Tag: Waterfalls of Tasmania

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Tasmanian Waterfalls Information Sheet

Waterfalls information sheet. This list has been prepared with visitors from interstate or overseas in mind – hence the assumption of a base either in Hobart or Launceston. Obviously, other bases are possible, but I am catering for the majority of visitors. (Note, I have abbreviated Launceston to L’ton).

Arm Falls
Really far-flung and difficult falls are omitted. This list is intended for “normal” visitors, although I have included some “connoisseur” falls for the more experienced who like a bit of a challenge. Please read the relevant blog of a waterfall you are thinking of doing to help you decide its difficulty level. (Short does not equate to easy! And neither does long equate to hard.)

If I/ we had lunch at the falls (often following quite a long drive), then I have called it “day”. If we were back at the car for lunch, or back at the nearest town, I have called it “short”.

Very short is usually about ten minutes to the falls, or less.

By listing the nearest town, I am trying to give you a place you can google to get an idea of how far the drive will be and thus how long it will take to begin your walk. If you have children in tow, that is important. Happy waterfall bagging and picnicking. Just because a walk is labelled “short” does not mean you shouldn’t have lunch there!
Please excuse the formatting changes introduced by wordpress. Everything WAS in neat columns in the original.

If you are like us, and enjoy a good coffee and cake after a waterfall, Sheffield (Fudge ‘n good Coffee), The Raspberry Farm 5kms nth of Deloraine, Derby (Crank it Cafe), Geeveston (The Old Bank), Huonville (The Hairy Giraffe), and Westbury (The Possum Shed) all have excellent places. Use your nose :-). No one is paying me to name those places.


Cam Falls (not to be confused with Upper Cam). These are the most difficult falls in this list, in that the slide to the bottom is only for the very experienced.

Name               Base           Nearest town          Track / off    Day or overnight

Adamsons      Hobart             Dover                          track                day

Alberton          L’ton                Ringarooma                off                   short

Arve                  Hobart            Geeveston                   track                short

Arm                   L’ton                Mole Creek                 track                short

Barrow Base   L’ton             Launceston                 pad                  short

Bastion Cascades L’ton    Meander                      track           day

Blairgowrie     L’ton               Hillwood                     off                   short


Cascades on Smoko Creek, a delightful area, however far along the track you go.
Bridal Veil     L’ton               Lemonthyme Lodge   track                day

Cam Falls      L’ton              Burnie, Ridgley              off                       short

Camp              Hobart          Eaglehawk Neck        track                short

Campbell Rivulet L’ton     Burnie;West Takone      off             short

Cashs Gorge L’ton              Ringarooma            track to lookout     view only

Castra           L’ton                Devonport, Nietta     track                   day

Cephissus     either           Derwent Bridge           track                overnight

Cethana           L’ton             Sheffield                      car                   No walk


Middle Chasm Falls
Champagne    L’ton              Lemonthyme Lodge      track                day

Chasm               L’ton             Deloraine, Meander        track                short

Chasm Middle L’ton            Deloraine, Meander       track                short

Chasm Upper  L’ton              Deloraine Meander      track                short

Coal                      L’ton            Avoca                                  track                day

Constable          L’ton            St Helens                           off                   short

Crater                L’ton              Cradle Mt                         track                short

Creekton            Hobart           Dover                             track                day


Cascades on the Creekton Rivulet
Cuckoo              L’ton            Scottsdale                    pad                  day

Dasher               L’ton            Beulah                            pad                  v. short

Delaneys           L’ton            Gunns Plains               track                short

Detention           L’ton            Sisters Creek              pad                  day

Echo                     L’ton               St Helens                        off                short

Evercreech         L’ton            Mathinna                     track                short

Fairy                      Hobart            Geeveston                    pad            short

Featherstone      Hobart          Mt Wellington         off                 short


Creekton Falls
Ferntree                L’ton             St Helens                     pad                  short

Forth                     L’ton             Barrington                   pad                 day

Forth Upper      L’ton             Barrington                   pad                  day

Geryon Base    either       Derwent Bridge     track then pad       overnight

Grail                    L’ton              Mole Ck                         track             day

Grey Mares       L’ton             St Marys                        track             v. short

Growling Swallet Hobart         Maydena                  track        half day

Guide                L’ton             Burnie, Ridgley              track             v. short


Cuckoo Falls
Halls                       L’ton             Pyengana                        track             half day

Hardings Falls   L’ton             Royal George                 track             short

Harridge Falls   L’ton             Derby                              pad               short

Havelock           L’ton             Meander                          off                day

Hebe                  L’ton             Sisters Ck                       off                half day

Hogarth             –                     Strahan                           track             v. short

Hogg Ck           L’ton             Sheffield, Lower Barrington off          v. short

Holwell              L’ton             Exeter, Winkleigh           track             short


Hogarth Rivulet (see Cuckoo Falls). Lovely, even if you don’t get to the end.

Holwell Gorge   L’ton             Exeter, Winkleigh           track             short

Honor Cascades L’ton         Liffey                                 car                v. short

Honor Falls       L’ton               Liffey                               pad               short

Horseshoe         Hobart          Mt Field                         track             short

Horsetail            –                      Queenstown                   track             short

Hullabaloo         L’ton              Lemonthyme                  off                short

Hullabaloo Upper L’ton         Lemonthyme                  off                v. short

Ironbark            L’ton                 St Helens                        off                short


Harridge Falls
Ironstone Track L’ton             Deloraine, Meander       track             day

Knyvet               L’ton                Cradle                             track             short

Lady Barron      Hobart          Mt Field                         track             short

Liffey                L’ton                Liffey                             track             short

Lilydale Lower L’ton             Lilydale                          track             v. short

Lilydale Upper L’ton             Lilydale                          track             v. short

Lobster              L’ton             Mole Ck                         track             short

Lost Falls          L’ton             Lake Leake                     track             v. short


Rinadeena Falls. This is another track that is lovely even if children didn’t make it to the end.
Marriotts           Hobart           Tyenna, Mt Field            track             short

Mathinna           L’ton            Mathinna                        track             short

McGowans        L’ton            Burnie, West Takone      pad               short

Meadstone         L’ton            Fingal                             track             short

Meander            L’ton            Meander                         track             day

Meetus              L’ton            Lake Leake                     track             day

Minnow             L’ton            Lower Beulah                 track/pad       day

Montana Cascades     L’ton  41 degrees south            track             short


Ferntree Falls
Montana Upper L’ton             Montana                         off/pad          short

Montana Lower L’ton             Montana                         off/pad          short

Montezuma       either            Rosebery                 track             short (long drive)

Myrtle Forest   Hobart          Collinsvale,Collins Cap track        short

Myrtle Gully     Hobart          Mt Wellington                track             short

Nelson Falls      Hobart          West Coast,Lyell Hwy track         v. short

Nevada Ck         L’ton             St Helens                          off                short

New Town         Hobart           Mt Wellington                track             short


The Arthur River, above Philosophers Falls in the Tarkine.
No Name           L’ton             Lemonthyme                  pad             short

O’Gradys          Hobart          Mt Wellington               track             short

Oldacker            L’ton            Burnie, in town             in park          short

Old House         L’ton             Lake Rowallan            track            v. short (long drive)

Owen Brook      L’ton             Tewkesbery                    off                v. short

Parsons             L’ton            Lake Mackenzie             pad               short

Pencil Pine Cas L’ton             Cradle Mt                       track             v. short

Pencil Pine        L’ton                   Cradle Mt                track             v. short


Wandle Falls. If you were going to Waratah, you would combine these falls with  the Philosophers Falls to get enough exercise.
Philosopher       L’ton            Waratah                          track to top   short

Philips               L’ton             Mt Claude saddle           pad               short

Pillinger             L’ton            Maggs Spur 17              pad               short

Preston              L’ton          Raymond &Preston Rd track         short. Blackberries

Punchbowl        L’ton            Punchbowl                     track             v. short

Quaille               L’ton            nr Cradle Mt                   pad               short

Quaille Upper    L’ton            nr Cradle Mt                   pad               short

Ralphs               L’ton            Ringarooma                    track             v.short


Weld Angel Falls
Rawlinsons        L’ton            Rosebery                        track to top   day

Redwater Ck Low    L’ton    Railton                            track             short

Redwater Ck Up     L’ton       Railton                            track             short

Regnans             Hobart           Maydena                        off                short

Reuben              Hobart           Geeveston                     track             short

Rinadena           L’ton              Mole Creek                     track             day

Russell              Hobart           Mt Field                            track             v. short

Secret                Hobart           Mt Wellington               track             short


Weld Angel Falls
Sensation Gorge L’ton          Mole Creek                   pad                short

Sharpes             Hobart           Tyenna                              off                short

Shower              Hobart            Eaglehawk Neck        track            short

Shower Cave     L’ton            Meander                          track             day

Silver                 Hobart           Mt Wellington                track            v. short

Silver (Castra)   L’ton           Devonport, Nietta        track             day

Smoko               L’ton             Meander                           track             day

Snug                  Hobart          Snug                                  track             short


Crater Falls
Split Rock         L’ton             Meander                         track             day

St Columba       L’ton             Pyengana                        track             short

Step                   L’ton            Devonport, Nietta           track             day

Stitt                    either               Rossebery                      track             v. short to top

Strickland          Hobart          Mt Wellington                track             v. short

Tolkein              Hobart           Maydena                        track              short

Upper Cam        L’ton             Burnie, Ridgley              pad               v. short

Upper Liffey     L’ton            A5, Highland Lakes Rd off     short


Upper Liffey Falls
Wandle              L’ton             Waratah                              off                short

Waratah             L’ton             Waratah                             track             v. short

Warners            L’ton            A5 Pine Lake                      off                short

Weld Angel       Hobart           Geeveston                       off                day

Wellington        Hobart           Mt Wellington                track             day

Wes Beckett      –                     Corinna                                off                day

Westmorland     L’ton             Chudleigh, Caveside       track             short

Winterbrook      L’ton             Ullverston, Sth Nietta     track             day

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Mathinna Falls 2018 Aug

Mathinna Falls, 2018, 1st Aug


Tessa and I didn’t set out for Mathinna Falls until after lunch (in Launceston). The days are winter-short, but google said it would only take two hours to get there (correct), and about ten minutes to walk from the carpark to the falls (also correct). We were thus at the falls by 3.30 pm, which should have been just about perfect. The day was sunny, but the valley which cuddles these falls is steep and closed in, so no sun was present to glare up the water. It was actually quite dark and gloomy in there, even at that hour, and seemed much later. My early shots have a slightly golden tinge up where the sun could reach.


I chose gumboots for this journey, figuring there’d be a lot of water, and off we set. Good choice: water burst the banks and spilled out over sections of the track. The falls could be heard thundering and crashing up ahead. I was worried about Tessa being stupid, but she was frightened, and stuck very close to me the whole time. Just a quick drink was enough for her to feel the mighty force of this water.


I was worried that the force of the water might pose tripod problems, but, well, that’s the reason I chose sirui, and it didn’t let me down: my tripod stood as solid as a rock in the rushing, pounding stream. There is no problem with sharpness in my images. My problems are mine alone, and have to do with the enormous dynamic range between the very dark foreground and side frames, and the overly light falls, made very bright by the massive volume of water. I had a similar problem in Iceland. You need to do exposure blending, and you need to have photos of very different exposures. I didn’t go fast enough on the falls part of the shot. I need to be more extreme next time in this situation. I thought I had it covered, but I wasn’t quite right.


My boots were an interesting choice when it came time to climb up to the next two levels of falls. I found they were very slippery indeed on the rocks, and, as I didn’t feel like packing everything away for that climb, I negotiated the tricky climb with my camera and its filters plus tripod in one hand, leaving only the other hand for clinging to obstacles to stop me sliding backwards. I’m afraid I looked (and was) cumbersome and clumsy – not for the first time in my life. Anyway, I got there, and I saw a beautiful waterfall, and learned some valuable lessons for next time. Sunset behind Stacks Bluff on the way home was a treat.


I chose the longer but faster (for me) route via Fingal. From there, I headed north to Mathinna, and took the road over the bridge heading for Ringarooma. After that turn, there are signs to the Mathinna Falls. It’s a pity they’re not signed from Mathinna itself. The cyan line above begins at the carpark.

 

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Geryon Base Camp Falls

Geryon Base Camp Falls


Bruce and I stumbled across this pretty little waterfall on our first trip to Geryon Base Camp in about 2014.
I have since seen it on several occasions, and have made the time to get out my tripod and photograph it. It is not easy to get at, but I like it nonetheless.

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Russell Falls

Russell Falls.


It is very beautiful, although waterfalls set in the context of viewing platforms and highway paths don’t really do it for me. It’s here for completion. I am aware you have to sacrifice some waterfalls for the tourists – although, when I look at Iceland, I’m not so sure. There, there were parking areas that were full of spiky stones (i.e., not sealed), few or no amenities, and only very, very infrequently did you get railings. It was terribly refreshing to see an attitude of: “Well, if you want to see it here it is, but we’re not doing anything to change nature from being natural.” And that’s why I love Iceland so much. And that’s why I’d prefer to see nature there than in my own Tasmania, as Tassie is ruining her beautiful nature by dumbing it down, taming and defanging it for what bureaucrats sitting in offices think that tourists want. I did not hear one person in Iceland complaining that the roads to the waterfalls were not sealed, or that the carparks looked like a farmer’s paddock. We all relished it.