Child friendly rating: 5 stars

Distance: 5.7km

Signposted time: 2 hours

Bookings Required? No

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Yes

4wd required? No

Parking:

Park at the Hackett Track carpark along Aniseed Valley Road. There is a signposted picnic area here.

The Track:

The track meanders around the river and was originally a very easy track, however there have since been numerous significant rain events which means that the track is no longer in the condition it used to be in. But even with the slips to navigate, it is still a very easy track. There is some more steep uphill sections, but these are nice and short.

The track starts off by crossing the river - Roding River. After just over 1km of walking next to Hacket Creek, you cross it, and the track starts to head slightly more up, though the gradient is still very gentle.

The track starts off nice and wide as you are actually walking on a forestry road. The forestry Road isn’t super well marked however and at one point the main road turns left, but you need to continue on straight on the smaller road.

After you cross the swing bridge, the track gets thinner, but is still a good quality track.
The track does actually tee off near this point, however both tracks end up joining back together. There is the forest track which is rougher and can be wetter, or the other track goes next to the river but this is a few big rainfalls away from washing out.

The track does get rockier under Foot after this with some undulations. There are a couple of sections with a big drop-off, however they are extremely short. There are some creek crossings, however even after heavy rain and adult should be able to cross keeping their boots dry.

Around 2.5km after leaving the car you'll come across the junction to the old Chrome mines. This is a rough track, but only 1km each way so can be a fun detour with older kids. The Chrome mine track does loop back onto the main track.

You soon reach the junction with the turn off to browning hut. This starts off with a big river crossing, so Hackett is a much more child friendly option. At the junction it does say it’s only 900 m to the hut, however I assume that this is the pre-slip distance. Now the track routes up through the Pine plantation, so you’ll have to give it one last push to the hut.

Eventually, back on the standard track, you will see the hut through the trees. You do still need to walk up around the river to the bridge first, however.

An adult can easily walk the track in under 1.5 hours, so the signposted time is relatively generous. Allow 3-4 hours with children depending on their ages.

Dogs with a permit only.

Hut:

The hut is the usual NZFS S-70 6-bunk design with individual bunks. It sits in a good clearing with camping spots, though there is a bit of undulation in the long grass so not the most superior camping sites.

Recommendations:

This is a great hut to visit for kids of all ages. The small creek crossings with no major river crossings mean it is suitable even after heavy rain. In winter I would be bringing my own firewood as there is no guarantee of firewood being an unserviced hut. It is similar to the nearby Devil's Creek Hut.