Liffey Falls
Liffey Falls State Reserve
Directions - Liffey Falls is located south east of Deloraine, to get there cross the Deloraine River and head south on E Barrack Street. This become Quamby Brook Road, which you follow all the way to the end where it meets Bogan Road. Turn right and continue for another 13.2 kilometres, reaching the entry road for the Liffey Falls Camping Area. The trail starts at the southern most car park.
The Hike - The final hike of day one of my New Years trip to Tasmania, it's a good thing the sun doesn't go down until 9pm at this time of year. Having packed my Scarpa boots to use on the Overland Track, I quickly realised on the Alum Cliffs Walk that they would not make for an enjoyable week on the track. After hiking to Westmorland Falls, I made the decision to drive back to Launceston and purchase a new pair of boots. With a few days of hiking before setting off on the Overland, I would have plenty of time to wear them in. A big thanks to the staff at Paddy Pallin in Launceston, who sorted me out with a pair of Keens, the only ones with a toe box that felt comfortable.
Driving back to the Deloraine area where I had based myself for a few days, I soon found myself cruising along Bogan Road on my way to the Liffey Falls Camping Area. Named after Keith Bogans, an NBA role player in the 2000s (not really), it leads to the start point of the longer of two walks that take you to Liffey Falls. The shorter walk is the one you'll see on most of the signposts and starts at the end of Liffey Falls Road. Arriving at 5pm, back home in Western Australia this would usually mean a 6km hike would be out of the question, but here in Tasweginland, that gave me fours hours of daylight to get this one completed. Lacing up the new boots, that big squish feeling of new shoes was magic. The car park feels fairly exposed, and the walk to the trail head is similar, but it doesn't take long before you enter the temperate rainforest and things start to feel better. Being within close range to the Liffey River for most of the hike, this first section has the best connection, although initially this isn't the case.
It takes a few hundred metres before the forest becomes dense enough, and you leave what I assume is an old vehicle track that ran parallel to the river. Heading past giant tree ferns, as you are heading upriver, the gradient is a gentle climb for the most of the journey to Liffey Falls. Passing a solid rock face that is overgrown with small ferns, this area gives off the vibe of walking through an Indiana Jones set piece. With no giant rolling boulders to escape from, I continued on my merry way, eventually reaching the first access point of the river. Perched up on the river bank, you look down at the rocky river bed, with a closer access point located a bit further down the trail. With great views looking upriver, this was a fun spot just to stop and soak it all in. Moving on, you continue to follow the river, before arriving at a bit of a climb where a left turn takes you away from the edge of the water. With the forest continuing to be excellent, the delights of the Tasmania rainforest will never grow old for me.
Gaps in the forest provide the occasional glimpse down to Liffey River, with a flat section higher in the tree line providing some views of the sky and landscape ahead. It was here that I noticed some purple flowers growing up and down the slope where there was a gap in the trees. They didn't look native, but then again I'm not that familiar with Tassie plants so would check when I got home. The turned out to be the invasive Purple Foxglove, and given this is state forest, perhaps introduced during logging activities many years ago. This exposed section doesn't last long, before you are back under the embrace of the canopy above, and I came across a thick patch of Bracken Fern. Pushing my way through, at one point it was so thick that I crouched down to take a photo of the trail that was barely visible ahead. It doesn't last long, and soon you arrive at an open area just before the crossing of Quinn Creek.
A small bridge takes you over the creek, with some nice views looking up and down the rocky creek bed, before you head back into the thick forest. This section felt different, perhaps because the trail now heads west and the sun was illuminating a patch of forest to the right of me. I'm not sure what happened here but reaching another creek crossing, this one looked highly manicured. I'm guessing the area was affected by a landslide or flood event, given the lack of trees lining the creek, and the track had to be rebuilt. A new looking bridge and medium sized ferns that look like they've been placed there by a landscaper can be found and is starkly different to the rest of the trail. Stepping back into the thick forest was a welcome experience, and the scenery through here was some of the best of the entire track. Mature trees with thick trunks, dense pockets of forest that felt like a dark shroud was around you, and plenty of mossy logs to enjoy, this was a lovely bit of walking.
Arriving at another bridge, this one was more rustic, with the wooden structure located in a deeper valley and looking like a little railway bridge. On the other side is where the shorter walk that starts at the end of Liffey Falls Road meets up with this track, and together they head down the hill to the main attraction, Liffey Falls. With plenty of bright blue Tas Parks signs around to stop people taking the wrong turn to get back to their cars, I followed the one pointing me down to the waterfall. The relatively steep descent, compared to what I had done so far, is made easier with a couple of staircases, and soon I was on the same level as the Liffey River. Reaching the platform that overlooks the falls, there is access to be able to explore the base of Liffey Falls, that flows into what feels like a natural amphitheatre. Being summer, the falls had a nice flow to them without making the area at the base inaccessible. Not having the physical space in my luggage for my tripod, I would be making do with naturally flat areas where I could hold down my camera for long exposure shots. This never works as well but I would be making the most of my situation.
Crossing the river via some exposed stones, there is a large platform with magnificent views of the waterfall, with the flat surface perfect for setting my camera down. The photos aren't great but a little better than the regular ones I was taking, as the lighting was a little dull given the time of day. Thankfully I had the whole place to myself, and could take my time enjoying the scenery and exploring all the nooks and crannies. It's an idyllic place to be, and apart from the ease of access if you choose the shorter walk, I can see why it's such a popular location. After spending a decent amount of time at the falls, I decided to make my way back to the car, getting to enjoy the walk all over again. The sun came out from behind the clouds and produced some nice results but I had mixed results trying to capture these with the camera. The drive back to Deloraine was a pleasant one, with dramatic hills and rolling farmland that I would grow to really love over the next few days. Not a bad way to end a three hike day, plus an emergency trip to Launceston for new boots.
Final Thoughts – Liffey Falls was one of the first hikes I put on the itinerary for this trip, being one of the best known hikes near Launceston.
While it's great that there is a more accessible walk trail on offer, I was always going to be doing the longer version, as that's just what I prefer. Rather than being long for longs sake, the full trail from the camping area has some fantastic temperate rainforest to explore, along with some enjoyable access points to Liffey River.
If you don't have the time or fitness to do the longer trail, then the impressive scene at Liffey Falls is still there for you, but I'd recommend walking the extra kilometres and starting from the camping area.
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