Heading north, we skirted around Hobart and set the tom-tom for Mt Field National Park at the recommendation of the fungi-photographing lass at Grandvewe Cheeses. Stopping only long enough to take on some bakery items and a sense of never-wanting-to-return in New Norfolk we arrived at Mt Field Camping ground in the late afternoon. The office was closed but we were greeted warmly by the caretaker, who quite surprisingly given the remote/outdoorsy nature of the place, bore more than a passing resemblance to Sid Vicious. Instantly, we fell in love with the area, the textures of the moss and swamp grass and trees that have been weathered by centuries of harsh alpine conditions. The boys played endlessly in the tufts of swamp grass behind out campsite and discovered a hollow tree stump that provided hours of enjoyment. National Parks had created a terrific natural play-space complete with water-course, rocks and textural plantings of native grasses. The boys were in heaven! The next day we made the precarious 16km drive to the top of the mountain in search of a patch of snow to play in. Sure enough, we found a couple of icey patches that were yet to melt and easily accessible without taking on one of the walks actually 'up' to the summit. We all giggled like maniacs, pelting eachother with ice and, unfortunately, ever-so-nearly caused our children frost-bite due to lack of suitable clothing. But it was fun, and big boy's feet did eventually defrost.
No comments:
Post a Comment