Bushwalk Australia

Content removed by poster

Hi Brett,
Short flat walks in Tassie - you've got to be joking! But seriously there are plenty of huts on the Western Tiers within easy 1-2 hour walks of carparking spots.

Lady Lake up Higgs Track is steepish but not far (about an hour for most people, may be 2-3 for them?) - has your friend tried using walking poles, and carrying minimal weight would also help. Lady Lake hut is new and comfortable and clean.

You could also, for a flatter one, drive up to Lake Mackenzie and walk into Lake Nameless; hut there comfy and fantastic walk up Forty Lakes Peak if you're keen to leave them to pack up.

You could stay at the Apex Hut at the Meander Falls carpark and walk various places around there - Dixons Track, Meander Falls, Split Rock Falls, Bastion Cascades, Stone Hut, the possibilities are endless, but only if they start to get to the coping with hills stage. Was Hansons Peak a problem because it is scary or steep or both. I am an experienced bushwalker, but some days even I find Hansons Peak scary, especially if its windy or slippery. If they are only able to walk 1km an hour, is there also a fitness problem which should be dealt with by "training" in urban environments first, as safety needs to be considered as well.

Hope you find some good walks that will encourage them to continue. Good luck.

You may find some more answers in an old topic I started HERE ages ago when looking for short easy walks to huts to take our very young kids to.

Content removed by poster

Don't get disheartened. My wife is only 5'1". Or is that 5"1'. Whatever.
Places I take her... First overnight walk I took her on was Frenchmans Cap - made a 7 day circuit out of it including swimming across the Franklin river.
Not the recommendation for anyone on their first overnight walk in Tasmania, but I figured if it was good enough for me so many years ago...
Now she is a BW junkie. Any chance at a walk, gone!
Western Arthurs to L.Cygnus, overland track, she even did the south coast track without me due to a knee op. (but with a couple of other friends).
She does Hansons Peak and down to L.Rodway by herself as a day walk on good days (with a pack that contains camera gear and everything she could need if something went pear shaped).

What I'm trying to saying is the height, or lack thereof, shouldn't be too much of a problem - keep on with the fitness thing.
Yes you do need a certain level of fitness to do many walks in Tassie if you want to enjoy them rather than treat them as a slog.
But the rewards will be worth it - just check through the gallery!
In the mean time, continue with the less demanding walks as you are - perhaps some more suggestions of walks for you will emerge.
Have you checked out Narawntapu? Day walks, no huts, but a lot of it is flat, or at least less demanding than Hansons Peak.

I agree Lady Lake hut is nice, a bit of an uphill section to get to it but worth it and a very comfortable hut, search this forum.
Here's a look of the terrain...

Just a quick note on the Higgs track that is marked on your maps. It used to be used for horses and believe it or not cattle to get up onto the plateau. You wonder how they managed really, but even when they opened the new hut a few years ago it was still possible to take a horse up there (albeit walking it much of the way). The walking track starts from the track marked off Westrope road, not from the original paddock. Then around 1000m contour where the track is shown to veer right the newer walking track goes left and is much steeper but quicker than the old one. I did the old one a few years ago and it was still a very passable track until the plateau (probably has a lot more fallen trees on it now - I think they cleaned it up for the hut opening - but it hasn't really been used since). The bottom part of the Higgs track before it reaches the walking track is now impassable due to fallen trees etc and should not be used anyway as I believe it goes onto private property. Lady Lake hut itself is nestled in around the side of a small ridge from the lake itself - you can see the contours on the map that block your view of the lake. On another note the steeper left track can be impassable after heavy rain depending on your creek wading ability as there is a hairy creek crossing, which you would hardly notice normally. (about knee to thigh deep on shortass me and very slippery). But it really is a pleasant easy walk and excellent for an intro to bushwalking. Hint: Take salt.