Barnett Park Cave walk

If you're into walking and you're after a pleasant short walk then Barnett Park might be what you're after.

It's in Redcliffs, on the main road. There's a playground at the start, so you can bribe the kids with Happy Times once they complete the walk.

The walk supposedly takes about an hour and forty minutes, in a round trip.

I've attempted it twice.

The first time was with my husband and two kids, aged 3 and 5. The five year old was fine. The three year old found it tough going and made life a misery for us all.

We managed to make it up two thirds of the track, the goal of the big cave lurking tantalisingly just a short distance away, but no. After more than an hour we had to stop for good and turn back. Damn.



The second time I tried the track I went with a friend. I didn't realise just how uber-fit she was, and just how uber-unfit I was. We set off at a cracking pace, and within two minutes into the uphill leg I was wheezing like an asthmatic. Not good.


We continued, with rest breaks every hundred metres or so for poor old me. Rather embarrassing.


We finally made it up to the cave - what a great cave (wheeeeze!)! What a great view (wheeeze!)! I'm sure that fitter people would have appreciated it more than I did.


The downhill leg was much easier.


We managed to complete the round trip in about an hour, which is still pretty good, but gosh, it was hard.


Watch for sheep poo - it's everywhere. Watch for the little side track about two thirds of the way up - it takes you to a secret (or not so secret, judging by all the rock climbing carabiners on the rock faces) cave, which is quite cool to be in and makes up for those not being quite fit enough to make it to the main cave.

The little side cave.

So there you have it. Barnett Park walk. A pleasant morning out for the fitter ones amongst us, a torturous trek with a nice view at the top for the rest of us.