Whispering Falls

A short drive from Nelson we found a great little walk to fill one of our mornings with. It was an estimated hours walk to the falls. The track followed a quiet forestry road to start with before you find the track which continues to follow along side the river. The track is relatively flat and there is a swingbridge to cross over the river in one spot. There is one bridge that has been washed away so a brief but bone chilling walk through the water is necessary. The river itself is clear and blue with lot’s of deep swimming hole’s that would be wonderful in summer.

After an hours easy walk you cross a bridge to see a small trickle of water coming down the hill. For a moment it’s unclear where the track continues on and we all questioned if we had just walked to see the worlds tiniest waterfall. But from here it’s a short climb up the hill and around the corner for a walk through a very enchanting piece of bush. The water flows through part of the track so it’s a bit soggy, but short lived and slightly damp toes are worth it for what you find.

The name whispering falls feels very appropriate, the water falling like a natural shower along the cliff sounds like a million soft drops falling rather than the dull roar of larger falls. You can climb right up under the falls though we didn’t, but again this would be a great summer time destination for a cool off.

The falls are situated firmly in the shade at this time of the year, so much so that the hill you climb up from the river that is probably just as damp as the track further up in summer, is full of ice and frozen mud. So it was not a long visit to the falls, just long enough to take in its soothing beauty and then back down to find a dry rock to perch on for our lunch. Then it was an easy walk back out on the same track, a repeat of our cold walk across the river being the most challenging part. This was the first bush walk we had done since St Arnaud and watching Oliver on the way out reminded me of how important it is that this is a regular part of our life. From a very young age he has always seemed to find time in the outdoors very enjoyable, its evident if you just stand back and watch for a moment how good it is for his mental well-being. No matter how grumpy or un motivated he is at the start of a walk, by the end of it he is smiling, normally brimming over with energy and quite content with what the day has brought him. He is not the only one who feels it’s benefits. So even now in this time where we don’t have every day to do with as we want we will make the effort to fit in a bush walk once a week. In the interest of our mental clarity, well being and of course in the interest of fun.