About Waratah Falls
Waratah Falls was the feature waterfall in the town of Waratah, which was built right above its brink in an area said to have one of the wettest and coldest climates in Tasmania. So perhaps it shouldn’t have been so surprising to Julie and I that we saw the waterfall flowing as well as it did on both of our visits – once in late November 2006 and then in early December 2017. During our visits, we also saw a relic of the Dudley Kenworthy waterwheel just upstream from the waterfall. From an interpretive sign, we read that this was the site of first industrial use of hydroelectric power in Australia in 1883, which followed after the town was renamed from Mount Bischoff to Waratah. Power from the Waratah River was used to free up tin ore from its host rock while also incidentally providing street and building lighting in town.
We managed to experience the waterfall in two different ways. The first and easiest way was from an overlook on Main Street west of the Waratah River, where we got the view you see pictured above. From this vantage point, we were able to have a sweeping view of the waterfall plunging over a basalt face with blooming wildflowers lining the foreground and the town perched atop the cliffs in the background. We also noticed that there was what appeared to be a track that descended to the bottom of the falls on the opposite cliff across the river.
That led us to the second way we experienced Waratah Falls, which was by accessing the base of the waterfall after driving about 600m to the park by Annie Street then doing about a 400m walk. Along the track, I took the signed spur path to the left after 130m or so (going away from what appeared to be some kind of power substation behind fencing further on), then the gravel track descended amongst wildflowers and shrubs (some were carrying berries) before arriving at the rocky and misty bottom of the falls. Keeping to the hydroelectric theme, I noticed a floodlight pole pointed right at the waterfall so I’d imagine that it would be floodlit at night.
After having my fill of the bottom of Waratah Falls, I then walked back up to the parked car. During the ascent, I noticed a denuded mountain back across the river further downstream, which I’d imagine was Mt Bischoff and ultimately the Mt Bischoff mine. When I got back to the car, I had only spent about 20 minutes away from it.
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