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A lone walker at the lookout over Liffey Falls, Liffey Falls State Reserve
Lookout over Liffey Falls (photograph: Geoffrey Lea)
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Liffey Falls State Reserve

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  • Barbecues
  • Camping
  • Parking
  • Picnic facilities
  • Short walk
  • Toilets
  • World Heritage Area

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About

Nestled in an area of cool, temperate rainforest, the Liffey Falls State Reserve is an easy one-hour drive from Launceston. The main attraction of the Reserve is Liffey Falls themselves, nevertheless you can also find spectacular tall trees, plentiful wildlife and numerous small walks within this scenic corner of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.  

There are two car parks to access Liffey Falls State Reserve, upper and lower with an adjoining walking track to Liffey Falls. 

The upper car park is where Liffey Falls Great Short Walk begins. You will also find shelters, information boards, picnic and barbecue facilities at this car park. A few minutes stroll from here, is the aptly named ‘Big Tree’ walk to a 50 metre tall gumtopped stringybark with a trunk diameter of more than 3 metres. The access road to the upper car park is not suitable for camper vans, buses, or caravans, visitors travelling via these modes will need to start their walk at the lower car park. 

The Lower car park and campgrounds is suitable for camper vans, buses, or caravans.  You can follow the longer walking track to Liffey Falls from here.  The walk follows the path of an original logging tramway, and provides beautiful glimpses of Dry’s Bluff – perhaps with a dusting of snow on top, if you time it right.  As you weave your way through the dense rainforest, the track opens up to meet a walking bridge as you traverse across the Liffey river. Take a moment or two on the sturdy bridges to enjoy the calming sound of the water flowing past. A walk along this track will encounter many stairs ​and take approximately 2-3 hours return.​

​This area is a real treat for birdwatchers, who can expect to see pink robins, green rosellas, and superb fairy wrens. Keep your eyes peeled for the unusual sight of a shy platypus or giant crayfish in the waters of the Liffey River. At dusk Tasmanian devils, quolls, bandicoots and wallabies come out to feed.

Water collected on the Great Western Tiers washes into the Liffey River. As it rushes downslope it erodes away the softer mudstone sediments exposing sandstone steps. These give rise to a series of cascades – there are four main falls within the reserve – culminating in Liffey Falls. 

Tiny marine fossils, found in the stones and rocks of the river, provide further evidence of the area’s fascinating geological history.

For more information on our wildlife please see Tasmania's wildlife.

Visit our caring for wildlife page for more information on interacting with and protecting our native animals.

For thousands of years, the area now known as Liffey Falls State Reserve acted as a meeting place for three groups of Tasmanian Aboriginals​ - Big River, North and North Midlands people. Sandstone overhangs provided shelter, and other local stone used for manufacturing tools.

In the 1900s, loggers came to the area to use the rich timber resource. William Page opened the first sawmill and by the end of World War II there were three sawmills operating here. The Liffey Falls Picnic Area was once a logging camp, and the industry continued until the 1960s.  

Liffey Falls State Reserve was included within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 1989 and 2013, in recognition of the globally significant values inherent within the region.

Buy a map from TasMap

​​​Upper car park

From Deloraine or Great Lake take the Highland Lakes Rd (A5) then turn off at the signpost onto Riversdale Rd (C513). Riverdale Road is unsuitable for larger vehicles including buses, caravans and motorhomes.

Lower car park and campground

Best accessed via Liffey township on Gulf Rd (which is also C513). This access is suitable for larger vehicles. 

The gravel road leading to Liffey Falls is steep and winding, with several sharp bends. The roads are used by logging trucks, take care and keep to the left on the road. 


Where possible, please avoid driving in our reserves at night. You are sharing the roads with our native wildlife, so take it slow and watch out for animals on the road.

​​​​No Parks Pass is required to visit Liffey Falls State Reserve.

The top car park via Riversdale Road is day use area only. Riversdale Road is an unsealed, narrow, winding road and is not accessible by buses, trailers or vans.

Free camping is available at the lower car park via Gulf Road. The Liffey Falls camping area is best accessed from the township of Liffey if you are driving a larger vehicle such as a motorhome or campervan.

The reserve is within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Free gas BBQs are provided at the Upper Liffey Falls day use area. Campfires are only permitted within the designated fireplaces at the Lower Liffey Falls camping area. ​

Bikes are not permitted on the trails. Dogs are not permitted within the reserve​.



​Find out other essential information for visiting Tasmania's parks and reserves on our know before you go section.

​​There are toilets with wheelchair access at the upper Liffey Falls car park. 

Experiences in Liffey Falls State Reserve

45 minute return, 2km, from the top car park, Grade 2

The Liffey Falls are the major attraction of the Liffey Falls State Reserve, located on a track that meanders through tall, wet eucalypt forest.

Liffey Falls State Reserve

Liffey Falls Walk

The Liffey Falls are the major attraction of the Liffey Falls State Reserve, located on a track that meanders through tall, wet eucalypt forest.

45 minute return, 2km, from the top car park, Grade 2
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