Mount Field: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Mount Field was declared one of Tasmania's first two national parks in 1916, and the reason is a few minutes from the car park: waterfalls in a fern forest under some of the tallest trees on Earth. This route starts with the easy walks behind the visitor centre and then drives west into the valleys towards Maydena, where the forest and the karst go on with far fewer people. A full day, mostly short walks; the forest roads past Maydena are gravel, and phones stop working soon after.
A short history of Mount Field
Mount Field National Park, about 70 kilometres north-west of Hobart, was declared in 1916 and is one of Tasmania's first two national parks. At first it was simply called "the National Park". The main reason for protecting it was Russell Falls, which had been drawing visitors from Hobart since the late 19th century. The park has some of the tallest eucalyptus trees in the world, some of them more than 80 metres high.
The ten best sights in Mount Field
1Willow CourtThe old asylum buildings in New Norfolk, now shops and a restaurant
2Salmon PondsHistoric trout hatchery with a restaurant, on the way from Hobart
3Bushy ParkLook for the tall oast houses where hops were dried
4HamiltonA Georgian village of sandstone cottages, twenty minutes north
5Mt Field Visitor CentreBuy the parks pass here; the waterfall walks start behind the building
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6Russell Falls
Twenty minutes return on a flat path; come back after dark for glow-worms
7Lady Barron FallsA longer, quieter loop through forest; about two hours
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8Lake Dobson
16 km of steep gravel road up; carry chains in winter, it is the law
9Pandani GroveForty minutes around the lake among strange palm-like plants
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10Tarn Shelf
A full-day alpine walk; go in late April for the turning beech
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Mount Field →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Mount Field:
Free walking tours in Mount Field
Falls and forest giants
Mount Field was declared one of Tasmania's first two national parks in 1916, and the reason is a few minutes from the car park: waterfalls in a fern forest under some of the tallest trees on Earth. This route starts with the easy walks behind the visitor centre and then drives west into the valleys towards Maydena, where the forest and the karst go on with far fewer people. A full day, mostly short walks; the forest roads past Maydena are gravel, and phones stop working soon after.
- Mt Field Visitor Centre · The land around the falls was protected as early as 1885, which makes it one of the first nature reserves in Tasmania. The national park grew around it three decades later.
- Russell Falls · The falls drop in two tiers over flat layers of ancient mudstone, like a staircase. Above them the path climbs to Horseshoe Falls and the Tall Trees walk, where swamp gums, the tallest flowering plants in the world, rise over the tree ferns.
- Lady Barron Falls · The falls are named after Lady Barron, the wife of Sir Harry Barron, governor of Tasmania in the years before the First World War. The loop to them climbs through tall wet forest and comes back past Russell Falls.
- Junee Cave · The Junee River flows out of the hillside here after running underground through the limestone of the Junee-Florentine karst, one of the deepest cave systems in Australia. Only cavers go further; visitors stop at the mouth.
- Maydena Bike Park · Maydena was a forestry town that lost most of its work when logging wound down. The gravity bike park that opened above it in 2018 turned it into a destination for riders from all over Australia.
- Styx Big Tree · The Styx Valley was the centre of long protests against logging of its giant swamp gums, and in 2013 parts of it were added to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The Big Tree is one of the survivors, a short walk from the gravel road.
Up to the alpine lakes
From the visitor centre a gravel road climbs about 16 km and a thousand metres to Lake Dobson, and in that hour the forest changes from tree ferns to snow gums to open alpine moor. Glaciers shaped this plateau in the last ice age and left it scattered with lakes and tarns. This is a full day if you walk the Tarn Shelf, half a day if you stay around the lakes. The weather can turn to snow in any month: bring warm layers and rain gear, and in winter carry chains.
- Lake Dobson Road · From the park entrance the road climbs about 16 km of narrow gravel, and in that distance the tall wet forest gives way to snow gums. Drive it slowly and use the pull-offs to let others pass.
- Lake Fenton · Lake Fenton is the largest lake on the plateau and a water supply for Hobart; a pipeline has carried its water down to the city since the 1930s. A short track leads to it from the road below Lake Dobson.
- Lake Dobson · The lake lies at about 1,030 metres in a hollow scooped out by ice. In winter it often freezes at the edges, and the car park here is as high as you can drive in the park.
- Pandani Grove · The pandani looks like a palm but is a giant heath, a relative of the small heather-like shrubs around it, and it can grow to about 12 metres. Groves like this one around Lake Dobson are among the best in Tasmania.
- Mount Mawson · Mount Mawson is one of only two ski fields in Tasmania, with Ben Lomond in the north-east. It is run by volunteers from the ski clubs, with simple rope tows and no resort village.
- Tarn Shelf · In late April and May the deciduous beech, fagus, turns gold and red along the shelf. It is Australia's only native tree that drops its leaves in winter, and the few weeks of colour draw walkers from all over Tasmania.
Down the Derwent Valley
The drive from Hobart follows the Derwent River upstream through New Norfolk, past hop fields, an old asylum and the hatchery where trout first arrived in the southern hemisphere. Most visitors race through it; this route slows down and adds the Georgian village of Hamilton to the north. Half a day by car, and the best place to buy lunch and dinner supplies, since there is very little to buy closer to the park.
- Pulpit Rock Lookout · New Norfolk was settled from 1807 by families moved from Norfolk Island when the colony there was being closed down, and they brought the island's name with them to this bend of the Derwent.
- Willow Court · Willow Court began in 1827 as a hospital for invalid convicts and became one of the longest-running asylums in Australia, closing only around the year 2000. Some of its buildings now hold antique shops and a restaurant.
- Salmon Ponds · In 1864 trout and salmon eggs packed in moss and ice reached Tasmania from England and were hatched here. The brown trout survived and spread, and the ponds are the oldest trout hatchery in the southern hemisphere.
- Bushy Park · Hops have been grown in this part of the Derwent Valley since the 19th century, and the tall oast houses at Bushy Park are where the cones were dried. The hops still go into Australian beer.
- Meadowbank Lake · The lake was made by damming the Derwent for hydroelectric power, part of the chain of power stations that runs down the river. Locals use it for water-skiing and fishing.
- Hamilton · Hamilton was laid out in the 1830s as a market town for the farms of the upper Derwent, and many of its sandstone cottages were built by convict labour. The town never grew much, which is why it still looks the way it did.
Getting to Mount Field and getting around
- Hobart Airport · About an hour and a quarter by car, through New Norfolk
- New Norfolk · Buses from Hobart run this far; beyond it you need your own car
Cheap eats in Mount Field
Be honest with yourselves about food here: around the park there is one café that closes in the afternoon, one pub, and a riverside café in Westerway — and that is about it. New Norfolk, forty minutes back towards Hobart, has the supermarket, bakeries and more choice. Most people staying near Mount Field buy dinner on the drive in, and it is worth doing.
- Waterfalls Cafe and Gallery · In the visitor centre; soup, pies and coffee about A$8-20, closes late afternoon
- The Possum Shed · Café by the Tyenna River in Westerway, about A$10-22
- National Park Hotel · The one pub at the park gate; counter meals about A$22-32
- Bushy Park Roadhouse · Fuel, pies and sandwiches on the valley road, about A$5-12
- Black Swan · Café in New Norfolk on the drive in, about A$10-20
Museums in Mount Field
- Salmon Ponds · A small museum of trout fishing and the hatchery ponds; feed the fish
- Willow Court · Walk the grounds of the old asylum; some buildings are open as shops
- Derwent Valley Railway · Heritage railway in New Norfolk; check whether anything is running
- Glen Clyde House · Old stone house in Hamilton with crafts and a café
Nature and day trips near Mount Field
- Russell Falls · The park's classic, ten minutes from the car on a flat path
- Tarn Shelf · Alpine tarns and beech; the best of the plateau
- Pandani Grove · An easy lake loop at the top of the road
- Junee Cave · A river pouring out of the rock, twenty minutes' walk
- Styx Big Tree · Giant swamp gums at the end of forestry roads
Things to do in Mount Field with kids
- Russell Falls · A pram-friendly path; the glow-worm walk after dark is the highlight
- Salmon Ponds · Buy fish food and watch the big trout boil at the surface
- Lake Dobson · Often the first snow children have touched in Tasmania
- Maydena Bike Park · Lessons and easier trails for older children
Where to eat in Mount Field
- National Park Hotel · The only dinner near the park; check kitchen hours before you arrive
- Salmon Ponds restaurant · Lunch rather than dinner, beside the old ponds
- Hamilton Inn · Pub meals in Hamilton, about twenty-five minutes north
- Two Metre Tall · Farmhouse ale and cider near Bushy Park; check its days
Frequently asked questions about Mount Field
What is there to see in Mount Field?
The top sights in Mount Field are Willow Court, Salmon Ponds and Bushy Park. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Mount Field?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Mount Field without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Mount Field?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Mount Field, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Falls and forest giants.
How do you get to Mount Field and get around?
The main ways are Hobart Airport and New Norfolk. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Mount Field, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Mount Field that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Mount Field for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.