13 November 2012

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This morning we headed south-west and stopped at Ellendale which is a picturesque little village nestled in the foothills of Mt Field East in the Derwent Valley.

We then moved onto Russell Falls at Mt Field National Park which I was pretty excited about as it had been my favourite spot in Tassie when I was last here. Near the Visitor’s Centre there are plenty of picnic areas set amongst the forest and we had some lunch before heading out for a hike.

The starting point at the Visitor’s Centre gives you various options for the walking trails. From long and arduous to short and sweet there is something for everyone and this extraordinary spot is not to be missed.

We made our way along the path next to a small stream and the most gorgeous ferns and forest imaginable before reaching Russell Falls. This is something to behold and from all that I have seen this year I can honestly say this is ‘the’ best spot in Australia. The Falls are picture perfect and it is as though you are looking at a painting of paradise. Horseshoe Falls was just up the path and we stopped there before taking a longer walk out into the forest where we saw wallabies enjoying an afternoon bite to eat.

There are fantastic camping grounds with powered sites close by the Visitor's Centre and we decided it was such a magnificent place that we would stay the night. After dark we had a tip to head back up near Russell Falls to see the glow worms. The nocturnal creatures of the night, namely wallabies and possums, were scattered over all the clearings we passed and they did not seem to mind human presence. We walked up the path and soon come across the phenomenon that is the glow worm. It is not like you are seeing a glow stick amongst the ferns but once we turned off the torch and let our eyes adjust we saw the little creatures going about their business.

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