Hidden Falls

Saturday 21st June 2014

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls can be reached via a couple of different routes. One is from Twamley Road and the other one which I chose to walk is from Three Thumbs Lookout Road. To arrive at the start either drive via Orford or Copping along Wielangta Road to The Thumbs Lookout Road and up this to the start point. The drive via Copping is shorter but on gravel for a fair distance and I found that both ways take about the same time and the route via Orford is better.

Forestry Track

I started walking just after 0800 after a leisurely drive up. There was thick fog at home but it was clear around Hobart and came in again as I was approaching the Orford area. Thankfully it was quite clear at the walk start. There was the option of walking along the old forestry track or taking the "short cut" through the scrub on a lesser track. I opted for the road as I didn't want to get saturated from the wet foliage and decided to take the short cut on the way back when everything had hopefully dried out. I followed the road for almost 5.0 kms. before it ran out. It was mostly downhill all the way and there were some limited views along the way. The track was quite clear and made for easy walking.

Griffiths Rivulet

Upon reaching the end of the road there was no alternative but to take to the scrub. I climbed down quite steeply over rocks and through the scrub to Griffiths Rivulet. The scrub was not too bad and I availed myself of animal pads which made it a little easier. It took me 30" to make the descent. The rivulet was only flowing slightly so I knew then that there would not be much of a cascade at the falls. I had to be extremely careful crossing the stream as the rocks were super slippery. After crossing I climbed up steeply on the other side, up a ridge to another old disused forestry track. This was followed for about a kilometre as it went up and down a couple of times before I decided to leave the track and head for the falls. The walking here was quite open with some large gum trees and soon I was descending very steeply to the falls. I came out right at the base of the falls, and, as expected there was very little flow. That did not bother me as it was a nice spot anyway. After lunch I made the climb back up out of the rivulet and walked back towards the car. When I was about 3 kms. from the car I took the short cut and walked back to the start. This time I found the section of track that I missed when I walked the Three Thumbs Circuit. The track was initially dry but when I neared the car my pants became saturated. The "short cut" is not really a short cut as it takes longer to walk than the road and is only marginally shorter in distance but it is a break from the road walking.
Overall this was a good walk even though Hidden Falls was not flowing very much.
Distance: 13.3 kms.
Time: 5'38"
Ascent: 800 metres
Click here to download GPX track.

Griffiths Rivulet

Remains of weather balloon

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls

Cliffs at Hidden Falls

Looking across from track before descent to Griffiths Rivulet