The last stop on the Mt Field National Park circuit.
(Or, the first if you choose to begin the other way).
Myself and my new-found friends Ben and Yiwii from The Pickled Frog Backpackers (review in the footnotes of O’Grady Falls, if you prefer a hotel try Hotels.com) began our walk from Horseshoe Falls.
The walk from Horseshoe Falls to Lady Barron is the toughest and longest part of the waterfall circuit at Mt Field National Park. However, it’s still relatively easy. We started along a well-structured bridge.
And continued along a flat, easy boardwalk.
Huge fallen trees lay on either side of the track, laced in thick moss.
The track then begins uphill, though it’s not very strenuous.
The sunlight dazzled through the trees and lit up fluorescent green moss to create a beautiful landscape around us.
Don’t forget to look up at the gorgeous tall trees.
This track has plenty of diversity when it comes to scenery. The sun burst through a thick, fern forest and illuminated the track.
Along the walk to Lady Barron Falls there is the option to deviate along the Tall Trees Walk.
You would need to turn to the left in this small clearing for the Tall Trees Walk.
I was far too focused on waterfalls – as usual. So we continued straight ahead along the main path.
Blooming mushrooms sprung out from logs in bright orange and yellow.
There were also plenty of signs with information on the surrounding flora and fauna.
O’GRADY FALLS, MT WELLINGTON PARK, HOBART – TASMANIA, AUSTRALIAAs we walked through the forest, Ben had some gentle music playing from his portable speaker, which actually went really well with the scenery. I began to tell Ben and Yiwii about my walk to O’Grady Falls and how I kept coming across bridges, so I proclaimed it ‘the trail of bridges’ and then – I shit you not – we came across a bridge.
One minute you’ll be in thick, ferns and the next in wide open clearings with gorgeous tall trees. That’s what makes the hike so special.
I always make sure to read the signs along the way to soak in the history and information about the surroundings.
Another bridge peeped through the ferns and it became a running joke that every time a bridge appeared, everyone had to hang back while I took a photo.
It doesn’t sound that funny now, but we had a good old laugh at the time.
Another great little sign.
It felt like we had been walking for ages, when in reality it was only about 5 minutes. We still had 30 minutes to go.
The track turns skinny and muddy. If it had rained more recently then the track would be squishy and slippery. Soon you need to cross the road, so beware of any traffic.
We then headed back into thick forest with increasing amounts of moss.
The sun shone through again, creating a burst of different shades of green.
Another little bridge appeared.
The track thinned out again, and we wondered if we were getting any closer.
We then reached a man-made staircase, and with each step we began to hear the rush of water. I jumped with excitement. Finally we were close.
At the bottom of the stairs, the visitors centre can be reached one way, and Lady Barron Falls the other.
Russell Falls and the Tall Trees is back where we just came from.
We followed the sign for Lady Barron Falls.
And then we were walking beside the river bank, with lots of little cascades along the way. Though it wasn’t accessible from the track.
And at last – the falls.
There’s a small viewing platform to see Lady Barron Falls. The falls continue down stream from here with quite a force, so it seemed impossible to get closer.
But I took the risk, and lifted myself up over the right-side of the fence. I then had to hug a mossy, wet log in order to edge myself carefully across and onto the rock face. There was the very real possibility of slipping as my friends anxiously looked on.
In hindsight, it was probably not the best idea to try and tackle these falls. It’s a good reminder that waterfalls are unpredictable and you should never do anything that you’re not confident in doing, or that puts your life in danger.
I’m in no way, shape or form recommending anyone do what I did. Waterfall accidents often end in tragedy, and I wouldn’t do it again.
But I got back safe and sound. And I had some great friends to accompany me.
Our stomachs grumbled and we figured it was time to head back to the visitor centre. Because the track is a circuit, we didn’t head back the same way. We followed signs for the visitor centre. The walk was short – only 20 minutes or so – and flat.
Just when I thought it was super easy, we hit a huge staircase.
There were 249 stairs. Two hundred – puff – and forty – puff – nine – puff – stairs. Then we collapsed on the chair at the top. Exhausted, hungry and thirsty, we picked ourselves back up and continued through a stunning controlled-burn forest.
A Pro Tip/Key Takeaway that I wish someone told me: Beginning at the Lady Barron Falls track means that all the stairs you come across will be heading downhill instead of up. Although, there’s a pretty big climb at the beginning through the control-burned forest. So there’s that.
I think you just need to be prepared for exercise either way – and hey, my glutes will thank me later.
All in all the waterfall circuit took us about 1 hour of walking – we just took our time at each of the falls because of my excessive photography requirements. But it was a great day and I would recommend visiting all three.
OTHER: TO DO
After Mt Field National Park, we decided to drive to Richmond, another hour’s drive (and 30/40 minutes from Hobart). It has the oldest bridge in Australia still in use, and a very cute little strip of shops (including a sweets shop) and cafes (you must go to Czech cafe, it was warm and cute inside, and the food was delicious).
After Richmond we headed back towards Hobart. We were super keen to see the sunset – Tassie has amazing sunsets. We made our way down to the suburb of Bellerive along the water and had a view of Mt Wellington. It was beautiful, but super cold and windy so be sure to rug up!
Quick Facts
| Last visit | June 2017 |
| Best Time | July-September |
| Start / Finish | Mt Field Visitor Centre Carpark |
| Unsealed Roads | No |
| Walking distance | Waterfall circuit 2.4km from Horseshoe |
| Time | Allow 2hrs for full circuit (about 40 -60 mins from Horseshoe Falls) |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Facilities | Toilets, Cafe at Visitor Centre |
| Lat & Long | 42.6911° S, 146.6954° E |
| Nearby | Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls |
| Watercourse | Lady Barron Creek |
[…] Falls are the second stop on the waterfall circuit at Mt Field. You will have to pass either Lady Barron Falls or Russell Falls first in order to get to them, depending which way you start. Check out those blog […]
[…] recognise him from my trip to Mt Field National Park to see Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Lady Barron Falls) was picking me up at 10am, at which point I was lying in the fetal position on my couch, a glass […]