Montezuma Falls Bushwalk: Tasmania with Kids.

Montezuma Falls Bushwalk: Tasmania with Kids.

One of the wonderful things about being on the road, is never quite knowing where you’ll be on your birthday. For me, we ended up being in the West of Tasmania, meaning there was lots of amazing nature just waiting on our doorstep waiting to be discovered. The goal then became to walk to one of Tasmania’s tallest waterfalls: Montezuma Falls. There’s so many options for family bushwalking in Tasmania, but Montezuma was extra special.

We’d been camping at Henty Sand Dunes, not too far from Strahan, and had lovely weather for most of the time, but as the rain set in for a few days it made it more and more difficult for the kids to enjoy the dunes, so moving to a new site seemed like the perfect thing to do when the rain broke the day before my birthday.

Henty Sand Dunes Tasmania

We spent the night in an overnight free camp near Rosebery called Stitt Park, which provided a safe, clean place to park the van on a rainy night so we would be close to Montezuma Falls for the morning. You’ll find it on Wikicamps which is what we use to find our free camps.

After a rainy morning, the skies pulled back their grey clouds to reveal the stunning blue we’d known for most of our time in Tassie, and so we set off for the walk hoping the drizzle would hold off for the afternoon, and it didn’t disappoint.

The road to Montezuma is slightly windy, nothing too bad, and we took the van with us, although if you  have a large van, it would be better to leave it where you are camping, and not try to tow it into the car park. There’s room to turn around but it could be difficult if there were too many cars.

Is Montezuma Falls Worth the Walk?

I can honestly say, that the walk to Montezuma and back was one of the best Tasmanian walks that we did.
Tasmania's Best Walks

It is also one of the longest treks we undertook in Tasmania at a total of 9.6kms return, but it rewarded us with amazing scenery, and a spectacular waterfall. The entire area was wet thanks to the few days of rainfall that had occurred before we’d arrived, and the morning of drizzle. This meant that the walking track was wet underfoot, and while we began by trying to dodge the puddles, it soon became apparent it was best just to go with the flow, deal with getting wet and muddy and just immerse ourselves fully into the experience.

Bushwalking Tasmania with kids

How Difficult is the Walk to Montezuma Falls?

The walk to Montezuma Falls is graded as easy and level. It follows the route of an historic light tramway that was built by hand, and you’ll walk right over the top of sleepers that have been laying in place ever since. If you’re there on a day like we were, gumboots would be a great option! During your walk you’ll come across amazing flora, beautiful trees, mosses, interesting fungi, and the sound of water streaming for most of your time taking in the scenery. It is easy to feel as though you’re in the middle of nowhere here, and you really are reasonable secluded, although despite the weather we shared the track with a few other adventurers on the way.

Tasmania Waterfall Walks

The entire walk took around 3 hours, and we walked at a reasonably steady pace during that time, mostly because we didn’t start until about 2pm in the afternoon and we wanted to make sure we were back at the start by night fall, as we had to get to our next camp.

Bushwalking Tasmania

As we got closer to the falls, we could hear them in the distance and after an hour of walking in the wet, everyone was pretty excited by reaching our goal. It was a nice surprise to come across an old mine shaft, which told of some of the mining of the region. The West of Tasmania has always been rich with mining operations and discoveries, but as we stood there in the damp, the mine shaft full of water under the walkway, I wondered how people survived the cold conditions in days gone by, especially as they had to forge their way through the landscape to create the very paths we were walking on.

abandoned mines tasmania

Is Montezuma Falls Walk Dog Friendly?

We wrote recently about the logistics of travelling Australia with a dog, and in Tasmania we were lucky that many of the places we wanted to explore allowed us to bring Yoshi along. The Montezuma Falls walk is one that allows dogs to explore with you, as long as they are on leash. We didn’t realise when we reached the waterfall that there was a very small suspension bridge that allowed us to get a better look at the falls. Of course, the first thing the kids did was take off across the bridge, before I made them stop for a snapshot:

Best kids bushwalks Australia

Please ignore their not-so excited expressions 😉 They desperately wanted to explore, not smile for a picture! The one thing we hadn’t realised was that Yoshi would follow wherever the kids went, and so off he went right across the suspension bridge!

I can only imagine what must go through a dog’s head when they realise they are standing, propped high above rushing water and a very large drop to the bottom. He was super brave and just focused on staying with his people, and it wasn’t until we coaxed him back that he got the wobbles up!

I do have a video which I’ll share, but the best option was for Matt to pick the poor boy up and carry him back. Not an experience I think Yoshi wants to repeat, although it was impossible for him to fall, of course as a dog, he wouldn’t quite realise that, so he was a very, very brave boy!

motenzuma falls with dogs

So, after we explored the suspension bridge, rescued the dog from his over enthusiastic adventure session, then it was time to walk up to the platform at the base of the falls. The strength of the water, the height of the falls, and the amazing scenery allow you to just stop, pause and breathe in the freshness and beauty that is the Tasmanian wilderness!

Tasmania Family Bushwalking Tallest waterfall tasmania

So, if you find yourself exploring Tasmania with kids, then we highly recommend the walk to Montezuma Falls. It might be a little challenging for really small legs, but for kids used to walking and happy to experience nature and go on a little bit of an adventure, then it’s a must-see in Tassie.

Tips for Montezuma Falls Walk with Kids

Be sure to pack plenty of water and snacks
If the weather has been wet, expect the walk to be wet underfoot, so you’ll be soggy if you don’t have gumboots or waterproof shoes.
Allow plenty of time. We did it in 3 hours which is the stated time on the sign, although I would have preferred to do the walk a bit more slowly so would have happily extended that amount of time, so leave earlier than we did (2pm) so you don’t have to worry about nightfall.

Goodbye Tassie. Thank You Spirit of Tasmania.

Goodbye Tassie. Thank You Spirit of Tasmania.

When I think back to late 2013, we knew we were heading off on our big lap of Australia, but we didn’t really have any idea where that journey would take us, or just where we’d aim for first. So it goes without saying that when we had the chance to head off with the kids on Spirit of Tasmania, along with the dog, and the caravan we figured why not!

Waaaayyyyyy back in February we blogged about our excitement of the journey over there, and how much we were looking forward to a month in Tassie, but it didn’t take long, perhaps maybe three days, for us to fall in love and extend our trip out to a whole three month experience.

There’s so much to catch up on! I’ll put my hand up now and admit that we were so busy getting out and exploring Tasmania with the kids, that blogging had to take a back seat. It wasn’t helpful that overcast days challenged our solar and the ability to charge the laptops, or that Tassie doesn’t always have the best mobile internet reception, but if you’ve been there, or if you’re planning to go, you’ll understand why, and you really won’t mind one bit, because the internet and phone mean so little when you get views like this!

visiting the tarkine in Tasmania

Alas, here we are spending our final night in a free camp at Forth. It’s only about 15kms from the Spirit of Tasmania terminal in Devonport, so it was a super convenient camp for the night.

Free Camping Tasmania

Our Return Journey on Spirit of Tasmania.

Something a little exciting was the fact that our depart date fell on Mother’s Day. So it started with me getting to open my swag of goodies that Matt and the kids had collected right under my nose without me realising! (It can get tricky to buy gifts when we’re all together every day), before we caught up with other travellers we’d met at another camp, who dropped in to say goodbye.

I was sad to be waving goodbye to our home state of three months, but between you and me, having someone else cook dinner for me, a bed that wasn’t in the van, and catching a movie with the kids on board Spirit of Tasmania was exciting me!

So, here we are, we couldn’t leave without a group photo right in front of Spirit of Tasmania, well, two actually because I didn’t have a tripod and nobody wanted to miss out on a photo 🙂

spirit of tasmania with kids (640x393) spirit of tasmania (640x407)

We checked our gas bottles into the holding area, and before long, it was time time to board, there’s always excitement as we head up the ramp….

driving onto spirit of tasmania

Then it was time for Yoshi to go into his kennel. Bedding and blanket to keep him comfy and we waved our buddy goodbye so we could grab some dinner before the movie started! (The photo is a bit blurry, a lovely lady offered to take a family one for us), thanks to her we got all of us in 🙂

We had dinner at The Captain’s Table, which is a buffet style eatery, which the kid’s loved because they got to choose what they had to eat for dinner. A nice mix of roast, fish, butter chicken was a favourite, and the big winner of the night was the dessert and soft drink. Here’s to not having to cook on Mother’s Day and having a beautiful meal with the family!

food on spirit of tasmania - Copy (640x480)

We were pretty lucky that Muppets Most Wanted was playing for the 8pm viewing and we hadn’t seen that before, so the kids were really excited, had full bellies and we enjoyed kicking back and enjoying the Muppet antics together.

movies spirit of tasmania (640x585)

We also managed to track down the games room which will keep the kids occupied if they are into video games.

So now we’ve been to Tassie, would we recommend it?

I just can’t tell you how much you SHOULD GO TO TASMANIA!!!

Just book your spot on the Spirit of Tasmania and go folks! If you even remotely like nature, then Tassie will thrill you with things to see and places to explore. The people are friendly, and the entire State feels like one comfy country town where Mates help each other out and people care about their neighbour. It’s no surprise that lots of people visit on holidays and end up back there to live.

Go, Go, Go! If you have a caravan, take it with you. It’s really easy driving on, and straight off again, and Tassie is jam packed with free camp and low cost camping options. If you want to take the dog, then do that too! You’ll just need to make sure their vaccinations are up to date, most importantly they must have had their hydatid tape work tablets within 14 days of departure so keep your receipt and your worming box or get your vet to do it and fill out a vaccination card.

If Tassie greeted us with an amazing sunrise as we departed into Devonport on the way over, then Melbourne sure did a great job of giving us a beautiful welcome too….

arriving in melbourne

Just do it, you’ll never regret it!

How long should you spend there? Definitely no less than 4 weeks if you can, and we think 3 months was a really nice amount of time, so immerse yourself and enjoy.

 Stories or questions about Tasmania? We’d love to hear in the comments below 🙂 

AR Reflections Arthur River Cruises, Tasmania

AR Reflections Arthur River Cruises, Tasmania

“Drop by before the cruise and I’ll make you a cuppa.”

An offer like that isn’t one to be missed, so we were greeted by Kaye at the Arthur River Reflections Cruise office half an hour before our departure. Once we got to chatting, I was so glad we’d taken the time to drop in, as it soon became obvious what an amazing couple Rob and Kaye are.

To say Rob is passionate would be a true disservice to him; he’s beyond passionate, having dedicated a large portion of his life to building his business in Arthur River, Tasmania. Rob’s cruise business wasn’t just a quick and easy thing to create, indeed, the accommodation section of the business came first, but that wasn’t easy either.

When Rob first set about creating a tourism venture in his community, there was not yet power to the southern side of the Arthur River, where his block of land was located. This didn’t stop him, and when council advised they couldn’t supply power until there was a commercial venture in place, he set about building that venture with generator power and hand tools. That business is now the Arthur River accommodation operated with pride by this lovely couple.

arthur river cruise AR Reflections Tasmania

Rob’s tour boat also didn’t start its life as a tour boat. Nope, after carefully selecting a tri-hull fishing boat, designed for its stability he set about renovating it and transforming it into a multi-level tour boat, so he could provide an amazing river cruise experience to his passengers. It doesn’t stop there; Rob also built his own landing jetty, rainforest walk and undercover area to host lunch for his guests.

Rob’s character and passion help to make the cruise a very special experience when you realise dedication that the owner has put into creating it. Rob’s local knowledge is built through living many years in the area, and a true love for the wilderness and the wildlife of the Tarkine Region.

AR Reflections Family Friendly Tasmanian Cruise.

The magic of the Tarkine Region is already weaving its way into our souls as we board the M.V. Reflections. The tour boat sits on the quiet shore of the Arthur River with the ocean beating it’s rough waves to the right, a distinct contradiction to the peaceful river waters. The mouth of the river opens to the ocean at times, and when the rain comes, the waters come with it, dragging fallen and uprooted trees to their resting place on the beach shoreline.

“It gets a whole lot rougher than that, it’s a quiet day today” Rob tells us he steers the boat in the direction of the ocean, taking us for a closer look before turning the boat around and heading for our peaceful journey up the Arthur River. The kids are excited, and after a safety run down they are allowed to head to the top deck of the boat for the perfect view.

tarkine tasmania with kids

It’s quite amazing how much the scenery can change during a 15 kilometre cruise. The river’s edge is lined with beautiful trees and vegetation, although Rob’s local knowledge let’s us in on the secrets of the types of trees, bird life and little stories about tornadoes and other natural events that have occurred over the years.

visiting the tarkine in Tasmania

As we meander along the Arthur River for the next 15 kilometres, the stillness and beauty leaves you with little choice but to relax, and settle into the soothing spirit of our gorgeous surrounds.

We travel to the fork of the Arthur and Frankland rivers, before returning to undertake Rob’s exclusive lunch and rain forest walk to Warra Falls. The entire jetty, undercover lunch area and walk were created with Rob’s own hard work, this man is something special for sure!

tasmania's best cruises

Lunch in the Tarkine

We disembark M.V. Reflections and are treated to a beautiful lunch. Wine, soft drink, a range of fruits, cheeses, sandwiches and beautiful home baked sweets. There’s a happy banter among our fellow passengers and we’re all swept away by the tranquility of our surrounds.

Arthur River Cruises Tasmania

Special guests for lunch were several extremely cute Tasmanian Pademelons, Rob packs them their own special lunch so they don’t miss out when he visits.

Tasmanian Wildlife Cruises

Tarkine Rainforest Walk

The excitement and learning opportunities of the day don’t end there, after lunch and refreshments, it’s time for the rainforest walk which, again, is enhanced by Rob’s passion in sharing what he knows and loves of Tasmania.

Arthur River with kids

We carry albums each filled with photos, information and numbers which align with numbers Rob has placed along the walk. This allows us to take part in a self-paced walk while learning and discovering the amazing Tasmanian Tarkine Region.

bushwalking with kids

kid friendly bush walking tasmania

holidays with kids tasmania

The return trip is just as beautifully relaxing and gives you an opportunity to grab some more amazing photos, especially when the wind is quiet, and the reflections provide double the beauty of the stunning Tarkine. You can definitely see why this is the Arthur River Reflections cruise!

tasmania cruises for kids

AR Reflections Cruise Highlight

One of the greatest joys of this slow, peaceful, breathtaking journey on the waters of the Arthur River is the fun you’ll be a part of with the resident Sea Eagles who have made the region their home.

Rob gives them a treat of fish and in return they provide an amazing view as they swoop quickly into the water and carry away their treat. I love this photo, and if you look at the foot of the eagle, you’ll see it’s fishy reward held safely, waiting for us to continue our journey so it can eat in peace. The nests we saw were huge, and we even spotted a baby sitting up in the trees being watched over by it’s Dad!

Tarkine Sea Eagles

 

So if you’re looking for things to do in Tasmania with kids, then Arthur River Cruises by AR Reflections offer the perfect chance for the kids to see some beautiful wildlife and discover the untouched wilderness that is Tasmania’s Tarkine. The entire experience lasts around 5-6 hours, so our advice would be to pack a drink and snacks for the boat, and for really young children take some toys or activities.

March Reflections of our Australian Travels

March Reflections of our Australian Travels

March saw us deep within the beauty that is Tasmania. Wrapped in her glorious green forest, and calmed by her turquoise blue waters. The worst thing about acknowledging another month has passed is facing the reality that we are closer to leaving this stunning, soul inspiring island.

There’s a backlog of posts to publish, both from our journey to get here, and our explorations while we are here, so we are currently sitting for a few days at a powered campsite to relax, and catch up.

I figured the easiest way to stay up to date of what we’re doing and where we’ve been is to write a monthly reflection of our travels, so, this being the first one I’m going to focus right back from the start of our full-time travel journey and then follow on each month from now on:

bay of fires australian travel with dogs

Adventures Travelling Australia With Kids:

What it feels like to finally hit the road on our big Australian family holiday at last.

Week one on the road free camping at Bulahdelah NSW.

Heading toward Melbourne – Bulahdelah to Gunning free camping.

Staying at Jugiong free camping on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne.

Sailing the Spirit of Tasmania with Kids (& the dog).

We tried the beautiful local produce at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm & Anvers Chocolates.

We stayed in beautiful Stanley Accommodation, and at the Country Club near Launceston.

We explored the intensely inspiring Port Arthur, and the kids did great activities.

We also were brave enough to face the Port Arthur ghost tour.

Guess what's for dinner! #yum!!

 What’s coming up for April?

Well, we’ve really got the whole of Tasmania to uncover for you. From the breathtaking Cataract Gorge in Launceston, to the postcard worthy Bay of Fires, the most southern tip of Australia and everything in between. Over the next month, or two we’ll be uncovering the beauty of Tasmania and the best things to head out and explore with kids when you visit. One of my favourite experiences this month was the “Her Story” tour at the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart, so I’ll be sharing that with you soon too.

If I had to describe Tasmania in one word, as cliche as it might sound, then AMAZING is that word. I can’t wait to bring you more of our travel stories.

Where have you been in March?

Things to do Tasmania – Port Arthur Ghost Tour with Kids

Things to do Tasmania – Port Arthur Ghost Tour with Kids

Would you dare walk the night with the ghosts of convicts?

There is great weight that is carried by learning the heavy history of Australia’s settlement. The circumstances and conditions that surrounded many of the early convicts were beyond how I think any of us could imagine living today. The sordid conditions inflicted upon these “hardened criminals”, and purely just due to the era in which Port Arthur existed, meant that problems with illness and death were a constant reality. If you take time to breathe, soak in the surrounds, and imagine the hills back in those days, there’s comes an overwhelm of sadness and so much darkness.

So who would be crazy enough to walk the convict site at night, for a ghost tour then I hear you ask? Ummmm, it seems we would!

Port Arthur Ghost Tour With kids

Does Port Arthur Have Ghosts?

Whether you are a believer in ghosts or not, there is something a little daunting about experiencing Port Arthur at night.

Night Tours Port Arthur

Follow me, you’re standing amongst a site of tumbled ruins. You can see the separate prison where prisoners were punished with a life of silence and isolation until they broke, the asylum where the shells of broken men are cast aside, the woosh of the waters creeping in and out of the bay, the tall, looming trees that stand overhead that were once a forestry prison for “caterpillar gangs” of men carrying heavy logs on their tired shoulders. The gravel crunches beneath your feet, as you join a group of nervous people, cast into shadow by the low light of lanterns, stepping into the unknown. It takes some effort to walk on into the pitch black darkness.

 is port arthur ghost tour scary

What Happens at the Port Arthur Ghost Tours?

Trying your hardest to be brave, set off into the night with your guide and hear about the sightings, and experiences that have been reported at Port Arthur since the 1800’s. The ghost tour is a wonderful experience that brings to life a different range of stories filled with strange encounters both in the current times, and years long ago. You’ll walk with an experienced guide, and group of fellow daredevils, led by lantern light into a range of buildings, to learn about the history of the people who once lived there, and the ghosts who are said to still inhabit them today.

port arthur ghost tour kids

The ghost tour lasts for an hour and a half and offers an intriguing insight, that will have you jumping at shadows, listening for footsteps that don’t belong and there is no explanation for, and staying as close to the middle of the group as you can, for protection.

There aren’t any special effects used during the tour, so you won’t be spooked by pre-recorded sound effects or mechanical monsters jumping out of shadows, if you’re very lucky however, you’ll get to be a lantern bearer….. If you’re even luckier, you might get to meet, or hear some of the resident ghosts during your time in the darkness…

Is the Port Arthur Ghost Tour Suitable for Children?

For our kids, they are aged 7, almost 9 and almost 11 at the time of doing the tour and they coped with it just fine, even taking the role of lantern bearer very seriously to help light the group.

port arthur ghost tour with kids tasmaniaByron, being the youngest was a little cautious at first, clinging tightly between myself and Matt during the more scary stories, or buildings, he found his groove though, and they all enjoyed the night. Amahli chose to hang out up the front of the group with our tour guide, her theory being that she could run away the fastest if anything happened. The best part for the kids was learning the extra history and stories of people’s lives in the community. Each building we visited may have been dark and eerie, but it was also full of life and history of it’s past inhabitants.

For those not wanting to take the chance on the night time tour with kids, there is a Kid’s Ghost Tour that runs at Port Arthur during select times of the year, so if you’re little ones are a little sensitive to scares, then it’s a great opportunity for them to take part during the daylight hours. Be sure to check the website for that, and other children’s activities at Port Arthur.

Would we Recommend the Ghost Tour for Families?

A resounding YES! Whether you are a believer in spirits, ghosts, the afterlife or whatever other name you choose to give it, experiencing Port Arthur at night will give you a new appreciation for the lives and experiences of the founding generations of our country. I will leave it up to you to make your own mind up on what you see, feel, hear, smell or sense during your time at Port Arthur, but I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do decide to take the tour.

Have you been scared by ghosts at Port Arthur??? Let us know below….

 

*Disclaimer: We were guests of Port Arthur, however all experiences and thoughts are our own, shared to give you our honest opinion on our experience.