following morning; even after 18 hours a lot of the water had passed down off the hills and into the Mersey and the walk back was somewhat easier for us all. Got back to the car at around 2pm, I then drove home while the wife and son slept

In hindsight, the walk was more challenging than what I was expecting (which was compounded by the water and mud), it certainly stretched the young fella but he didn't complain once and just kept going and going. Overall we had a wonderful experience and it was a really special time bonding with Zac.

Here's a few pics from the iPhone........

Cheers

Phil

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[Phil]

few more pics.......

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[Phil]

last few pics......

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[stepbystep]

Great stuff, one to remember for a very long time for you all I'm sure.

[Son of a Beach]

Well done Phil! I reckon you're brave trying that with the youngster with the weather forecast the way it was, but it sounds like it turned out really well for the paddocks (we cancelled our weekend camping trip due to the forecast).

It's a great way to spend time with your kids, I reckon.

I'm hoping to take our 4 year old in there this summer. She's itching to do it.

[corvus]

Glad you and yours made the trip Phil ,I bet your lad just loved stomping through the ooze , mire and creeks in his gumboots
But dont tell too many folks about how nice this walk and destination is lets just keep it our secret
c

[Phil]

Glad you and yours made the trip Phil ,I bet your lad just loved stomping through the ooze , mire and creeks in his gumboots
But dont tell too many folks about how nice this walk and destination is lets just keep it our secret
c

Thanks for the advice the other day Corvus; the gumboots were definitely a winner!! It was certainly as you imagined, Zac loved ploughing straight through the mud and creeks wherever possible!! It's a lovely walk, probably even more so in these conditions I imagine with the moisture in the air and creeks and rivers pumping!!

[flyfisher]

Hi Phil, great to see the family out together , and thanks for the pics. Love the one of mother and son in front of the fire.
ff

[shazcol]

Phil tell Zac we could still see his small gumboot footprints at various places along the track in the mud and we loved his entry in the Lee's logbook. He writes very well for a six year old. I'll bet he had a great time in all that mud!

[Phil]

Phil tell Zac we could still see his small gumboot footprints at various places along the track in the mud and we loved his entry in the Lee's logbook. He writes very well for a six year old. I'll bet he had a great time in all that mud!

Hey shazcol,

Thanks for the message; Zac was pretty chuffed that you saw his entry into the log book; he takes great pride in his writing/drawings and that one was no exception He certainly had a blast trudging straight through the mud and puddles along the track whilst his mother tried her best to skirt around the edges!!

[Nick S]

Great report Phil. The hut looks cosy as!