January 20, 2026
south of Anne Hut to Boyle Village (Hanmer Springs)
TA km marker 2084.2 to 2111.2
Hiked today: 27.0 km

Greeted by a fine morning we hastened along the track, hoping to quickly put the miles behind us so we could get a hitch into the town of Hanmer Springs. This section of track is also known as the St James Walkway and we met hikers who were travelling just on that bit for a short hike/camping experience.

We noticed a considerable upgrade in the level of maintenance. There were even sections of boardwalk, 2 stiles, and a number of bridges. The path was overall wider and the gradient more gentle. Recent strong winds had brought down a few big trees which hadn’t yet been cleared and unfortunately the path was frequently dotted with mud puddles. Some of these were long and wide. And, as I discovered, deep!

After sinking up above my ankles in mud, I looked for creeks to wade in to rinse the worst off, fearing I wouldn’t be able to hitch a ride looking and smelling like a mud puddle.

When we reached the carpark at the end of the trail, I asked drivers who were about to leave if they might be heading to Hanmer Springs. Just the second person I asked agreed to take us all the way and chatted to us about hiking all the way. Eden kindly drove us right into town and it wasn’t long before Rob and I met up with Pete who had hiked faster and also quickly got a hitch to town.

Number 1 on the agenda in town, while we were waiting to meet Pete was to get a milkshake. Number 2 was for me to arrange a clinic appointment tomorrow to hopefully arrange an xray of my wrist. I slipped and fell, landing on my left hand about 10 days ago and it has started to give pain when scrambling on rocks and to show swelling. I am cautious about falls due to my history of osteoporosis and previous fracture although I am pretty sure the wrist is only sprained.