I enjoyed a great walk (except for the
barefoot bushwalking issue) this weekend just gone into the area that I think fly-fishermen call the Chudleigh Lakes. I walked with 'delphin' (a keen fisherman) from Lake McKenzie, via Explorer Creek, Lakes Explorer, Snake and Nameless to Ironstone Hut. I'd been to Lake Nameless and Ironstone Hut a couple of times before, but I'd never before looked around the corner to the group of lakes just a short stroll away: Lakes Johnny, Chambers, Douglas and Halkyard.
They are a group of pretty lakes, all very close to each other, with ample camping alongside any of them. There are several large grassy areas where you could literally pitch hundreds of tents. There was reasonable camping at Lake Nameless (near the creek North West of Ironstone Hut), but nothing good, so we stayed in the hut (which is a nice hut). But I don't think I'll ever stay at Ironstone Hut or Lake Nameless again, now that I know how good the camping is, and how pretty that group of lakes is, just around the corner of Forty Lakes Peak.
When walking in via Explorer, we decided to take the route marked on the map, and as recommended by several people on these forums following the track along the East side of the creek, and crossing over before Lake Explorer and following the West side of Lakes Explorer and Snake. We then left the water course, and walked from Snake Lake to Ironstone hut via the West of the hill that lies between Snake Lake and Lake Nameless (looked more direct on the map), which proved to be quite easy.
However, I initially failed to pay proper attention to several people's notes here where they recommended crossing explorer creek
before it flattens out below Lake Explorer. When we got close to the lake proper itself, and the creek was flat and essentially a long narrow extension of the lake, it was exceptionally muddy (even the water was very murky), and there was no easy place to cross. I realised I'd come too far, and decided to walk back about 200 metres or so to find a better place to cross. Delphin, however was in his fishing waders and decided to just go straight across through the water and mud.
Well, after walking back 200 metres, then crossing, and returning again on the other side, I could see delphin in the distance lying on the grass face down sliding along the grass. I couldn't figure out what he was up to, and thought that maybe this was some fly-fishing thing, and he was trying to spy out fish over the bank of the creek. But the creek was behind him so that couldn't be it!
Well, it turns out he was trying to scrape the mud of his waders. The mud in that part of Explorer Creek is over waist deep, and is more like a semi-settled suspension than mud. It was so deep that he got a little trickling over the top of his waders, and I think he was a bit worried for a while there.
Was funny in hindsight, but could have been rather nasty. The moral of the story is that if you are going to cross Explorer Creek, make sure you do it just before it flattens out. If you find that it is flat, GO BACK to where it starts to flow over rocks!
We unpacked at Ironstone Hut, and did a short afternoon walk to some of the other lakes nearby (see the barefoot link above for details), and then back to the hut for the night, where we had venison steaks in mushroom sauce and cous cous for dinner with a nice bottle of shiraz.
The next day, after spending the night at Ironstone Hut (Lake Nameless), we walked back over to Lake Halkyard, where Delphin reckons the fishing would be best, this time via Lake Fox. He fished while I went off exploring (boots on this time!).
I decided to walk over to Little Throne Lake where I'd been via the Blue Peaks once before (on the walk that inspired the creation of these forums, actually). It was a thoroughly enjoyable walk, unencumbered by a pack. There were several other lakes/pools along the way, and Little Throne Lake itself is quite large.
I climbed up Little Throne which is a very small mountain (more of a rocky hill really), and a very easy climb. I highly recommend this, as it is so easy, and yet the view of many lakes in all directions is just wonderful.
In fact, I now think that walking in via Explorer Creek, and branching off to Lakes Johnny and Halkyard from Lake Explorer would be a more enjoyable route (and in fact this is how we walked out). It would then be a nice circuit to walk out via Little Throne and the Blue Peaks (keeping in mind that the Blue Peaks track is more difficult to follow).
Also if Lake McKenzie was full, or if the Fish River was flowing too much (making access to the Explorer Creek track difficult), the Blue Peaks track would be a good alternative route into the same, or similar, area. It would be longer, but accessible from the same starting point without having to move cars elsewhere for a completely different walk (although again, the Blue Peaks track can be difficult to follow).