The Meander Falls and Split Rock Tracks are hidden gems offering quintessential Tasmiania scenery without the crowds, and were one of the highlights of my trip to Tasmania in 2019.
This relatively unknown circuit walk to Meander Falls ended up being the highlight of my trip to Tasmania in 2019. Perhaps not quite as spectacular as the walks we did in Cradle Mountain National Park, it nevertheless provided a remote and impressive bushwalking experience that exceeded expectations (which I have now built up for you! 🙂 ) . And despite walking on a weekend, we met just one or two groups along the way, so it remains underappreciated. Lucky for us at least. Expect beautiful forest and rivers, impressive waterfalls, cliffs, and boulders galore. Very Tasmanian.
Sophia ascends through beech forest near the start. Lots of cool fungi in Tasmania. Lots of mossy rocks on this walk. The Upper Meander River. The Upper Meander River. Mixed forest here. I was loving these lush growths on the trees. First look at the Meander Falls. Meander Falls Loved the mottled trunks. Meander Falls; at least the lower section. Difficult to photograph well from this angle of course. Meander Falls again. The pool below Meander Falls. We had lunch here. We climbed up to have a look at the valley. The track was sparsely marked through the forest and then it was easy boulder hopping to climb higher. The Upper Meander Valley. Boulder hopping our way along the Split Rock Route. There were cairns marking the way. You’ll have to look out for them as you go, but they are there. Upper Meander Valley The Upper Meander Valley. I loved boulder hopping through this section. It was like I had springs on my feet. (The photo is looking back towards where we came from). Looking up at Bastion Bluff. Over the saddle and back into boulders as we approach another section of forest. Notice the rainbow to the right – there’s a close up picture coming up (I actually took multiple photos, of course). A distant mountain viewed over a boulder field. I haven’t really looked into which mountain this was, but it looks like a worthwhile target for next time. There was an excellent rainbow out. Bastion Bluff A cave as we descended to view Split Rock Falls. Looking back up the track as we descended down to Split Rock Falls. The rock itself was further along the track after Shower Cave Falls. Split Rock Falls Shower Cave Falls Another waterfall along the way. Not so big but very attractive. Looking up Split Rock Falls. We didn’t pass through this, but came in from the left having viewed three waterfalls along the way. Great tree ferns as we descended. More tree fern action! Sophia loves mushrooms and fungi, and these were considered most photo worthy. I think this is why she likes me, because I’m a fun guy. More excellent bark-loving lifeforms. Very lush. And even more bark-loving lifeforms. A sculpture at the end. Sophia was small enough to climb inside, however I would be careful doing this – best not to get stuck a matter of metres from the end of the walk. That would be embarrassing.
Track Notes
On a marked track to Meander Falls, you then back track to a junction which takes you through boulders to meet the Split Rock Track (Or Cleft Rock Track). Follow this to a junction where you can keep right for a detour to view two waterfalls, or else continue on the track. Either way you will eventually be taken back to the car park.
We didn’t originally have track notes for this walk, but heard about it from a couple we met up Mt Roland. It’s seemingly not well publicised, but we ended up getting a printed sheet of track notes from the visitor centre at Deloraine, which is the closest major town (and where we were staying).
It’s straightforward enough: from the car park (in the map below) follow the Meander Falls Track to view the falls, then if you like, continue up the sparsely marked track to the boulder field for great views over the Upper Meander Valley ( you can see this marked on the topo map above). I believe you can in fact climb all the way to the top of the escarpment, but Sophia wasn’t up for that so I stopped to take photos and then returned.
From the falls, back track a while (maybe just 10 to 15 minutes) until you see a sign post for the Split Rock Track (which you should have seen on the way up), and turn left. This track crosses the Upper Meander River, then rises up through an extensive boulder field – the route is marked by cairns. The route eventually enters heath vegetation on a saddle, where it is a bit indistinct, but descends back through boulders again (more cairns; where I took the rainbow pictures), to eventually re-enter forest on the other side of the saddle. During this section the impressive cliffs of Bastion Bluff are on your left.
Continue through the forest and keep right at a junction to view Split Rock Falls and later Shower Cave Falls. If you don’t keep right then you will instead pass through Split Rock to join the same track, but the falls are impressive in real life, (better than my photos), so I recommend visiting them. Continue on down the track to eventually cross the Meander River and return to the car park. (The Split Rock Track is labelled as the Cleft Rock Track in the Google Map below).
2 thoughts on “Meander Falls & Split Rock Track, Tasmania”
Hi Edward, I am secretary of the Meander Progress Association and we are currently working on a town map and are including photos of surrounding landscapes as an a4 flyer as well as large sign at various locations around the town. Is it ok if i use some of your photos giving you credit. Susie Johnston 0400595153
Hi Edward,
I am secretary of the Meander Progress Association and we are currently working on a town map and are including photos of surrounding landscapes as an a4 flyer as well as large sign at various locations around the town. Is it ok if i use some of your photos giving you credit.
Susie Johnston
0400595153
Hi Susie. No problem. I suspect you’ll need the original file for bigger reproductions so let me know what you’d like to use.