Macetown

Macetown was an off road route that I'd particularly wanted to do. After winning tickets for the gondola at Queenstown we were further south than we'd planned to be, so I suggested camping at Macetown. Located 15km from Arrowtow, itself a living memory of a substantial gold town of the early 1860s goldrush days, Macetown is now a ghost town, which was always remote and its climate harsh, but it only closed down when the mines eventually failed. We dined at an attractive restaurant overlooking the Arrow River. Meal over, we started the arduous route through to Macetown along the route of the Arrow River. After half a dozen river crossings and the track inclining up a steep ravine the girls cried stop. So we turned around and made our way back to Arrowtown and the campsite there. Alex and I left the girls to set up camp and we went off to play.

We didn't have long, it was after 8.30 pm already. We soon retraced our journey across the river many times.....

...and climbed up the sides of the valley...

....down another track as it wound deeper and deeper into the hilly countryside.

You don't get views like these from a rental.

10 km into the route it was after 9 pm and still there remained another 5 km to the town. It was getting dark though, and I didn't want to do anything too risky obviously with Alex with me. We turned around and headed back the way we came. A solitary faded wooden cross next to particularly steep section of track a reminder why the trails should be respected.

It was after 10 pm and fully dark when the boys returned to camp. Bedtime for Alex and a glass of wine for me.