Lobster Falls
Mole Creek
Directions - Lobster Falls is located about halfway between Mole Creek and Deloraine. From either town, head along Mole Creek Road, eventually reaching a small sign on the northern side of the road. Park just off the road and look for the red trail marker leading into the forest along an old vehicle track.
The Hike - Lobster Falls was not on my hiking plans for this trip but a visit to the Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre changed that. They have a wealth of information about all the walking trails in the area, and many that didn't pop up during my research for the trip. Lobster Falls was one of those and apart from the intriguing name, it seemed like a fun hike that was close to where I was staying. Having enjoyed a hike at Meander Falls during the middle of the day, I still had a few hours of daylight to savour the last hiking day I had in Deloraine.
Popping Lobster Falls into the GPS, I was soon parked up on the side of the road and ready for another adventure on one of the thousands of waterfalls located in the hiking paradise that is Tasmania. As with most of these "everyday" hikes I've explored in Tassie, the start point is nothing to write home about but hides a lovely trail experience. In the mid afternoon sun providing some nice lighting, I headed off along the old vehicle track that is shared with the trail to start with. Having hiked mostly in temperate rainforest, beach forest and alpine landscapes so far on this trip, entering the dry sclerophyll forest was a nice change. Reminding me of home in Western Australia, the large trees provided a comforting scene as I left the vehicle track and started along the Lobster Falls Track. After a bit of a hill, the trail starts to descend to join the Lobster Rivulet. Hearing a rustle to my left, I looked quickly and saw a Tiger Snake exiting stage left, wanting no part in being my friend.
Reaching an open section of the forest right on a bend, this was turning out to be a pretty fun hike that I wasn't expecting much out of. The trail narrows a lot from here, as you walk down to the cliffs on the edge of Lobster Rivulet. With plenty of wildflowers about, I was enjoying just ambling about and taking plenty of photos. Arriving at a couple of wooden bridges, this is the start of where things get narrow and steep on either side. Rising up a set of stairs, the wide open spaces disappear and you get a tunnel of vegetation leading your eyes into the distance but not revealing too much. Spotting movement up ahead, a Bennett's Wallaby was right in the middle of the trail. It had seen me but didn't immediately hop away, giving me the opportunity to creep forward and get into position to take a better photo. It did eventually head off into the bushes, so I continued on, avoiding what I think was a moth larvae hanging from a spider web strand.
Descending further, I was on the lookout for the side trails leading down to the viewpoints of the falls. I had read there were two distinct side trails, with the first one being a bit dicey if things are wet and slippery. Starting to see more exposed rock lining the trail, this final section leading to the falls was fantastic to walk through. Spotting more wildflowers through here, I ducked and weaved around hanging branches, eventually reaching what looked like the first side trip down to the rivulet. It looked steep but manageable, with the final bit leading down to the edge of the water requiring some thought and planning to avoid slipping and losing my camera in the water. I managed to position myself with semi-stable footing on some rocks, getting some nice photos of the upper section of Lobster Falls, before slowly making my way back up the hill to explore the trail further. A little way down the trail there is a laminated sign telling you about the two options from here.
A side trail leads down to better access to the rivulet, and straight ahead is an overgrown and technical path leading down to the edge of a wide pool. Hoping to get one more walk in today, I decided that the easier option would be better, and followed the side trail as it headed downhill. Reaching a rocky section that juts out towards the rivulet, you get nice views looking up and down the valley, with the view downstream my favourite. A wide pool with a rocky face on one side, and towering forest leading downstream and around the corner, it was a highlight of the hike. You can make your way down the rockface and to the edge of the rivulet, for more views looking upstream, and down at the small rapids feeding the wide pool. After spending a good amount of time here, I headed back up the hill to start the journey back to the start. Loving the hike back, I was blessed with a friendly Black Cockatoo in close proximity, and as I reach the wider track, I kept up my reputation as the Taswegin echidna whisperer, coming across a spikey bush floof near the finish. What a lovely afternoon hike and one I was happy to have added to my itinerary.
Final Thoughts – Having not been on my list of hikes to visit before this trip, it was a nice surprise to find information on Lobster Falls, and then to schedule in a visit.
While compared to other hikes in the area like Liffey Falls or Meander Falls, it won't blow your socks off with stunning mountain scenery or lush temperate rainforest, but it is a solid trail that put a smile on my face.
With lots of these accessible and relatively easy hikes scattered throughout the Great Western Tiers, it's easy to spend a week here and explore them all, something I can definitely recommend doing if you have the time.
Lobster Falls is okay in my book and I really enjoyed my time here.
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