J has had a huge adventure in SW Tas...perhaps a bit more adventure than intended. We had a bumpy flight in to Melaleuca, weather was sunny but very hazy. We had some lovely views of the south coast but couldnt see the Arthur Range or Federation Peak in the haze. I had forgotten just how small a little 7 seater cessna really is! Grandad was looking a bit green (J just about fell asleep) and I must admit to feeling a sense of relief when we landed.
Grandad gave us the tour of Melaleuca (he spends a couple of weeks each summer down there as part of the Orange Bellied Parrot release program). We saw a pygmy possum living in the OBP bird hide but no orange bellied parrots unfortunately. Grandad pointed out the spot where a plane crashed years ago and Deny King built a log ramp
to help get it airborne again...the propellor from the plane is still in the old King residence. It was warm enough for a swim, but the water was a bit cold for swimming! The lagoon at Melaleuca is not very deep but the bottom is covered in a deep layer of leaves and sticks which you sink into when you stand up, pretty gross.
Another beautiful day for our walk to New Harbour (12km). The track across the plain from Melaleuca is almost all boardwalk except for some solid sections on small rises.
Once we left the main track to Cox's Bight and dropped down into the valley leading to New Harbour the track deteriorated a bit...oddly enough, given that he jumps in every puddle and mud patch he can find at home, J doesnt like the mud in SW Tas. Apparently once it goes over your knees it isnt fun anymore! J did really well in spite of the mud and we were camped beside the white sand by lunch time.
J had a ball playing on the beach - we tried to get his clothes dry but he kept getting wet and sandy. Grandad had picked out a perfect campsite for us at the eastern end of the beach - tucked away in the trees
and sheltered from the weather (just as well!) We were the only people there until about3 oclock when another party turned up and camped further along the beach.
The weather started to deteriorate during the afternoon and blew up into a howling gale overnight. Lots of rain and hail, thunder. Santa very thoughtfully stopped at New Harbour early in the morning of xmas eve (he was probably worn down by the constant suggestions that J would be a lot less trouble is Santa came early and could he hang one of my socks up just in case or maybe he read the weather forecast for the xmas day!) and luckily brought a range of small toys which would fit in J's pack. He got a toy cat which of course he named Buttercup (??). May has one too, but hers is named Pussy in keeping with her policy of easy to remember names (Pinky, Browny, Greyey, Pussy etc).
We were tossing up walking out to Melaleuca straight away but decided to wait and let the creek levels drop a bit - walked over to Hidden Bay for the day (about 10km for the day). J has discovered that if you take your boots off to play on the beach and it starts to hail your feet will hurt. Hidden bay if lovely, a really nice sheltered campsite, beautiful white sand and big dunes behind the beach and of course dramatic scenery. Intermittent sunshine during the day in between 40 knot winds and hail.
J was pretty glad to get back to the tent and only came out again to eat. We walked out on xmas day...the creeks had not subsided overnight as we hoped - rain bucketed down all night. Heroic effort from J, I think he now has more experience at crossing flooded creeks than many bushwalkers get in a lifetime. I had to carry him over a couple, until I turned my ankle carrying J and landed both of us in the water. We staved off potential discouragement by discussing what Lego might be purchased if we headed to the shops in Hobart...this kept J going almost until we got back to Melaleuca. Huge relief to get into the hut at Melaleuca and get out of wet clothes. J immediately lost the use of his legs, he was unable to walk until a plane turned up the next morning and he had to hustle down to the airstrip to catch it! We almost had to turn back to Melaleuca because of the bad weather, but the pilot dropped to 900 ft and followed the coast all the way. M was hugely unsympathetic about my sore ankle and J was very happy to get back to his mum and away from his dangerously unbalanced father and grandfather.
New year saw us heading up to Lake St Clare for a walk from Narcissus to Echo Point (wonderful things ferries). We met up with friends from Canberra - J & M's best friends in fact. The weather was grey, windy and wet. We caught an 8am boat up the lake with our boxes portmanteau and bags...the ferry captain was highly amused when the suitcase went aboard! Dropped of M and RJ at Echo Point with all the gear - they set up the hut with all our stuff and then started walking towards Narcissus to Meet R and AS with the 4 kids. 
They seriously blotted their copy books by asking us if we would alright with all the kids...so what have we been doing for the last 8 years??? For those of us getting off at Narcissus it was a long and slow walk across the boards from the landing stage (kids dont care how much they hold everyone up), but eventually got the 4 of them marshalled at the hut...made them look at it even though they didnt want to. Track conditions best described as wet, fair bit of mud about. 
Little M was lapping it up...she has been really looking forward to going bushwalking and the myrtle forest is magic. J was being stoic after his experiences in the SW. We managed to get the kids about 2km down the track before RJ and M found us. Unfortunately they didnt seem to have noticed any details about the track and where totally unable to tell us how far anything was! Despite the mud it is still one of my favourite bits of the overland track and Echo Point hut is still idyllic, 
although it is perhaps stretching the idyll to fill it with 4 loud and boisterous kids. They played on the beach for the entire afternoon (miraculous recovery from not being able walk another step!) Got the coal stove going and had a very comfortable afternoon and evening. 
We had one person take one look at us and leave and an irishman called Richard who stayed...said he didnt mind the noise the kids made cause he was deaf and just turned of his hearing aids. In the morning all the kids and big M and AS bailed out on the ferry to Cynthia Bay while RJ and I walked out and discovered we are now only average walkers. Ah well, age has wearied us. Still raining, didnt see any sunshine until Hamilton.
