About Mathinna Falls
Mathinna Falls was an attractive waterfall that seemed to have a backcountry quality about it even though the walk to reach its base was fairly short. Technically, there were actually four waterfalls that comprised the overall Mathinna Falls ensemble, but the name generally referred to the last and most accessible waterfall of the group (pictured above). That main waterfall was said to be on the order of 20-25m tall. Julie and I did spot hard-to-see upper tiers of the falls during our latest excursion here in late November 2017, but with all the thick foliage covering the cliffs containing those waterfalls, some daring scrambling was necessary to even get a better and closer look of them.
Julie and I made a pair of visits – once in November 2006 and another time in November 2017. On each of our visits, the waterfall had similar flow so I’d imagine that the thick vegetation combined with appreciable rainfall collecting at the source of Delvin Creek maintained enough soil stability to sustain its apparently reliable flow. The presence of ferns suggested that the forest tended to receive a lot of rain, and even though the area had seen a fire or two (which was evident on our hike), there was enough life and growth in the area to mask out the dead trees and blackened trunks.
The track began from a primitive car park and picnic area at the end of the Mathinna Falls Rd (see directions below). The path immediately followed along Delvin Creek for pretty much the entire walking route. The terrain shifted from shady rainforest to more open lightly vegetated forest, and then it flipped back to thick vegetation as the gorge walls closed in on us right at the falls. The track narrowed and hugged the banks of Delvin Creek towards the end as the hike was a little rougher the closer to the falls we were. When we were close enough to see the falls, we had to do a little rock scrambling in order to get the most satisfying views from within the creek itself. The ruggedness of the final stretch of the hike hinted that rock slides might have occurred over the years between our visits because I swore that on our first visit here in late November 2006, we didn’t have nearly as much difficulty getting a clean look at the falls as we did on our second visit.
Anyways, the overall distance of the hike was on the order of 1.2km round trip, which took Julie and I about 45 minutes to complete. Although we were aware of the upper waterfalls, we didn’t attempt to reach them in either of our visits. Anecdotally, we’ve been told that doing the rough scramble to go higher could be done, but it was risky. We didn’t even know where to begin such a scramble, but if I had to guess, I recalled that at about 360m from the trailhead, there was a sign pointing the way to the falls as the trail bent to our right. That sign appeared to have concealed a faint and overgrown trail of use, and I suspected that any attempts to climb higher up the falls would start from back there.
Related Trip Reports
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...
The AGONY And The ECSTACY (Mathinna Falls) May 7, 2009 10:55 am - It bode ill. "I can't remember the last time it rained," the man in Devonport had said. And there I was looking forward to photographing waterfalls. Things change though; by the time I reached St. Helens two days later I listened to the news and they said Mathinna had had 52 mm. Fate had dealt… ...Read MoreNearest Waterfalls
