Tasmania’s
oldest national park,
Mount Field is only 80km from Hobart.
It is known for the famous
Russell Falls and its other beautiful waterfalls; its huge trees and
variable vegetation; and its skiing and snowboarding during the winter.
Here is some information about the park, its geology, plants and
animals, bushwalks and accommodation, and in the end of the page is a
map of the park.
Geology of Mt Field National Park
The lower slopes of Mount Field consist of limestone,
while higher up
there is dolerite – a typical rock in Tasmanian mountains which doesn’t
occur on Australian mainland. There is a basalt
dyke – intrusion in the
faulted dolerite
near Mt Bridges above Lake Seal. There is also some
extensive karst landscape in the park with many caves. But what is
quite rare in Australia, is the glacial past of Mount Field. The area
was covered in Permanent snow and glaciers during Pleistocene, and
today there are many remnants of the ice action such as moraines in the
Broad River Valley, the cirque walls above Lake Seal, and the tarns on
Tarn Shelf.
By AllPosters,
click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Plants of Mt Field National Park
Mount Field National Park is known for its huge trees and variable
vegetation. As in many national parks on higher altitudes, the
vegetation changes with the altitude. On the lower slopes, there is
open forest dominated by eucalypts
and Stringybarks. Higher
up is rainforest or mixed forest, and on the highest up are subalpine
woodlands dominated by snow gums. On the mountain tops are heathlands
and herbfields. An interesting fact is that the species richness in the
park increases with altitude. In the area around Russell Walls there
are humid rainforests and many mosses, and some giant trees.
By AllPosters,
click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Animals of Mt Field National Park
Many species of birds and animals have adapted to these conditions.
Animals include platupuses
and echidnas,
eastern quolls,
tasmanian
devils, possums,
wombats,
wallabies,
protoroos and
bandicoots. There are also some species of bats,
and some introduced animals
like rabbits and feral cats, but luckily Tasmania is free from dingoes
and red foxes. Birds
include cormorants and herons, black swans, different species of cockatoos
and parrots,
cuckoos, laughing kookaburras,
and many species of Australian
owls and diurnal birds
of prey.
By AllPosters,
click on thumbnail to
buy.
Short Walks in the Mt Field National Park
There are two main sections in the park: the first one is the Russell
Falls section near the park entrance, and the second one is the area
around Lake Dobson, where there are some long bushwalks and skiing
during the winter. The walks a round Russell Falls are called Great
Short Walks, and they include Lyrebird Nature Walk (15min return); walk
to Russell Falls (30 min return); Pandani Grove Circuit (1hr return),
and Tall Trees Walk, where you can see some of Tasmanian giant trees.
The Tall Trees Walk and Russell Falls Walk are the most popular.
By AllPosters,
click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Medium Walks and Tasmania Weather
There are some walks of medium length, like the walk to Seagers Lookout
(2hrs return), walk to Lake Nicholls (2hrs return), and a walk that
combines Russell Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Tall Trees Circuit and Lady
Barron Falls. Weather in Tasmania is very unpredictable, it can get
cold and rainy even during the summer, so bring warm clothes when you
go bushwalking in Tasmania any time of the year.
By AllPosters,
click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Long walks in the Mt Field National Park
In the Lake Dobson section, there are some long bushwalks: Mount Field
East via Lake Nicholls Circuit (5hrs+), a walk that combines Tarn Shelf
Circuit, Lake Newdegate, Twilight Tarn and Lake Webster (6hrs+), and
the Mount Field West - a long walk that takes more than 8 hours so you
may want to stop over the night.
By AllPosters,
click on
thumbnail to
buy.
Camping and Skiing in the Mt Field National Park
There is a camping area with caravan facilities near the park entrance.
In the more remote Lake Dobson section, there are some cabins where you
can stay over the night for a low cost. During the winter, the higher
areas in the Lake Dobson section on the slopes of Mt Mawson and Rodway
Range are popular for skiing and snowboarding.
By AllPosters,
click on thumbnail
to
buy.
Here's a map of Mt Field National Park
where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You
can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click
anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the
map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with
Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
Disclaimer: Although
best efforts have been made to ensure
that all the information on this site is correct,
gondwananet.com is not to be blamed should there be a mistake.
Copyright notice:
All contents of this website are strictly protected
by the Law of Copyright. What
does that mean?