Four Dog-Friendly Walks in North East Tasmania
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Introduction
Being the proud owners of Frida, the heeler-border collie cross rescue dog, means that walks in national parks are off the menu when we want to take Frida with us. North East Tasmania doesn’t have a lot of territory classified as national parks, but it does have plenty of good, short walks within reserves and state forests where dogs are permitted. We decided to check out a few of these.
evercreech falls
We based ourselves in Bridport, which is a pretty coastal town on the north coast of Tassie, around 3.5 to 4 hours’ drive from Hobart and 1 hour from Launceston.
bridport beach
From here we headed back south a short distance to the walks we planned to do.
Briseis Race Walking Track
Just a short distance from the centre of the town of Branxholm is the start of the Briseis Race Walking Track (also sometimes misspelt as Brisies Race). Take Donald St out of Branxholm, this turns into Ruby Flats Road. It is about 2 kms to the start of the track with a small area to park. A sign part way along Ruby Flats Rd points the way. There is no difficulty following the road which is well graded and easy for any vehicle.
The track starts just behind a sign with the track name; don’t be fooled by other paths which lead into the scrub.
The start of the walk
The track follows the old water race and is therefore a very gentle grade. A water race is a channel cut to divert water from rivers and streams to aid mining.
the remains of the old race can be clearly seen on the left
In this case the 49 km race was built to take water from the Ringarooma River to the town of Derby for tin mining and finished in 1902.
It is interesting to see where the race was cut into solid rock in some places, along built up earth and stone works in others and along wooden aqueducts in yet others.
The ruins of the wooden race sections show where the structure crossed little gullies and dips.
There are a couple of historical information signs explaining the construction, use and distance covered by the Briseis Race.
After about 3 kms (1 hour) the track becomes a little more narrow and uneven. We chose to retrace our steps at this stage although further exploration would be possible.
It is a very pleasant track through attractive vegetation, with the extra interest of the remains of an historical water race.
Mount Paris Dam
The Mt Paris Dam is 17 kms from Branxholm or 6 kms from Weldborough and accessed off the Mt Paris Dam Road. Look out for a turn on the left, if coming from Branxholm, where trees have been marked with yellow paint. One hundred metres down this track is some parking.
The dam was built in 1935 to assist with tin mining operations.
Once parked proceed down the hill a short distance to the dam wall and Cascade River.
After mining operations ceased the dam was no longer needed. In 1985 huge holes were blasted in the dam wall to allow the Cascade River to flow through.
Consequently, today there is a slightly surreal scene involving a massive concrete wall in the middle of the bush with a small river running through it, and a sense that the surrounding bushland is gradually reclaiming it all.
The ‘walk’, as such, was just a meander around the dam, with trails on both sides.
We walked downstream from the dam for around 10 minutes to check out some nice little waterfalls.
Evercreech Falls
The next day we ventured a bit further south to the Evercreech Forest Reserve which is close to the town of Mathinna.
The reserve has two good walks that can be done as a double circuit walk, as a figure eight. First up we went to Evercreech Falls. The falls circuit is 2.5 kms and takes about 40 – 60 minutes.
The walk commences on a broad, flat track through a pleasant forest.
There are some impressive manferns along the way.
A small river crossing with a helpful rope adds interest.
The track then rises a bit as you approach the falls.
The ten metre high falls had a good flow of water when we were there.
We returned by the same route to just before the river crossing where a sign indicated an alternate route back to the car park, thus creating the circuit.
White Gums Walk
The White Gums loop is only 1.3 kms and takes around 30 minutes at a ramble.
It is an easy, well signposted track and the first part is flat.
Within the reserve are some of the world’s tallest white gums. The tallest are known as the White Knights and are over 90 metres in height.
The walk includes some easy duck board sections.
The track then climbs a little up a slope.
Which provides some impressive views back down into the reserve of the Knights.
If you need a rest some thoughtful seating is provided at several points.
A very enjoyable short walk.
Conclusion
There was plenty of time for other short walks on this second walking day, but unfortunately a flat tyre put a literal hole in our day which limited us to Evercreech Forest Reserve. But there are other possibilities in this region, with Mathinna Falls being one nearby to Evercreech.
If you want to see where we went check out the map below.
Overall, we found our brief visit to NE Tassie to be very worthwhile with a multitude of dog-friendly walking options. We will certainly be back again soon.
Ken and Cally
Here are a few helpful links if you are thinking of visiting the area. Click on the bold text.
on the briseis race track
