We’ve done the first part of stage one the Lyrebird falls hiking trail, and now we’re ready to do the Duffers Falls trail, a 7Km trip that will require the kids to have stamina and endurance this is something that most kids under 10 are not used to doing.
When you’re taking kids like this on such a long hike you need to make sure that you have everything, from water to snacks, and spare clothes this makes it more enjoyable for them to go on a long hike like this one.
Saying that our kids are raring to go, got their lunches packed they’ve helped pack up camp from the night and they’re eager and willing to race down this track they want to see what is at the end.
The whole reason for going on this hike is to achieve these hikes as a family it’s on our bucket list, but to see the magnificent waterfalls at the other end something that we don’t usually get to see unless you take on these hikes.
Starting you can hear the bellbirds singing as we take the first few steps along the path the bellbirds as you go along are getting louder.
Hearing the parrots in the trees chirping away knowing that they’re getting some nectar from the trees, trees that our bees would be working back in our native bushland which is amazing, and as a beekeepers wife we’ve got to stop and see what flowers are blooming in the bushland around us.
Kids however are not interested in seeing or hearing about bees today they have one thing on their mind they’ve got a waterfall to chase.
Off they go well ahead of us by now their backpacks jumping up and down as they run along. They keep running back towards us all the time using up more energy than they need to.
Towards the last hundred meters of his hike we’re going downhill, a long way downhill, and what goes down must come back up so I’m trying to warn the kids to take it easy and conserve some of their energy for the trek home (otherwise, I can see us piggybacking a child or two).
However those words fall on deaf ears, the kids are excited this is the first time they’ve done a long trek like this, the first time they’ve had mum and dad doing this not one waiting behind with a younger child this time it’s all six of us hiking to a waterfall.
Who doesn’t like to chase a waterfall they’re amazing they’re huge there glorious and if it’s the right place and the weather is not crazy why wouldn’t you chase waterfalls that’s what we do if it’s not dirt roads its waterfalls were chasing.
duffer-falls-walking-track-mapDownload
I haven’t taken my camera on this trail as we have backpacks on and me just carrying my camera meant that others had to carry my load, so I have my trusty mobile and the photos above come from the various National Parks websites that have all the information on all the walks, trails and hikes that we do in our local area.
The last kilometer is here and I think the kids have run up and down this trail twice and we have yet to turn back and do the hike back to camp.
This last kilometer (suppose it is more like 800 meters) narrows dramatically and heads down steeply and this is what makes this walk a moderately advanced hike for people that are new to hiking or children.
However, the falls open up to World heritage bushland and the terrific views of the Duffer Falls cascading over a cliff and falling in what I call giants staircases, down as it descends into the spot they call the demons fault.
We spent about 45-60 minutes at the falls recouping, eating, and enjoying the views and falls thinking this is a trail we should do again but with more than our emergency bivvies in our packs before turning back to take the uphill 800-meter climb.
Luckily, the break at the falls and the food had reinvigorated the kids and they ran up hooting and laughing with excitement.
The walk back was a slower affair, rightly so as we did this trail in record time trying to keep up with excitable kids.
We took the time on the way back to quietly look around as we knew at least 6 bandicoot species were in this area according to the National Parks website.
We didn’t get to see any bandicoots but saw a couple of mountain top echidnas (one excitable child claimed they saw a wombat) and we also got to see a nesting pair of Lyrebirds, a couple of red-bellied black snakes, a lot of different wrens and finches (not a bird expert) and our highlight a bowerbird and his nest of blue.
Duffer Falls Hiking trail is on that we will be heading back to and taking an overnight trek. This will allow us more freedom and time to explore and see things clearer than our rushed rain-free day hike.
National Parks NSW has so many great places to explore, and although we are focusing on the local area due to the number of trails that is here we intend to venture further across NSW to do more of the amazing National parks and State forests that are here.
For those wanting a moderate hike with a bit of a challenge, this is one we would recommend we would give it 4/5 stars for beauty, path clarity, and signage (the last star is due to our rushed hike prepare
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YoZenQi Holistic - Megen Hibbins 