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How to Visit St Columba Falls in Pyengana, Tasmania

How to Visit St Columba Falls in Pyengana, Tasmania

Olly Gaspar

By Olly Gaspar, full-time traveler for 6 years. I visit every place I write about & share real tips, photos, & advice from my trips.

A detailed guide on how to reach this hidden 90 m rainforest waterfall in the Saint Columba State Reserve.

After being locked in our van for the past few days following what felt like endless rain, we were stoked to finally get out there again and start exploring.

The first port of call was St Columba Falls near Pyengana. This waterfall is one of Tasmania’s tallest waterfalls at over 90 m! After so much rain, we were ecstatic about the prospect of seeing it in full roar– and we weren’t disappointed!

Where Is St Columba Falls

The waterfall is located within the St Columba Falls State Reserve, near the small village of Pyengana. This is approximately 2 hours drive from Launceston or 1 hour from Bay of Fires.

While you can see the actual waterfall from the road, there is a short track leading to a viewing platform directly below the waterfall which is a must if visiting the falls.

The road leading to the waterfall trailhead is sealed the entire way and easily accessible. We got there in our big van without any trouble. However, the road is a little winding and narrow in some sections.

Map showing the location of st columba falls in tasmania

How to Get to St Columba Falls

Since there are no public transport options, this guide will focus on getting to St Columba Falls with your own means of transport.

You'll want to enter the pin above on your GPS or phone. This will take you on to "St Columba Falls Road", which is the only way in and out to the waterfall car park.

St columba falls from the road
Waterfall view from the carpark

From St Helens

If you're driving from St Helens, expect around 30 minutes of driving to reach the falls. To begin, take the Tasman Highway all the way until you see signs for "St Columba Falls Road" (C428). Follow this road for 15 minutes (11 km) before arriving at the waterfall car park.

From Launceston

From Launceston, expect a 2-hour drive to the falls, again following the Tasman Highway until you reach the turn-off on St Columba Falls Road.

The Falls Walk

  • Hiking Distance: 1.2 km return
  • Hike Duration: 20-30 minutes return
  • Difficulty: Easy

The St Columba Falls walk begins at the car park and winds down the valley crossing a short bridge, and finishes at a wide, wooden viewing platform just below the waterfall.

St columba falls walk

At the start of the walk, there is a small hut with information about colonial history and a little about the historic Pub in the Paddock (near Pyengana).

Hut on the st columbe falls walk

The walk to the waterfall is quite short and the ground is firm and well-graded. There is a slight incline on the way back up, but nothing to worry about for even the most unfit of us out there.

We enjoyed the walk to this epic waterfall as we found it very scenic. There were plenty of opportunities to stop and take photos of the river, bridge, forest of man ferns, and ancient myrtle rainforest trees.

Ferns on the st columba falls walk
Rainforest ferns and river at st columba falls state reserve
St columba falls walk

What to Expect at St Columba Falls

St Columba Falls Height: 90 m

Unsurprisingly, St Columba is considered one of Tasmania's tallest permanent waterfalls! What they mean by this is that it's running year-round, even without much rainfall. That's because the waterfall has a huge catchment area, 4200 hectares of it including Mt Victoria and Mt Albert.

Visiting after heavy rain meant that it was absolutely roaring when we arrived. It was difficult to even stand at the viewing platform without getting soaked!

Tip: Due to the dense rainforest in this area it is prone to leeches, especially after heavy rainfall. Wear long socks and pants to prevent leeches from finding their way to your skin.

St columba falls viewing platform

However, we were really happy we made the trip out to the waterfall following heavy rain since we were able to capture some unique photos showcasing the waterfall in all its glory!

St columba waterfall, tasmania

About The Hotel - The Pub in the Paddock

On the drive into the waterfall car park, you might have seen signs for the "Pub in the Paddock" hotel.

This is a historic hotel that dates back over 120 years to colonial times! In fact, the waterfall itself is named after the woman who built the pub when her boys found it while exploring the nearby rainforest.

Tasmanian rainforest

I hope that this quick guide to visiting St Columba Falls near Pyengana, Tasmania has been useful in planning your trip.

For more useful adventure guides and epic Tazzy travel inspiration, make sure to check out some of the other destinations throughout Tasmania covered in this blog.

Thanks for Reading

I’m Olly Gaspar, Australian adventure traveler and founder of We Seek Travel. Six years ago, I left home to travel full-time and started this website to share my journey. Today, it’s grown into one of the world’s largest free adventure travel resources, now supported by a team of passionate travelers writing travel guides to the places we visit.

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