Hiker’s guide to reaching Adamsons Falls in Tasmania’s wild far south region. Includes detailed, up-to-date information on how to get to the trailhead, track information and photos of the falls.
The Adamsons Falls waterfall hike is a wet, fairly challenging slog through wild, muddy terrain. It’s an adventure fit for those keen to earn views of one of Tasmania’s best waterfalls. If you’re after a hidden waterfall gem, this is the one!
In this guide, I’ll detail everything you need to know about the walk, including reliable information on which roads to take to get to the trailhead. I’ve also included a few photos from my visit that I hope will inspire you to get out and get a taste of Tassie’s Southwest National Park wilderness!
Where is Adamsons Falls
Adamsons Falls is located on the eastern edge of Southwest National Park, part of southern Tasmania's World Heritage Wilderness Area. While merely scraping the edge of this truly untamed wilderness, venturing out here is still not for the faint-hearted.
Adamsons Falls has a dedicated trailhead carpark close to the Duckhole Lake walk, accessible via Hastings (famous for the Hastings Caves and Hot Springs). The walking track trailhead is approximately 108 kilometres south of Hobart.
However, to get here, you will need to navigate a maze of unsealed roads with absolutely no phone reception. The pin below is accurate for the exact location of the falls, but following Google's directions will most likely get you lost.
Therefore, I've included detailed directions for exactly how to get here below.
How to Get to the Trailhead
As mentioned, the roads leading to the Adamsons Falls trailhead are unsealed and quite rocky. However, we did manage it without any problems in our big campervan.
The best way to get to the Adamsons Falls trailhead is to head towards "Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs". Just 1.7 kilometres before reaching the visitor centre on Hastings Caves Road, you'll see an unsigned dirt road on your right called Tughanah Road. Turn onto this road and follow it until you get to a three-way fork, where you will then need to take the right fork onto Creekton Road. (don't take the first right onto Facy Road).
- GPS Coordinates: 43°22'57.7"S 146°51'29.1"E
Follow Creekton Road for another 3.6 kilometres until you reach a T-intersection with a sign showing left for Adamsons Falls and right for Duckhole Lake. Obviously, you'll need to make a left turn here (Coal Hill Road). After roughly 800 metres on Coal Hill Road the road splits into three once again, take the middle road (the best-maintained one straight ahead). Then, continue for another 1.4 kilometres until you see another blue, clear sign for Adamsons Falls.
This is as far as we were willing to go in our big campervan so we parked on the corner here just off the road and walked the rest of the way. However, if your vehicle and conditions allow, you can turn down this road (Chestermans Road) and follow it for about 1.5 kilometres until you reach the dedicated trailhead carpark. This last road isn't too bad but definitely the worst road on the way. I wouldn't say that you require a 4WD but the guys at the Visitor Centre told me it was definitely advised for this last stretch.
Car Rentals in Tasmania
Unfortunately, the cost of bringing your own car on the Spirit of Tasmania has skyrocketed in recent years.
Now, it is usually cheaper to rent a car on arrival. I recommend using RentalCars.com in Tasmania to compare rates for different vehicles across dealerships.
(Rentals are limited in Tasmania so it's a good idea to book in advance).
Related: Is the Tahune Airwalk Worth It?
The Adamsons Falls Hike
- Hiking Distance: 6.8 kilometres return (from the trailhead)
Our distance: 9.8 kilometres from the Chesterman's Road/Coal Hill Road fork - Duration: 2.5 -3.5 hours return
Our time: 2 hours 45 minutes from the Chesterman's Road/Coal Hill Road fork - Elevation: 265 m total elevation gain (undulating)
370M for us - Difficulty: Fairly difficult (muddy, fallen trees everywhere)
Adamsons Falls is a waterfall that you really have to earn. It's a great adventure traversing plenty of ankle to knee-deep mud and hopping over and climbing under endless fallen trees. Of course, this hike isn't any run-off-the-mill day walk and should be approached only by experienced hikers and bushwalkers.
Weather also changes rapidly and unpredictably in this region of Tasmania. The relative remoteness and lack of phone reception also adds to the danger so make sure that you are prepared. I found that Maps.Me was fairly accurate for me when trying to stay on the trail, which in sections was often completely overgrown.
Below I'll provide a recap of my experience hiking the Adamsons Falls trail in Tasmania, which I hope will prove useful for you in planning your trip.
Starting the Walk to Adamsons Falls
The beginning of the Adamons Falls track begins from the wide cleared car park mentioned above. There is an old trail sign and tree debris everywhere, which gives a good indication of the lack of track maintenance you're about to expect.
We found that in the first section, the track was very wide and fairly flat. This was a great warm-up because, after around a kilometre, the track almost disappeared in front of us.
We noticed that there were loads of fallen trees almost all the way along the track. This included some absolute behemoths that we certainly wouldn't want to be caught under. There are some pink ribbons in the trees that are placed sporadically along Adamsons Falls track which helped us a little but I wouldn't say that you could rely on them.
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The Mud Begins
Just a few hundred metres further, the mud began. While there were stepping blocks placed along the track in some sections, we decided to just embrace it and waddled in. The mud got increasingly worse as we got close to the waterfall, with only short moments of respite between.
The track wasn't too steep but undulated a lot. It's really slow going and especially so following heavy rain. If you're hiking to Adamsons Falls in summer or spring, expect plenty of leeches to go with the mud.
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Approaching Adamsons Falls
The final push towards Adamsons Falls enters deep, lush rainforest that is incredibly scenic. Passing endless Myrtle trees ferns and gentle creeks, we continued to undulate up and down steep, slippery sections requiring the use of both our hands and feet.
We began to hear the waterfall just 100 metres before reaching it. The last climb was a rooty, muddy scramble, following pink ribbons through and under branches before popping out just below the wide, flat clearing beneath Adamons Falls.
Adamsons Falls Tasmania
Adamsons Falls is an impressive, 50-metre waterfall cascading down a near-vertical dolerite wall within a dramatic temperate rainforest amphitheatre. The waterfall plunges into a shallow pool below, which then snakes around a large rock and washes over the edge of yet another short drop.
As we first approached the waterfall, we felt a little disappointed as we mistook this last drop in front of us to be the main waterfall. However, this is just a small cascade which we broke out onto, making the main feature even more breathtaking!
We spent around half an hour trying to capture images of the waterfall as we struggled with the powerful spray tainting our lens elements with moisture. When we visited Adamsons Falls, there wasn't much of a spot to get out of the spray, so we quickly turned back and doubled back on our trail to the car park.
Don't miss nearby: Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs
Continuing On to Creekton Falls
Apparently, there was once a trail connecting Adamsons Falls to Creekton Falls, which appeared to commence from the right side of the falls. However, we tried to make our way to investigate and found that this track was completely reclaimed by nature. Finding the way was literally impossible without route knowledge and there were no ribbons to mark the direction
Where to Stay Near Hastings
- Oyster Shack - This incredible lodge is the closest accommodation to Hastings Caves. Located in Hastings, the Oyster Shack is also the best-rated lodge in Southern Tasmania, featuring a fully-equipped kitchen, fireplace and views of the ocean.
- Ashdowns of Dover - One of the best bed and breakfasts in the area is Ashdowns of Dover, just a short drive from Hastings. This place has some of the best reviews in the area, with guests raving about the breakfast (poached eggs are a favourite).
- Southern Forest Accommodation - Located in nearby Southport is a beautiful cottage in the southern forests. This stunningly beautiful place is quiet and features a pretty garden, lovely forest, abundant birdlife and pademelons at your doorstep.
More Tasmanian Waterfalls, Hikes and Attractions
I hope that you have found this hiking guide to Adamsons Falls in Tasmania useful for planning your walk. For more free adventure travel guides including the best hikes, waterafalls and attractions in Tasmania, make sure to check out some others on my blog.