Adamsons Falls: Epic Waterfall in Tasmania’s Far South

Hiker’s guide to reaching the 50 m tall Adamsons Falls in Tasmania’s wild far south region.

The Adamsons Falls hike is a wet, fairly challenging 6.8 km return 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 gem away from the crowds that will get your heart pumping, this is the one!

In this guide, I 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 will inspire you to get out and explore 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 km 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.

I've included detailed directions for exactly how to get here below.

Directions for Getting to the Trailhead

Due to the difficulty getting here, I have broken it down to make it easier to follow! Using this and the coordinates above you'll be able to reach the trailhead.

• Starting Point: Head towards "Hastings Caves & Thermal Springs."
• Turn Off: 1.7 km before the visitor centre on Hastings Caves Road, turn right onto an unsigned dirt road called Tughanah Road.
• Three-Way Fork: Follow Tughanah Road until you reach a three-way fork. Take the right fork onto Creekton Road (do not take the first right onto Facy Road).
• Creekton Road: Continue on Creekton Road for 3.6 km until you reach a T-intersection with a sign showing left for Adamsons Falls and right for Duckhole Lake. Turn left onto Coal Hill Road.
• Coal Hill Road: After 800 m on Coal Hill Road, the road splits into three. Take the middle road (the best-maintained one straight ahead).
• Final Stretch: Continue for another 1.4 km until you see a blue sign for Adamsons Falls.
• Parking Option: If you're driving a large vehicle, park on the corner just off the road here and walk the rest of the way. This will add 1.5 km to your hike however it is better than getting your car stuck.
• Alternative Parking: If your vehicle and conditions allow, turn down Chestermans Road and follow it for 1.5 km to the dedicated trailhead carpark. Note that this road is the roughest stretch, and while a 4WD is not necessary, it is advised by the Visitor Centre for this last section.

The Adamsons Falls Hike

• Hiking Distance: 6.8 km return (from the trailhead)
  Our distance: 9.8 km 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.

My Experience Hiking to Adamsons Falls

The beginning of 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 experience.

We found that in the first section, the track was very wide and fairly flat. This was a great warm-up because, after around 1 km the track 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.

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 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, and keep an eye out for Tiger snakes.

Approaching the Waterfall

The final push towards the waterfall enters a 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 m 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.

Finally Reaching the Waterfall

Adamsons Falls is an impressive, 50-metre waterfall cascading down a near-vertical dolerite wall within a dramatic temperate rainforest amphitheater. 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 that 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, 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.

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

I hope that you have found this hiking guide to Adamsons Falls in Tasmania useful for planning your hike.

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.

• 65 Epic Things to Do in Tasmania - My ultimate guide to exploring Tassie, complete with must-visit icons & hidden gems.
• Hikes in Tasmania - Discover 40+ of Tassie's best hiking trails, including short walks and long overnight treks!
• Waterfalls in Tasmania - A guide to 25+ of Tasmania's best waterfalls!
• Where to Stay in Tasmania - The ultimate accommodation guide to help your stops and places to stay.
• Best Tours & Experiences in Tasmania - This years' roundup of my favourite bookable tours & experiences across Tassie!