July 4, 2019
Harridge Falls is one of Tasmania’s lesser know waterfalls as it has no parking area or formed path to reach it. Found via a wonderful website https://waterfallsoftasmania.com.au/ , it is located about 6km West of Weldborough and only 200m off the Tasman Highway. However, to reach the falls you have to find the entry point to an old 4WD track (which is no longer usable due to fallen trees) and then find the entry point to the bush path heading down the hill. We took a wrong turn first and headed down the old track to find that the walking path was marked quite close to our car!
The path in places is marked with pink or yellow tape placed by previous walkers, and in other areas you have to follow the path where the ferns have been chopped aside to make way; a couple o times it was a little unclear but a wrong turn will soon pt you into impenetrable bush. On the way back we did lose the path close to the top but just scrambled p the bank to the highway to find we were only 100m from the car!
Pink ribbons to mark the way
While only 200m from the highway in a straight line the path is probably about 500m or more as you descend via a few small gullies and a little zig-zagging down the hill. Finally, you come in sight of the Weld River and the falls themselves. You are always aware of the noise from the falls, even back at the highway, especially when we were there as we had a rainy period over the previous week or more.
Weld River above Harridge Falls
We were unable to get to the bottom of the falls but more intrepid walkers (and younger?) were probably cold as I have seen a photograph taken from below. Keith did venture as far along the side as it was safe to go to get the image at the top but it was all quite spectacular as it was. Below: The view downstream from the top.
Once again we found many fungi growing along the way and the very intense growth of mosses on the ferns and smaller trees that is typical of Tasmanian Rainforest, here is a selection:
