We were outside Fern Tree Tavern, at the base of Mount Wellington. It was our final day in Tasmania and I really wanted to show mum how cool Tasmania can be for fungi. I had wanted to travel further to Mt Field to find really cool specimens, but that was too far away.
I’d picked up a copy of Hobart’s Best Bush, Coastal And City Walks from the information centre and this particular walk stood out to me. In the book, it (walk 25) is a 2.8 km circuit that visits Silver falls, The Springs and Redfords monument. Mum and I are as bad as each other when it comes to photography so we just ended up walking to Silver Falls and back.
Now, as walk summaries go, this is pretty basic. It is short walk and is incredibly easy to find your way there. This post is more to give you ideas about possible walks to do in the region. 🙂
This is only a short section but it more then suffices if you are looking for a quick rainforest walk. It starts off as a damp area that is dominated by trees.
As you walk further, small tree ferns appear. This is where we started to slow down, as the moss and lichen led to interesting patterns.
The remnants of the old pipeline led to interesting photography.
As you get closer to the falls you see more ‘signs’ of the local history. You can easily spend hours along this short walk just taking in all the details.
About two thirds of the way in, a small stream appears. Getting closer can lead to better photos but be warned: there are leeches here. My mum is terrified of leeches and remained calm but firm when one landed on her phone.
The waterfalls are quite basic but aren’t bad for what is meant to be a 15 minute walk.
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If you are short on time, this is a great walk. I still believe the area warrants a lot more exploration and it almost feels like a betrayal to explore just a small part of it.
We spent an hour walking to the falls and back and that definitely wasn’t enough. We heard bird calls and saw signs of insects but didn’t have the time to investigate. I highly recommend it.
Moss, Fungi And Lichen
We loved exploring the natural history side of things. What what really stood out was the moss, lichen and fungi found along what was 1km distance. Imagine what we could have found if we had done other walks!
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