Our Magical Day Hike to Tasmania’s Liffey Falls

The breathtaking Liffey Falls Walk is absent from most travellers’ agendas, hidden as it is amongst many of Tasmania’s better-known wonders, but Conor is adamant that more people should add it to their list of essentials.

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

The Liffey Falls Walk is a grade 2, 2km walk through Tasmania’s Great Western Tiers Conservation Area that takes roughly 45 minutes to complete. It’s within a two-hour drive from Cradle Mountain and just under an hour from Launceston.

Quick Facts Liffey Falls Walk

Distance: 2km return
Duration: 45 minutes
Elevation gain: Approximately 115m
Nearest town: Deloraine

About Liffey Falls Walk

The Liffey Falls Walk takes you through some gorgeous temperate rainforest in Tasmania’s midlands region. Despite the name, there are actually four different sets of waterfalls along the trail – Alexandra, Hopetoun, Spout, and Victoria Falls. Well signposted and not overly strenuous, the trip to see them all can be stretched out into a magical half day adventure if you really want to soak up the essence of the area.

The forest is lush and dreamy and has a way of squirrelling into your thoughts

Liffey Falls Walk History

As with many areas in Australia, this now protected region has a dark and complicated history. It was a meeting place for the Big River, North, and North Midlands Tasmanian Aboriginal people for thousands of years. 

In 1827 it was reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that a massacre of up to 60 of the Pallittorre clan by European Colonists occurred in an ambush attack. Later in the 1900s the region was set up for logging and three sawmills were in operation during World War II. 

Paths through the Liffey Falls area follow old logging tracks which were in operation until the 1960s. In 1989 the Liffey Falls State Reserve was enlisted as an official part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

How To Get to Liffey Falls

By Car

There are two car parks available – the upper and the lower. 

• Upper car park: The upper car park is not suitable for buses, caravans or motorhomes. It’s accessible via Highland Lakes Rd from Deloraine with a turn onto Riversdale Rd. 
• Lower car park: The Lower car park is accessible to larger vehicles and is used by logging trucks. It’s best accessed via Gulf Rd from the Liffey township.

Avoid driving at night as wildlife are more active and very difficult to see around sharp bends. Also take care driving at dawn and dusk.

There are two walking tracks to get to Liffey Falls. The track from the upper car park is shorter (2km return) than the one leading from the lower car park (8km return). 

The water beckons, the birds call, and despite being so close the real world feels very far away

Where to Stay Along Liffey Falls

The Liffey Conservation Area Campground at the lower car park has free camping with gas BBQs available free of charge. Some sites have fireplaces – these are the only places where campfires are permitted. 

Alternatively, there are several free camps nearby along the Highland Lakes Road between Golden Valley and Breona.

The upper car park is a day use area only – don’t attempt to camp there. 

Skill Level

Beginner 

The walk to Liffey Falls from the upper car park is easy enough for just about everyone to enjoy. Enjoy the surroundings as you stroll along the well-maintained footpaths and staircases. Just don’t get too distracted by the scenery as you descend the steps!

The path is very well maintained but it does have a 500m elevation change each way so you need to pay attention. The trail is not wheelchair accessible and the dirt can be slippery.

The trail is wide, very well maintained, and conducive to daydreams about life as a wood elf

Essential Gear for Liffey Falls Walk

• Water bottle
• Jumper (especially if you’re visiting from up north!)
• First aid kit
• Camera
• Decent walking shoes
• Rain jacket

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

What It’s Like to Walk to Liffey Falls

We set off from the modern familiarities of the lower car park and plunged quickly into a place lost in time. The subalpine woodland magically transformed into mossy temperate rainforest as we descended quickly into the valley.

Surrounded by giant ferns towering over us in an almost ominous fashion, we felt very insignificant.  The beautifully coloured Superb fairy-wrens, darting amongst the foliage around us were a reassuring presence amidst such a unique place.

The canopy may convince you that quitting your job is a great idea

We’d set our sights on checking out the lower two of the four waterfalls, Spout and Victoria Falls (more commonly known as Liffey Falls). It was quite a lucky coincidence that we were here in the first place as it wasn’t on our itinerary to visit at all. By chance we’d added it on as a rather quick afternoon detour while en route to Cradle Mountain. Having done less than an hour of research on Liffey Falls before arriving, we trundled along, unsure what exactly we could expect to see. Rest assured it was worth the visit before getting to the lower waterfalls at all!

Read more: Cradle Mountain is a Land Lost in Time

On reaching Spout Falls, it took me a moment to regather my eye for photography. Never have I seen a waterfall with such a wide and almost perfectly straight drop with exactly what the name suggests – a spout! From every angle it was like nothing else I’d ever seen. The sharp bench from which the waterfall dropped contrasted strangely with the wonky, absurdly shaped canal in which the water flowed downstream.

Forget the kitchen sink, this could all be yours if you truly commit to forest life and give up the house

From all angles these falls were both breathtaking and – I would even go so far as to say – confusing. I knew at that moment the recommended 45-minute walk was going to be a lot longer for me once I pulled out my camera.

Knowing myself, I dragged myself away so as to not spend the rest of the afternoon taking photos of the one waterfall. Meandering down the path it wasn’t long until we reached the holy grail of this watercourse – Liffey Falls.

They’re hard to see up close so we walked right down to the end of the path and tracked back up to see the full set of falls front on. The four sets of wide cascading falls spilling over distinct layers of fragmented sandstone are a photographer’s dream. Yes, these are big words that are thrown around a lot, but it truly is an enchanting place. 

I went so far as to take off my shoes and brave the freezing water barefoot – a wild move for a Far North Queensland bloke who absolutely hates the cold (I recently moved out of Brisbane partially because the winters are so cold). With numb legs at the base of the falls it felt like I was standing on a stage. Layers of sandstone rose like a grandstand, and small ferns watched on as I braved the icy waters and slid my way over slippery, mossy rocks to get a good shot.

Plans to live in the forest quickly evaporating in the face of icy water – cold is a dealbreaker

Eventually the adrenaline and my minuscule resilience to the cold wore off and I knew it was time to go. I packed up the tripod, skimmed my way back across the creek and onto dry land. I flicked through the hundreds of photos on the back of my camera in anticipation of being able to pull them up on Lightroom and go through them one by one.

This was my third visit to Tasmania and every time I think to myself how much I’d love to live here it wasn’t for the cold. The vast array of stunning places to see on such a small island baffles me.

Liffey Falls was a remarkable detour from our original plans, a testament to Tasmania and its surreal beauty that even a detour can turn into the main event.  

Liffey Falls Walk Tips

• As with anywhere in Tasmania, the weather can change quickly! Best to have a rain jacket ready whenever you’re out and about 
• The toilet block in the Upper Liffey Falls day use area might win the award for the foulest toilet in Australia. Try to find somewhere else to go before you arrive here (you’ll thank me…)
• Don’t miss out – there are four waterfalls along the track. Keep walking to the very end where you’ll find Victoria/Liffey Falls 
• There are viewing platforms along the track at each waterfall  
• The road into the top car park is unsealed and unsuitable for motorhomes and caravans. The Liffey Falls camping area is better suited to larger vehicles 
• Dogs and bikes aren’t permitted on the trail
• Free gas BBQs are available at the Upper Liffey Falls day use area – no camping allowed!

If the forest successfully enchants you to join her, you can return to cold hard reality by dipping a toe in the icy water

FAQs Liffey Falls Walk

Are Victoria Falls and Liffey Falls the same?

Yep. These names are used interchangeably but both represent the same water falling over the same rocks. Don’t go chasing waterfalls that don’t exist!

Can I take my dog to Liffey Falls?

No. No dogs are allowed on the Liffey Falls Walk.

Do I need a Parks Pass to visit Liffey Falls?

Nope. You can visit Liffey Falls State Reserve without a Parks Pass.