Mt Littlechild

[Gargie]

Hi all hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas. Can anyone tell me if there is a track that goes up Mt Littlechild in the Blue Tier area. Thanks for any info on the Mountain. Cheers

[Paul]

Hi Gargie,

No, not a track.

Good walk is up to Handley's Peak from highway/road junction. It has a good "trig", similar to Saddleback. From there to Littlechild is across the narrow saddle.

Paul.

[billshep]

I have taped a route from the west end of Australia Hill - follow the old track just past the sign dedicated to the Aboriginal People, and the first tapes are just past the last rock outcrops. Then its down to a little saddle and up to the Littlechild summit area, all in forest, some very fine myrtle. Mostly good going in open forest.

[north-north-west]

Cross country from either Handleys (track/taped route) or the Australia Hill track on the Blue Tier (two possible turn off points). Off-track section either route is short and easy. Some nice forest. No views from the top but the summit boulder itself is cute.

[billshep]

Mt Littlechild and the Blue Tier High Route.

I have waymarked the western approach to Mt Littlechild from Handley Peak. This gives a fine through walk from the Weldborough Pass over Handley, Littlechild and Australia Hill to Poimena. Mt Litlechild's rain forest canopy shows what the Blue Tier was like before mining, fire and grazing.

An excellent overnight walk combines this traverse with a descent of Australia Hill from the Summit Mine - waymarking starts below the top bull wheel- past the Puzzle Mine with its deep shafts(beware!)to the Boiler and the Duco adit on Lottah Road. Then go up the road for 5 minutes to a side track leading off to the left. This takes you to the lovely Crystal Hill walk: leave this near the Liberator tunnel and go down to the Groom River. Follow the taped route to the Giant Tree walk and then up to Lehner's Ridge Road and back to your vehicle at the Weldborough Pass.

[sa_cooke]

Hi Billshep,

My partner and I are heading up to Blue Tier for a few days, and we note you have marked a walk from Handley Peak to Mount Littlechild. It looks like we have to leave the car at Weldborough Pass reserve and head up the hill somehow to the ridge south of Handley Peak, and pick up your track from there. After Adelaide Hill, I assume we have to walk along Lottah Road to the Reserve where we left our car.

Is this correct please?

[Paul]

Best to leave your car at junction of Tasman Highway / Lottah Road.
I imagine you mean Australia Hill when you refer to Adelaide Hill.

Without a car shuffle, yes, either walk the road or backtack your steps.

Paul.

[sa_cooke]

Oops! Thanks Paul -- yes, Australia Hill. Thank you for the suggestion. We'll do that.

Steve.

[billshep]

The Weldborough Pass(junction of Tasman Hwy and Lottah Road. is the best access point for the Handley's - Littlechild- Australia Hill traverse. There is no water on the route apart from a little dam up the first hill near the start. I did the trip as a circuit last spring taking a mountain bike down the new trail from Poimena to Weldborough Hotel, cycling up to Weldborough pass, hid bike, walked over the hills back to Poimena. Lovely day trip.

Here are pics of the elusive summit cairn on Mt Littlechild. I have taped a short side track to it from the traverse route. Nice spot.

[north-north-west]

That's new. There wasn't a cairn on that rock when I did Littlechild. It is a really pretty little rock, however, even with the additions.

[Snowybob]

Handley Peak was originally named Mt Littlechild and was the site of a cairn erected by a team for Wentworth Hardy when he was Inspector of Surveys in 1886. There is evidence of a nine foot circle of stone at the summit. There is also a smaller cairn only two foot high at Little Plain.
The name was changed by the Nomenclature Board after research by Peter Burns and the St Helens History Room in 1990 and the new Mt Littlechild named at E5815 N54381.

[Paul]

A fantastic overnight circuit walk is from Poimena, to the Diversion Dam on the Wyinford River, then follow the river down to the old "Top Cat " tin mine near Garabaldi / Pioneer for overnight stay. Next day follow the Three Notch Track back to Poimena.

Its not for the faint hearted - its very physical - its long days - the Wyinford has house size boulders, some smallish vertical climbing, blockages that require exit from the river in to the very very steep hillsides to get around. And once walking in the river, you are remote from any help or exit.

On the map it doesn't look like a long walk going down the Wyniford - but it could take about 8 hours !!!! ( and worth it )

Paul.

[billshep]

Thanks Snowybob, Very interesting history.That explains the confusion over the Handleys - Littlechild nomenclature. Walkers will find two tops on Handley's. The first is reached by the stock track from Weldborough Pass/Little Plain over open country, then you descend slightly and go through rainforest before ascending to the higher point
Bill

[billshep2]

I have had a report that the haulage descent from Australia Hill on the Blue Tier is now hard to follow with fallen logs and missing waymarking. This is part of the North east highlands walk. Very important to have a well marked route as there are mines shafts. Take great care near the Puzzle Mine.
I hope to go over and fix this next week. it would be nice if members of the Launceston party who found this a problem could go over there and do a bit! Even clearing bracken on the section from Crystal Creek to Lottah road would help. If I can go from Devonport it should not be impossible!

[bogholesbuckethats]

Drove up north to check out Handley Peak and Mt Little Child yesterday. From what I have read on here and on the Placenames Tasmania website, Handley Peak was named after James Handley who was granted land in the area in the early 1800s. This was a special trip for us as my partner Emily is the great great great granddaughter of James and her middle name was given to her in memory if James Handleys wife Elizabeth. The route was easy to follow and we were very surprised to see the amazing myrtle forest before the Handley Peak summit and in the saddle between Handley Peak and Mt Little Child.

[Paul]

Drove up north to check out Handley Peak and Mt Little Child yesterday. From what I have read on here and on the Placenames Tasmania website, Handley Peak was named after James Handley who was granted land in the area in the early 1800s. This was a special trip for us as my partner Emily is the great great great granddaughter of James and her middle name was given to her in memory if James Handleys wife Elizabeth. The route was easy to follow and we were very surprised to see the amazing myrtle forest before the Handley Peak summit and in the saddle between Handley Peak and Mt Little Child.

Hello Bogholesbuckethats,

Your post of Mount Littlechild caught my attention - I think somewhere back along the family lines, I am related to your partner, Emily.

Emily Rainbow ( renamed Emily Le Fevre ) married Henry King Handley in 1896. Henry was the son of James and Elizabeth Handley.

A recent publication "History of the Tasmanian Le Fevre's" has a lot of information of the Handley families, right back to James and Elizabeth.

I am Paul Le Fevre. Born at St Helens, grew up at Pyengana, live in Launceston.

The North East is my playground - as well as many parts of Tasmania, I have traversed nearly all of the Northeast.

When you were going between Mount Littlechild and Handley Peak, along the narrow ridge, did you see a old corner post/old wire ? It is the boundary of the block of land that James would have been granted - Wes Singline owned it for many many years then it was sold to the people with the Bluestone Quarry near the Tasman Hwy/ Lottah Rd junction.

Cheers,
Paul.

[bogholesbuckethats]

Hello Bogholesbuckethats,

Your post of Mount Littlechild caught my attention - I think somewhere back along the family lines, I am related to your partner, Emily.

Emily Rainbow ( renamed Emily Le Fevre ) married Henry King Handley in 1896. Henry was the son of James and Elizabeth Handley.

A recent publication "History of the Tasmanian Le Fevre's" has a lot of information of the Handley families, right back to James and Elizabeth.

I am Paul Le Fevre. Born at St Helens, grew up at Pyengana, live in Launceston.

The North East is my playground - as well as many parts of Tasmania, I have traversed nearly all of the Northeast.

When you were going between Mount Littlechild and Handley Peak, along the narrow ridge, did you see a old corner post/old wire ? It is the boundary of the block of land that James would have been granted - Wes Singline owned it for many many years then it was sold to the people with the Bluestone Quarry near the Tasman Hwy/ Lottah Rd junction.

Cheers,
Paul.

Hi Paul,

Emily here-yes we would definitely be related! I've got the History of the Tasmanian Le Fevres from Danielle, and it had some great info regarding the branches of the family, but I've been curious as to James' land and whether there would have been an old homestead as well as the boundaries of the property. I wish I'd known about the fence on Saturday, I would've loved to have found it. I'm definitely going to have to take my Dad, Mark, up there!

Cheers, Emily