Staying close to home, Forth Falls Creek, Lake Barrington

[Davo1]

To darn hot and risky to go anywhere else at the moment.
5 pics of a pleasant stroll at Lake Barrington.

[vagrom]

Utterly, utterly beautiful. True Tassie scenery.

[corvus]

Very nice Davo1
corvus

[Davo1]

Thanks.

[taswegian]

Agree. Great images.
You almost sound apologetic for only going there

When I was a kid we'd venture down there for a wander about. Not so easy now.

[Davo1]

When I was a kid we'd venture down there for a wander about. Not so easy now.

Be kids heaven. Not bad for grown ups either.
I like it like this, with a bit less water you get to see more.
Some I have spoken to tell me of days prior to the dam being there and it must have been amazing.
Everytime I visit and see something different I just shake my head and say " How lucky are we to have the likes of this and other attractions right under our noses?" Not that anyone on this site needs reminding of that.
This trip, the wife even seen a big ol' trout getting a suntan, just where the last fall goes into the dam.
Starting to waffle, thanks for looking at the pics, hooroo....

[waterfallman]

Hi all. My partner & i have just done the walk in to Forth Falls. Jan 3rd 2013. (Lower falls only). Beautiful! Was talking to an older woman from Latrobe, who tells me that there were actually 7 falls there before the creation of Lake Barrington. I scrambled down the rocky gully and saw 1 definite other, where the creek vertically entered the lake. (I call this one "Bottom Falls"). Now, about halfway between the listed "Lower Falls" and the "Bottom falls", there was 1 other possible Falls. Water was a bit low, due to summer, but with more flow, this could qualify for a decent 1.5m drop. So, including the "Upper Falls" (which we didnt attempt, due to tiredness and lack of time) that makes 4. Track critique: Harder than it looks for the distance. !st 900m not bad. Dangerous unrailed drops. Narrow in spots with crumbly edges. Heavily overgrown with prickly vegetation. Large trees down & big holes to cross. Steep ascents/Descents with slippery leaf cover. Stone steps (While most welcome) were uneven and erratic. We are late 50's mid 60's. Not regular walkers, but love trying. If you are like us, I recommend not doing this after mid-day, if the air temp is over 28deg. It can be quite taxing. I also recommend not taking young children in. (Say 8yo or younger). They tend to run on & could slip & be over the drops in a flash! We took 1hr 10min in, 45min rest, & 1hr 10min out. A magic place though.
Does anyone know with reasonable accuracy where the original 7 falls were located? How do they match up with those there now?

[waterfallman]

A few pics from that walk..

[waterfallman]

Forth Falls track Overview..

[Davo1]

Waterfallman,
re: forth falls etc.
From the dam to the cleared farmland there is only the three, Upper, Lower and where you seen it going into the dam.
There are many cascades but not what I would call falls. For instance the spot where you have marked falls??? above the upper falls is a cascade of about 2ft, strewth whats that in mts? 60cm....
The rest, and I also have been told seven all up would be, you guessed it, in the dam.
Maybe there are more out on the private farmland?
As far as the walk in is concerned, it has slowly been deteriorating for a number of years and the bit that is crumbly and narrow at the high point is the result of a rather tree that came down a number of years ago.
If you do eventually one day make it to the Upper Falls I would suggest that you go no further up the creek as the effort for result will probably not be appreciated. A nice walk but not as well laid out as the track in to the falls.
Anyway that is my take on it but I am sure there are plenty of others more qualified to comment than I.
Davo1

[waterfallman]

Thanks Davo.. Much appreciated. Yes, 2ft hardly qualifies for a decent waterfall does it. lol. And yes, I will limit my walking to the upper falls only.
I also have a feeling an old relative of my partner may have a few pics of some of the original Forth Falls. If I can find em, I'll post them.
Cheers.

[walkinTas]

Nice stuff Davo and waterfallman. I hope you do find those photos it would be good to see ALL seven falls.

So the conclusion here is that there are three falls above the dam and one at the dam??

[Davo1]

Hi walkinTas,
My take on it is that there are three including the one going into the dam as I would classify the other as a cascade.
I suppose it all hinges on what you determine as criteria to differentiate between the two
Yes it would be nice to see those old pics.
Good pics from down south, I'm not going to tell you how long it is since I have been down there, you might laugh. It's a bid sad really, going to have to remedy that.
Cheers

[taswegian]

Some old slides, unfortunately not best quality, but shows what it was like pre dam.

Car park

Clearing under way

moderate flood

First fall

Second fall

[taswegian]

Second fall

I think the order is correct - others may chip in and correct if needed please.

here's one from National Archives http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an21697618-184
I'm not sure if this breaks rules?

nla.pic-an21697618-184-v.jpg (74.55 KiB) Viewed 17481 times

[Davo1]

How goods the memory Richard - where was the carpark? At the bottom of the valley?
Great pics, thanks.

[taswegian]

Yes car park at floor of the valley.
Image below shows road into falls area from bridge downstream.

2" to Mile Sheffield C map 1953