A photographer’s dream.
There is often some confusion about the location of Strickland Falls. This is because they can be passed on a path that continues from O’Grady Falls called the Rivulet Fire Trail.
Out of sheer chance, two days prior I had chosen not to visit Strickland Falls that way, and instead turned to trek to Silver Falls from O’Grady Falls. And I’m so glad I did that, because when I ventured out to find Myrtle Gully Falls and Secret Falls in my little Kia (hired from Drive Car Rental – see footnotes in Russell Falls blog post for a review), Strickland Falls were another easy drive away.
From Hobart CBD it’s roughly only 11 minutes away. (I drove from Myrtle Gully Falls, but I’ve done the directions from my accommodation at The Pickled Frog Backpackers in the CBD, review in the footnotes of O’Grady Falls blog post. If you’re more of a hotel person, try hotels.com for comparison prices – they’re ace.)
Strickland Falls from The Pickled Frog Backpackers, Hobart CBD, Google Maps. (2017).
Driving directions are as follows:
- Leave the CBD by travelling South-East, along Barrack Street
- Use any lane to turn right from Barrack Street onto Davey St/A6
- Continue straight on Davey Street, it will turn into Davey Street B/64
- After about 700 meters, continue straight through the roundabout
- After 4.5kms, turn right onto Strickland Ave
- Follow this as it turns gradually around a bend
- You’ll then see the clearing off to the left of the road, right before a severe horseshoe-bend in the road. This is where you should pull over, as seen in the above and below photos. You’ll be parked right next to the drainpipe
From here, it’s a short walk further into the foliage to follow the stream up to Strickland Falls. Just be mindful that these falls are located on PRIVATE PROPERTY, so make sure to be respectful in your visit.
I was quiet and slow, wondering if I was actually in the right place at this point. The main falls are not visible from the road, and I had to climb my way along the stream.
Old, rusted drain pipes lay in the small cascades. Lodged between rocks, water gushed through them and made for excellent photography practice.
These drains are remnants of old water catchment facilities, because a lot of drinking water is collected from Mt Wellington for the residents of Hobart.
Continuing further up the stream, I had to wrestle my way across wobbly rocks, trying not to lose my camera bag or backpack in the process.
I crossed a small section of the stream, and followed it further up towards the main falls, capturing some small cascades along the way (using my tripod, FYI).
Big fallen trees lay thick with bright green moss, tangled and twined into the stream.
The main falls were stunning. I guess I don’t need to tell you that, since you can see for yourself. But the thick forest cover makes for ideal lighting for photographs of Strickland Falls. I was lucky to play with a shutter speed of 30″ – the longest my camera allows me to go.
There’s me being blurry because I can’t stand completely still for 30 seconds haha.
I desperately wanted to stand on top of these falls – the top looked relatively flat from a distance. My eyes scanned the scene and I spotted it – a few stony ledges along the right-hand side in the below photograph.
It’s not pictured here, but along the right side of the bank is a squishy, mossy ground that wasn’t covered with water. So, I curved my way around it and begun the (careful) climb up the rocks on the right-hand side. My hands froze when they gripped the cold, mossy rock. But I made it up!
I just had no idea how I was going to get down… I was also on my own for this trip, so I managed the above shot of me by using the time lapse setting on my camera, having absolutely no idea whether or not the photograph had been captured. I prayed that it had – because there was no way I was climbing back up there if and when I got down.
Which I did, get down. Obviously.
I also played with my shutter speed settings in order to capture some shots without the blue tinges to them. I’ll let you decide which you prefer.
The blue ones remind me of unicorns and magic. S’all I’m sayin’.
Strickland Falls surprised and enchanted me, and I’ve even seen photos of people swimming here in summer (my visit was in June, on the brink of winter). So that just gives me an excuse to go back.
Want to visit other falls around Mt Wellington close to these ones?
Try Myrtle Gully Falls and Secret Falls, or O’Grady Falls and Silver Falls.
Quick Facts
| Last visit | June 2017 |
| Best Time | June- November |
| Start / Finish | Strickland Avenue |
| Unsealed Roads | No |
| Walking distance | 300meters |
| Time | 5minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy, some crossing of river |
| Facilities | None, town 11minutes away |
| Lat & Long | 42.9081° S, 147.2620° E |
| Nearby | Myrtle Gully Falls, Secret Falls, O’Grady Falls, Silver Falls |
| Watercourse | Hobart Rivulet |
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