Quaile Falls

[taswegian]

Finished job early so decided to check out local scenery.
Bull Creek was so low I decided to give that a miss and opted for Quaile Falls.

Might not look it, but this is on private land.

It was very dry and quite hot but a beautiful day.

This left me wondering if it would be worthwhile

I was surprised how overgrown the track was in places and unless it gets some pruning will be overgrown in a few years.
Some old track markers exist and an odd bit of blue and some faded yellow/green tape as well.

one of several faded markers

Its an easy walk but the last short section from top to bottom of falls is poorly marked and steep and overgrown.

If anyone contemplates this and they have children then it's pretty hazardous at the top of the falls and also the climb down could be interesting.

a sudden drop with little warning

view down the valley

I was taken by the stands of Native Pepper, and Waratah. A short section of each.

A showy Waratah

[taswegian]

The myrtle forest is quite open with a good mix of Celery and Sassafras. Very beautiful with the sun filtering down through it.
Then of course so are the falls.
Even in low flow they are stunning.

truly magnificent spot. I just soaked up the solitude

The log across the bottom of photo had been squared with an axe. Not sure where it had come from.

There was an abundance of large woody fungi, all sizes and colours. Not sure what they are called.

cobwebs were everywhere and head high too!

[taswegian]

more fungi

view from top

from below, like velvet

The sign at start says 90 minutes return.
That is rushing things and if you want to see things and take photos then allow 2 hours or more.

I'd love to have climbed into the area below the top fall but on my own didn't think I'd try.
The trip down to the bottom fall would be pretty hairy in the wet.
It was slippery enough coming back up and the stinging nettle didn't help much either.

Another very beautiful part of our great outdoors.

[corvus]

Fungi
no 1 Cyttarie gunnie, common name I think Myrtle Orange (some say Edible)

no2 Ganoderma applantum ( Bracket Fungi) their age can be determined by counting the growth zones I believe.

Nice pics and what a nice area and weather to do a "survey"
corvus

[DaveNoble]

Fungi
no 1 Cyttarie gunnie, common name I think Myrtle Orange (some say Edible)

corvus

Yes - see this thread -

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=114

Also found in New Zealand, where it is known as "Beech Strawberry Fungus"

Dave

[taswegian]

Thanks for information on fungi.
I see one of our members actually ate some several years back and is still reporting here.
Hasn't persuaded me to indulge though.
Yes Corvus, sometimes the job is just too much to bear. All that nature. Wouldn't swap for quids.,

[Davo1]

Taswegian,
It really is a precious spot, 9 years since last visit and it hasn't gotten any easier on the way down to the bottom
Here is a few more pics, don't really know why I bothered today, had a s^& of a time with an older camera, operator not camera - one day I'll learn how to use one properly.
There are a few of the small falls above Quaile as well, hope you enjoy.

By the way if anyone happens to be in there and finds a pair of pig skin roping gloves on the track, put them in your pack and keep them as they sure are comfortable. Yeh, I know, I need a slap to wake me up, took them off to take a photo and left them there.

[Davo1]

A couple more pics

[taswegian]

Glad you made it Davo.
Looks like the water flow very similar to when I was there.
Reckon that storm we had recently topped it up a bit.
Yes - sure is a special spot. Just begs to be photographed.
I just sat for about 1/2 hour gazing up at the falls and soaked it all in.

[FantasyFalls]

Wow the photos look incredible! I actually drove past yesterday on our way to Cradle and thought we would have a look on the way back however we ran out of time and I was a little put off by the sign saying it is private property and we need to get permission first!
I also wasn't totally sure who I would need to contact to get permission, where the track starts, if you have to drive up the gravel road very far and if the road is more suited to a 4wD? If anyone has any info please let me know as I'm very keen after seeing these photos!

[Nic Haygarth]

Just made a trip into Quaile Falls, my first in many years. The road leaves the Cradle Mountain Road just before the cattle grid at Middlesex Plains, and is easily passable in a 2WD, just follow the signs until you reach a sign that says 'Track 90 minutes return'. The track is in good shape, and it is well worth checking out the very pretty cascades well above the falls. You can see the cascades within a few minutes of leaving the car. A fair amount of water at the moment. Are Quaile Falls the most spectacular of Tasmania's high falls? Must be close. Couple of photos attached.

[Davo1]

Looking good at the moment Richard
Rained like you wouldn't believe this morning but it was worth it.

[tibboh]

very noice

[MickyB]

Great photo Davo1. They look spectacular.

[taswegian]

Don't rub it in Davo1!
It was more than on my mind when I was up there Monday, but my offsider who had to get back to another job.
I did get to see some bush but not that part.
Agree. It looks very nice thanks.

PS Did you find your gloves?

Nic H, I'd reckon those falls would have to rank amongst the most beautiful I've seen in Tasmania.

[FreeHiker]

beautiful shots, can't wait for my next hike!

[Davo1]

Nah mate, I reckon the gloves are long gone

[iandsmith]

Wow, never heard of them, thanks for sharing. Cheers, Ian

[vagrom]

See Haygarth's book "On the Road to Cradle" (1994) pp 22-23. Brings the whole region to life. Also, Vale of Belvoir. Cannon has just noted their annual open day. Besiide the Penguin to Cradle Track.

[caedencekuepper]

Went to Quaile Falls yesterday. There is a big "No Trespassing" sign right by the start of the road, as well as one just under the sign for the falls. Not sure if we would be able to go in, we drove to Cradle Mountain and asked a nice guy at the information centre about it. He said that he had done the walk couple of years ago, and it shouldn't be a problem.
Encouraged by his words, we decided to check it out. The road in is pretty rough, but only a couple of kilometres long and definitely doable in a 2WD.

The walk in was pretty well marked to the top of the falls, but much harder from there. The track actually appears to end at the top, and you have to walk left and travel around the clifftops before you rediscover it. The track down was very steep, and quite hard to follow, but as long as you keep the water within earshot you should be fine. As you approach the base of the falls, there is a hard-to-spot trail that leads to the bottom of the main drop, where the view is quite spectacular.

Quaile Falls itself was beautiful, even in low flow. The sheer amount of moss around the falls was quite amazing. I would guess the height to be about 60 metres in total.

[Nuts]

Nice down there.

It's a bit concerning that there are shows to limit access?
Are they on the Middlesex Plains allotments? (edit: the falls don't appear to be so it's just road access from the north?)


(Parks service shouldn't really give any implied permission for private land access but anyway..)
There are some lovely pics here!

[caedencekuepper]

It's a bit concerning that there are shows to limit access?

Mmm, yes. I'm not sure how long the signs have been there, but they didn't look brand new. I forgot to mention this but one of the signs said that you needed permission to get in, although we weren't sure who you supposed to ask!

It's a shame that owners aren't wanting people to go to these places, although I can understand why, with all that liability stuff. I suppose that some clueless tourist could go in there and fall off a cliff or something and sue the owners. It's a bit of a shame that the waterfall wasn't put into the national park, certainly deserved to be.

[MickyB]

It's a shame that owners aren't wanting people to go to these places, although I can understand why, with all that liability stuff. I suppose that some clueless tourist could go in there and fall off a cliff or something and sue the owners.

There are also the idiots that go into these places and leave rubbish, have campfires, destroy vegetation etc etc. They can ruin it for a lot of people.

Great photos caedencekuepper . Looks like a great waterfall.

[Nuts]

Yeah, lots of travelers sniffing around for campsites in that area. The properties sold (or went up for sale) in 2010/11 (iirc) but the falls aren't on private land.

I'm pretty sure the owner details are public knowledge (fair point abt liability but result will likely be found to be 'unsurprising').

[iandsmith]

Wow, fascinating. Thanks for sharing, very interesting from here.