Saturday 9th September 2023
You wouldn’t want to take a convertible to get to the carpark as it might get lost in a pot hole! The track starts with a nice wander through some farmland for about 45 minutes. It then drops down into the riverbed for about half an hour of boulder hopping, and then up into the forest which brings you to the highlight of the trip; a cable car!
Good health and safety considerations should be employed at this point otherwise you may lose a digit, or two! The cable car gets wound in from its central location across the river to a platform via a handle fitted to a reel over which the cable runs. There are no safety barriers around where the cable runs on the reel, so it is very important to ensure no one has anything close by that can get snagged. Once at the platform, the car gets hooked on to a safety cable which prevents it from moving back down the cable while you get in. Once inside the car and ready go, the safety cable gets released and the car runs along the cable to about halfway across the river by momentum alone. It’s important to ensure that everyone is well clear of the reel and handle as these parts move fast and can cause injury!
When the car has run out of momentum and the handle stops spinning rapidly, a person from the party starts winding the handle to move the car the rest of the way across to the platform on the other side. Here they hold onto the handle to keep the car securely at the platform until the person in the car has hooked it up to the safety cable on the other side. An old-fashioned thumbs up from across the river can signal to the handle operator that it is now safe to release the handle. Once out of the car and ensuring the person on the handle is clear, the car gets unclipped from the safety, where it travels back towards the centre of the cableway on momentum and gets wound in to the starting platform for the next party to cross.
There is also a crank handle in the car for parties needing to cross solo. This method will require a bit of endurance and upper body strength to get across! There are instructions available on how to use the cable car as well for those that haven’t done it before. It is VERY important to remember to unclip the car from the safety cable and let it travel (empty) to the centre of the cableway once everyone has crossed to allow it to be used by others. Leaving it clipped into the safety cable will lock it to one side of the river and only allow it to be used crossing in one direction!
The hut is a further five minute walk once you’ve crossed the river. After a lunch break at Rapid Creek hut we strolled a little bit further up the river to the actual Rapid Creek which was well worth it, and its rapid waters gave meaning to the creek itself and nearby hut! The entire there and back trip was about nine kilometres and took roughly six hours (this includes our lunch break and the side trip to Rapid Creek). It was an easy walk and a good for the first hike of the season. Thanks to the awesome crew who made it even better!
