walking Mt Warning with young family.

[pepperpots]

Hi there. I am about to take my family (tomorrow) on a walk in Mt Warning National Park.

We are on holidays in Kingscliff and looking for something to do that is not shopping. Every time we go near a shopping centre it seems to suck $100 or more out of us.

Anyway - did some research and found Mt Warning National park - has some walks.

I have a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Our goal - to see how far we get!

Reading this: it's a 5 hour return journey - quite a walk.
http://www.nnsw.com.au/npa/mtwarning.html

So we'll take some lunch & plenty of water I think!

Hope we don't end up on the news!!.

I Will post some pictures on pepper-pots & let you know how it goes for those adventurous types of families out there.

Cheers
pepperpots.

[north-north-west]

When I climbed Wollombin a few years ago - mid-winter, on a cool, grey day - on the way down I met a couple of family groups.

One included a five year old girl, wearing pink plastic sandals and a short sleeved thin cotton dress. She was staggering along the track hand-in-hand with daddy with a glazed expression on her face, looking totally lost and bewildered. The parents had one small daypack between them, which looked almost empty.
There was an even younger boy further down, still stomping along determinedly.
But neither set of parents believed me when I mentioned the rock climb. Your average kid is not going to be able to do it. It's an easy enough scramble if you're used to that sort of thing - I would have scampered up it even at their age - but for the unaccustomed it's just not on.

Just keep a close eye on the youngsters to make sure they aren't out of their depth. That climb can be deceptive.

[pepperpots]

Hi - here's our story:

http://www.pepper-pots.com/?p=297

We got up halfway. We had a lot of fun - but you're right about the young ones. We'll have another go next year, when we have longer legs.

I flicked off two leeches too. Not really worth worrying about. The snake gave me the shivers though. Any luck identifying this:


Cheers!

[eggs]

Back in Jan 2003 we climbed Mt Warning with 4 kids - 17,14,12 & 8.
The youngest had a tough time of it -the kids had been calling her "bug" - and her refrain during most of the walk up was "bug is dead!"
But we all made it and had lunch at the top.
We had started in the morning and it was getting late afternoon by the time we got down again - so we had not rushed.

This is the last bit of the climb - a steep rock section aided by chains.

[pepperpots]

Thanks for the posts guys - we've vowed (as a family) to try again next year, and we'll start earlier in the day. We are getting more and more walks under our belt - not as difficult as this one however.

We'll give it a go next year.

PS - Poor Bug!! I end up carrying my youngest - a lot. Good thing I have a strong back and a strong backpack!

Here's us hiking up in the Conondale Range.



Cheers
pepper-pots

[juju]

I was considering taking my to be 15yr old up the night/morning of his birthday but feel unsure of the whole aboriginal law thing like cautions as follows...
Although everyone does it, you should be aware that, under Bundjalung law, only specifically chosen people are allowed to climb the mountain and consequently they ask you not to go, out of respect.
Does anyone have any ideas on this? I mean, I'm not aboriginal...does that mean I don't have to be invited. Who would I ask for permission if it was the right thing to do?

[Lindsay]

It's a national park juju, you need ask no-ones permission, just climb as and when you like within NPWS regulations.

[north-north-west]

It's like Uluru. They won't stop you, they just ask you to consider their attitude towards the place and show respect for it by not climbing. It's purely up to you whether or not you think that's important.

[juju]

Thanks for your comments - I'm interested to see how other people approach this.

[north-north-west]

Well, I've been to Uluru three times since it was returned to the Anangu, and not climbed it. And that's hard, because I don't have any photos from my one earlier ascent (long story) and it's brilliant up there.
Not sure about Wollombi. Somehow it doesn't feel as special. Which is rather hypocritical, really.

[juju]

I found some information o the site below which I'm too tired to make any sense of except that it seems Mount Warning is not the place we think it is
http://mountwarningwebcam.com/
a quite from one of the articles says...

'maps and studies of my dead Elders showed the Mountains to the North of Mt Warning to be the real Wollumbin / Fighting Chief place of Death and Burial.'

There seems to be some discrepancy - the articles seem to be saying that the original aboriginal inhabitants of the area had Mount Warning picked for a turkey nest -

'that Mt Warning is Wulambiny Momoli (Turkey Nest) and Wollumbin (Fighting Chief, place of death and burial) is the Mountains to the North of Mt Warning, as it proves their group to be false.'

Hmmmm

[pepperpots]

HI there ladies and gents.

Well - it's time to try again! It's now a year on, and my boys are older *8, 6, and 4*. And this time

a) I'll check the weather - plan to go on Wednesday as it is forecast for fine!
b) I'll keep an eye out for snakes!
c) I'll start early in the morning.

Looking forward to it. will post photos of the journey!

[pepperpots]

Well, we MADE IT!

With a 4 year old, a 6 year old, and an 8 year old.

A great experience! We are all tired though.

took us 6 hours. (2.5 up, 40 mins up there, and about 2.25 coming down)

We saw a snake at Helicopter point # 1.

Will upload some photos.

Be prepared to carry the little ones!!