It was the first time I’d ever seen snow. Yes, ever. In my twenty-one years of living, I had never laid eyes on the cold, fluffy white stuff we call snow – let alone touched it, walked in it or skied in it.
My mate Elliot was going up to Mt Buller in Victoria for a weekend, and I pretty much invited myself along. So, that’s how I found myself with cramping I-just-skied-for-the-first-time legs while on the way to Steavenson Falls.
Steavenson Falls in Marysville were a slight detour on our way home, so we decided to go check them out.
They are quite easy to find, located approximately 1 hr and 45 minutes from Melbourne in the town of Marysville. There is a carpark located at the end of Falls Road, though it’s ticketed so make sure you bring some loose change with you (I think about $3 AUD should suffice).
We headed towards the path. This area has been recently touched up, with a great toilet facility and undercover space with a sign and map.
The walk is only 700 meters return and will take about 15 – 20 minutes (depending on how fast you walk and how much you linger to admire the falls).
The paths are well-kept, consisting of a flat, grey gravel. It makes the walk very pleasant and easy – great for families with small children (which there were plenty of).
It’s also very well signposted, and there are a number of walking trails in the area.
The first staircase you come across simply leads down to another walking path.
Continue straight, following signs for the falls.
Soon, you’ll see a peak of the falls. Steavenson falls plunge a total of 84 meters, and have been a favourite since the 1860s.
If you look closely, you’ll notice the falls continue way up to the sky. No, that’s not cloud! That’s the falls. Pretty cool, huh?
There’s another staircase which leads down towards a metal bridge which provides a great viewing platform for the falls.
It was a bright, sunny, day which I can’t complain about, but I was lucky I had my Hoya ND 8 stop filter to help with the long exposure shots in the sun.
If you head back up the stairs and continue straight on the gravel path, there’s a second viewing platform closer to another section of the falls.
It was quite beautiful up there, and the sunlight danced to create a rainbow. The extreme force of the water sent cold spray into the air and onto our faces.
Time ticked on, and we had to leave if we wanted to make it back into the city at a reasonable time.
Ah, yes. I should also mention that there is a path up towards the very top of the falls. However, with our cramping legs and exhausted muscles from skiing the day before, we opted not to put ourselves through the torture of climbing up the who-knows-how-many-stairs. (Very unlike me, but hey).
I turned and took one last glimpse of the falls and vowed to come back one day and tackle the stairs. But the beauty of them made the trip worthwhile.
Quick Facts
| Last visit | September 2017 |
| Best Time | June-September |
| Start / Finish | Steavenson Falls Carpark, Falls Rd (paid parking applies) |
| Unsealed Roads | No |
| Walking distance | 700meters return |
| Time | 30minutes return |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Facilities | Toilets |
| Lat & Long | 37.5322° S, 145.7732° E |
| Nearby | Marysville, Mt Buller |
| Watercourse | Steavenson River |
