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 basaltdyke – 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 website is written in 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.
