Thanks to some new gear and better packing, my pack weighed in at 16kg (including soccer ball, soft toys, card games etc) and no packs for the kids. That made for a very easy pleasant walk and made it easy to take off and put on the pack for our frequent breaks! Perfectly located at the half way point is a beautiful lunch spot by the wreck at Canoe Bay. The camp site is great for kids as there is lots of clear space to roam around and play games. The rocky shore line provided lots of entertainment to explore and the kids were thrilled to find a washed up mobile phone -- score!
It's a great spot, perfect distance for the kids and a perfectly placed halfway lunch spot. This probably would have been the better introduction to Tassie hiking than High Camp Hut (which they did enjoy, but had more risk of putting them off hiking, and was more psychologically challenging for me!). The only downside is that the bay is South facing, so not as warm as it could be, but you can't have it all!
It took about 3.5 hours each way, including about an hour stop at lunch and lots of breaks along the way:
http://www.strava.com/activities/201978581
http://www.strava.com/activities/197296275
The lunch spot:
The final stretch home!
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