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Big Tree Walk, Styx Valley
Big Tree Walk, Styx Valley (photograph: Craig Vertigan)
World Heritage Area logo

Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area

Find out more

FeaturesExpand/Collapse

  • Fishing
  • Parking
  • Toilets

ContactExpand/Collapse

  • Mount Field Visitor Centre
    66 Lake Dobson Rd
    National Park TAS 7140
    Phone: 03 6288 1149
    Email: MtField@parks.tas.gov.au

    ​Visitor centre opening hours
    Open 7 days
    9am - 5pm 1 December to 30 April 
    9am - 4pm 1 May to 31 October 
    9am - 4.30pm November

About

​A visit to the Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area is not complete without seeing the towering Eucalyptus regnans, also known as giant ash, which give the reserve its name. It's not just their height, with numerous species measuring over 90 metres, but the girth of these remarkable trees which render them among the largest and tallest eucalypts on the planet. They played a significant role in Tasmania's controversial environmental history and after a bitter campaign were added to the forest reserve system in 2013.

The Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area now protects these iconic trees and visitors are continually enchanted by the powerful individual titles bestowed on the Chapel Tree, Firebird Wonder, Gandalf's Staff, Icarus Dream and Two Towers.

The reserve's proximity to ​Mount Field National Park make it an ideal side trip.

There are several signposted walks which enable visitors to appreciate the forest giants and the enchanting landscape that supports them. 

For those with a keen interest in trout fishing, please see the Inland Fisheries Service website​​ for more information on where to go and freshwater fishing licence​ requirements. Please check allowed angling method​ rules for a specific water.

Short walks

Styx Rivers Walk ​

A 200 metre stroll by the Styx Bridge at the confluence of the Styx and South Styx rivers.

Big Tree Reserve 

A well-developed boardwalk with a viewing platform and a toilet. The easy grade path wanders among towering giants for 700 metres.

Lush rainforest and wild rivers constitute the area but it’s the towering forest giants, among the largest and tallest eucalypts on earth, that dominate the landscape.  Some are more than 500 years old, more than 20 metres in girth and stand taller than 90 metres.  

These remarkable forest giants are aptly named ​giant ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest hardwoods and tallest flowering plants on earth and many have earned legendary titles.

The 'Devil's Pitchfork' is an awesome sight, vaulting out of myrtle beech understory. At 20 metres it splits into three trunks. Its GPS reading is reputedly 666, the devil’s number. 

Another giant ash is called the Chapel Tree and is said to be able to accommodate a large group of people in the hollow of it's trunk.

Coupled with an understorey of myrtles, giant ferns and laurels, ​the giants of the Styx constitute one of the world’s most carbon dense forests.

The lifeblood of the Styx forest is the Styx River. Its dark colour, not unlike black tea, is stained by the fields of button grass upstream.

Platypus and native water rats can be in and around the river while pygmy possums, owls and bats are high above. Black cockatoos nest in large hollows that develop in the crooks of giant ash branches.

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.

Tasmania’s first people, the Palawa, were known to inhabit or at least pass through the temperate rainforest around the Styx River.

For much of the 20th century, the Styx Valley was designated as part of Australian News Mills pulpwood concession during which time there was a prolonged environmental debate over logging. Despite the area being closed to the public until the late 1990s, protests highlighting forest protection and sustainability attracted global attention.

Ultimately, the Styx Valley was among the old growth forests added to the reserve system in the Tasmanian World Wilderness Heritage Area in 2013. 

Buy a map from TasMap

The Styx River Conservation Area is a two-hour drive from Hobart and 45 minutes from Mount Field National Park.

Drive to Maydena on the B61 and turn on to Styx Road. Follow the signs to the Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area.

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.

​The reserve is in an isolated area. The last stop for fuel and basic food supplies​ is Westerway, open all year round.  

Please be aware that the Styx River Road road still carries large logging trucks.​

The Styx Road, East of the Big Tree Reserve ​and heading towards Karanja, crosses private property. It may be closed at any time and without notice.

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

​The reserve is in an isolated area with a moderate to high rainfall.  Dress appropriately in sturdy footwear and carry wet weather gear. There is no mobile phone coverage.

The area is accessible to 2WD vehicles but roads in the area are gravel and can be slippery. Beware of potholes, corrugations and other hazards particularly after snow.

Experiences in Styx Tall Trees Conservation Area

Fishing on the rocks at Friendly Beaches, Freycinet National Park

Tasmania has a wealth of excellent inland and ocean fishing locations where you can cast your line.

Statewide

Fishing

Tasmania has a wealth of excellent inland and ocean fishing locations where you can cast your line.

Read more