Cedar Creek Falls - again

Since Jesse did my school working bee for me on Thursday we had time to go somewhere on Saturday - so after much deliberation (which seems to be our family specialty) we decided to go the Cedar Creek Falls again.

This time we all walked up the creek together - which was a bad idea. Peet was determined to lead the way - which would have been fine - except that he is a bit more nimble than me and kept telling me the way was easy - when it was not. The kids, of course, are like little mountain goats and go up and over anything, while the more mature members of the family lag behind. We made it to the falls exhausted and hot which was lucky because the water was like ice - so you needed to be desperate to cool down to get in at all.

Peet and Jesse went straight into the waterfall - Jesse reckons it felt like Everest! They were both gasping for breath when they came out.

The rest of us made it in - eventually - and it was truly crisp and refreshing. Max got out pretty quickly - he feels the cold more than anyone else.

Louisa saw an eel - apparently it was a beautiful one - if there is such a thing.

Roger and the kids climbed up to the next level where they saw dragonflies..

tadpoles...

and another waterfall to slide down - Max wouldn't go down because he didn't want to get cold again.

There were idiot teenage boys jumping off enormous cliffs - entertaining for us even if they were risking death. I was thinking they were stupid when it occurred to me that in all likelihood both my husband and my brother had done the same thing - Roger later said that yes he had done it. And I suppose that if Alec was with us he would have been up there too.

Alec went 4 wheel driving on the forestry tracks at Kenilworth. In spite of Rogers warnings that his universal joints needed replacing soon he went up and down 30 degree slopes, through heaps of mud and over creek crossings - and went to bed that night a very happy boy.

Cedar Creek Falls

On Saturday we headed up to the Mt Glorious rock pools for a swim. but finding a dozen or so people already there, decided to try Cedar Creek. And had a magnificent afternoon. The creek was running beautifully, literally rippling over rocks, clean and fresh and cool and sparkling.

Roger remembered going to the waterfall at the end of creek as a 12 year old and wanted to see what it was like so he took Louisa and Max and headed off. He thought Jesse and I should wait because we had the keys and camera. Alec and Peet had already gone up the creek.

After a while Jesse and I decided we could probably manage - even with the keys and camera. So we picked our way up the creek, carefully passing keys etc between us - knowing that we didn't want to face Roger if we fell over and got them wet.


It was quite a walk - creek crossing, scrambling over big rocks, vines to push through and so on. It was lucky for the little kids that I didn't go with them because I probably would have thought it was too dangerous and turned back. Eventually we passed a rock with Alec and Peet's shirts on it - completely soaked -they had been swimming in a waterhole and left them there to pick up on the way home. We decided that was a good sign and kept going.


We met quite a few people on the way back and asked one couple how much further - they looked completely wrecked and said it wasn't far but it was hard. They also said Roger and the kids were there so we pressed on. They were right about it being tougher from there. But eventually we made it and Roger and the kids came running down to help us over the last creek crossing.


The waterfalls were simply spectacular. Icy of course - but once you went numb they were very refreshing.


You gingerly walk across slippery rocks,

sit under the waterfall where it is loud and cold - but you can breathe -

then launch off the edge,

and swim in the pool.

Even Max did it once - but he got too cold. I did it once too. The first time I chickened out - but made it the second time. It actually is fun - and not scary - the waterfall is the scariest part.

Max found heaps of snails to play with.

One of the fellows at the waterfall told us we could walk home through some private property - but it would be heaps quicker. Since I was worried about it getting dark - it was around 6 pm when we left and the walk up took almost an hour - we decided to go the quick way. You do have to climb through a few fences but otherwise no-one seemed to mind.

We stopped on the way home to admire some goats - Louisa is keener than ever for her mini goats.