Tasmania's best shady summer walks
When the sun is blazing, Tassie’s forests and fern gullies offer perfect natural air-conditioning.
Tasmania’s forests have a natural way of keeping things cool, offering canopy-covered trails, trickling creeks and fern-filled gullies that feel like nature’s own air-conditioning.
From the mossy magic of Liffey Falls to the goblin-green rainforest of the Blue Tier, these shady walks are proof you don’t need to hit the beach to escape the summer heat.
We’ve rounded up some of the state’s best cool-climate strolls, with local experts sharing their favourite tracks and top tips for staying safe on the trail.
Credit: Mauricio E. Mozo
Liffey Falls Walk
45 minutes return, 2km (from the top car park)
SUITABLE FOR: Most ages. Occasional hills and steps.
Meander past numerous waterfalls within the mossy, shady forest of the Liffey Falls State Reserve. There are two walking tracks to the falls: the main one from the top car park and a longer, less well-formed one from the lower car park.
For something more adventurous, try the 9.5km Liffey River Track within the same reserve. It comes recommended by Dr John Ralph, director of Ascent Fitness in Launceston, who walks every day, hikes every weekend and trains others in walking.
“I think that the Liffey River Track is one of the great gems that we’ve got up in the north,” says John. “It starts at the car park above Liffey Falls and can go right through to the high point of the Highland Lakes Road. The first half would be under good shade, and the Liffey River is just your constant companion, so it’s quite lovely.”
- Parking, barbecues, picnic facilities
- Toilet
- Wilderness World Heritage area
Notley Fern Gorge
45 minutes, 1.5km
SUITABLE FOR: Walkers with moderate fitness.
Just a 30-minute drive north-west of Launceston, the Notley track takes you through wet sclerophyll forest with mosses and ferns and a shaded picnic area. “It’s a really short walk and is all in the forest,” says John.
The state reserve is known for Brady’s Tree, a burnt-out tree named for the infamous bushranger Matthew Brady who is said to have hidden out with his gang in this forest. The walk features several creek crosses and steady climb uphill on the way back.
- Barbecue facilities
Goblin Forest Walk
20-minute circuit, 400m circuit
SUITABLE FOR: Everyone, no bushwalking experience required. Suitable for wheelchair users who have someone to assist them.
This delightful walk high in the rainforest of the Blue Tier Regional Reserve can have you feeling like you’ve stepped into a secret fairy forest. It’s an easy, short walk that also features tin-mining relics and interpretive panels about local personalities.
“It’s a nice little walk to do,” John says, “And what’s fantastic is that it’s also chair accessible.”
The walk now has passing bays and a new decking system to improve wheelchair users’ experiences. In 1994, the walk was dedicated to Clarence Strochnetter for his important work raising awareness for people with disabilities.
- Toilet
- Dogs on leads
Waterfall Bay
1-1.5 hours return, 3.4km return
SUITABLE FOR: Those with some bushwalking experience. Supervise children carefully; hazardous cliff lookouts.
This walk tops Jo Cordell’s list of recommended shady walks in Tasmania. Jo is a women’s personal trainer, fitness specialist and health coach in Hobart. In her business, JoCC Holistic PT, she regularly takes women on day walks and multi-day walks.
“Waterfall Bay is probably my favourite short walk,” she enthuses. “It is shady, and the views are amazing. There are natural water courses, and it’s just incredibly easy to get to, yet it feels a million miles away from busy life.”
Those views include the wide ocean, gulches, arches and maybe even whales or seals.
Wellington Falls
4-5 hours
SUITABLE FOR: Steady, experienced walkers.
Feel the temperature drop and see the flora change as you climb Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, where there are various shady, fern-lined walks to choose from.
There’s the pretty Silver Falls loop (1.7km return from Fern Tree), the lovely, mostly flat Pipeline Track (up to 12.7km and great for kids on bikes), and the 2km Myrtle Gully Falls Track that begins up Old Farm Road, behind the Cascade Brewery (which can get steep in parts).
Jo’s favourite on the mountain is the walk from The Springs to Wellington Falls, which is mostly shady (apart from a very exposed section clambering over boulders known as the potato fields).
“You’ve got the shade most of the day, and at the end you can sit right down by the waterfall and pop your feet in the water,” she says. “It’s a nice spot to have your lunch.”
- Toilet
- Cafe at The Springs
Pandani Grove
30-40 minutes, 1.5km circuit
SUITABLE FOR: Most ages and stages.
This very special walk takes you through groves of ancient-looking endemic pandani and pencil pines. At around 1000m above sea, it’s an easy, mostly shaded walk with scenery that changes often.
Also in Mt Field National Park, the Russell Falls Walk is a sealed track through tall cool-temperate rainforest trees and giant ferns to multi-tiered falls.
- Toilet
- A shelter at the carpark
- World Heritage Area
- Possible platypus sightings
Credit: Stu Gibson
Franklin Nature Trail
25 minutes return, 1km circuit
SUITABLE FOR: Everyone; wheelchair accessible for users with someone to assist them.
This perfect little walk is a revitalising pit stop en route from east to west (or vice versa). You’re in beautiful, mossy, cool-temperate rainforest the whole way, with a flat track and boardwalks taking you through a variety of ferns as well as myrtle, leatherwood and more before you set eyes on the mighty Franklin.
- See the famous Franklin River up close
- World Heritage Area
- Toilet
- Parking
Safety tips from Dr John Ralph for walking in warmer weather
Make sure you’re hydrated before you start. Have a bottle of water ready to grab while you’re walking or a bladder pack in your pack with the hose that comes out. If you’ve got it available to you all the time, you’re more likely to be hydrating constantly.
Bear in mind that your extremities dry out first, so if you start to feel that your lips are really dry, you’re already starting to dehydrate.
Follow all of the sun safety recommendations.
Wet a cloth as an extra cooling element for the back of your neck.
Have extra water and electrolyte replacement in the car so that you’ll be able to rehydrate there.