Child friendly rating: 1 star

Distance: 18km

Signposted time: 7 hours

Bookings Required? Yes

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Paid bookable campsite

4wd required? No

Parking:

 Park at the Welcome Flat (Rough Creek) Carpark off SH6.

The Track:

This is a very popular track to the Welcome Flat hot springs. It is a huge distance for little legs, but can be done in a day with experienced older kids, or break it up with a night at Architect Creek (Bring a tent as it gets busy).

In heavy rain, the track is often closed as Rough Creek which you need to cross at the start of the track floods. There is a flood by-pass track, but this is used more for emergency exits of the track rather than emergency entrances into the track. The emergency track adds on an extra 3km/1 hour adult walking time.

When crossing Rough Creek, you will get wet boots, and there are several little rivers/creeks to cross in fine weather.

The track is well-built and generally wide enough to be holding a childs hand the whole way. It is relatively flat, however there are some sections towards the end where you walk along the riverside. This is very slow going on the big slippery boulders with kids. It is doable, but toddlers and preschoolers will need to hold an adults hand for balance - and the adult will meanwhile also need to be balancing on the rocks.

There are also several little creeks to cross along the track. It is not a ridiculously hard track, but it is a long walk to a tiny hut.

After Architect Creek Hut, the track starts going gradually uphill, but on a very well formed busy track. There are no technical sections as such - the worst is probably the riverside rock ramble just before Architect Creek Hut.

With a 2 year old walking big chunks and a 6 year old walking the whole way we broke the trip in up with a night at Architect Creek. It took 6 hours to Architect Creek, and then a further 5.5 hours from Architect Creek to Welcome Flat including breaks.

We then had 2 nights at Welcome Flat, and walked out in one day.

The walk out took 10 hours and we carried our daughters bag for her as our bags were lighter as we'd eaten through our food.

The track itself if it wasn't so long would easily have a child friendly rating of around 4 stars, but the distance brings this down as it isn't suitable as an overnight trip for most ages.

Hut:

The hut is large and popular. It often books out quickly.

There are fantastic hotpools 2 minutes walk from the hut. They vary in temperature based on rainfall, but there are warmer and colder patches.

The sandflies are relentless though so don't forget insect repellent - or make sure you're well tucked under the water to avoid them. I took the 2 year olds long wetsuit for the hotpools just so I didn't have to bother with insect repellent on him - and he enjoyed playing at the pools edge more than inside the hot pools anyway.

The hut does also have a separate private room that you can pay extra to book - this one has gas cookers (No need to BYO then unless staying at Architect Creek) and also hot showers. It's the old wardens quarters from before a separate wardens hut was built. It is a great option if you'd prefer a private room for your family with young kids.

Recommendations:

This is definitely a bucket list trip, and I would recommend visiting this spectacular spot at least once in your life.

The 18km is a huge amount for little legs though. For kids under 10 I would recommend breaking the walk in and the walk back with a night at Architect Creek, and staying 2 nights at Welcome Flat to truly have time to enjoy the hot pools. This turns it into a 5 day trip, but is the best way to make the trip enjoyable without rushing. Experienced kids can walk out in a day if they're prepared for a 9+ hour day.

Older kids 10+ I'd still recommend staying at least 2 nights at the hut to have time to enjoy the pools.