West Coast Tasmania
19.08.2017
With all the rain we have had in Tasmania recently, we decided to visit some of the waterfalls on the West Coast of Tasmania with our friends Brodie and Madeleine.
We packed the van on Friday and after we finished work we headed off for the weekend. Once we reached Tarraleah it started snowing, and we drove through the snow for the next few hours (very slowly as some points!) until we reached Donaghys lookout car park where we pulled up for the night, exhausted but looking forward to walking up to the lookout for sunrise. The next morning we got up early and walked up Donaghys lookout in the dark, nearing the top just as it was starting to get light. We had done the walk before but couldn't see much due to cloud, so you can imagine our excitement when we reached the top and could see a snow covered Frenchman's Cap towering over the valley. The lookout was frosty and we waited for the sun to rise and warm us up, bringing a golden glow to the valley below.
Next stop was Nelson Falls, and after cooking breakfast in the car park our friends arrived to meet us. Nelson Falls is a short 1km walk surrounded by beautiful rainforests. The waterfall itself was spectacular and we spent a while exploring around the rocks and getting wet from the mist coming from the waterfall. We continued along the Lyell Highway making a quick stop in Queenstown followed by lunch at Strahan, before taking a walk along Ocean Beach and exploring the endless sand dunes at Henty Dunes for sunset.
On Sunday we got up early and drove to the start of the Montezuma Falls track. The 8km walk follows an abandoned tramline through another beautiful rainforest to Montezuma Falls. Standing at 104m high, this waterfall is considered the highest in Tasmania and is definitely one of the most impressive. There is also a swing bridge which crosses the gorge and gives a full view of the waterfall and the river below. After playing around on the rocks, getting wet from the waterfall and taking plenty of photos, we headed back to the car for lunch before the long drive back home.
Photography by Lauren and Jack Sutton
