Lyell Walkway. Organiser: Barry Pont

With the weather forecast of "heavy rain looming" (Western Ranges), 17 trampers arrived in Murchison to rain arriving at the Lyell before 10am, the weather started to clear and stayed that way, until 4pm. With an easy graded old Pack Trail Walk (1870) we walked to the Zala Town site (1 hour). Over a thousand miners worked these hills, peaking in the 1880's. From Zala Town Site, we walked on up Zala Track, proceeding to the old Machine Hut (now collapsed), which was 2 hours walking. This site is beside Eight Mile Creek.

On the return trip, the party split with nine fitter trampers walking down the old track to Alpine Mine (20 minutes) where one old hut still exists.

We all returned through the old Lyell Valley Cemetery, arriving at the vehicles at 4pm. 2 hours drive to Nelson.

Party: Ruth & Skye Hesselyn, Arthur Jonas, Yvonne Kyle, Uta Purcell, Margaret Edwards, Grahame Harris, Beverley Muirhead, Mark Stevens, Ross Price, Ian Pavitt, Barry & Dion Pont, Mike Marren, Neil Thomas, Julie Simpson, and visitors Noel & Sheryl File.