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Tasmania
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West Coast
- Montezuma Falls Rail Trail
Montezuma Falls Rail Trail - Trail Description
Trail
Montezuma Falls Rail Trail
| Type: | Tramway trail |
| Location: | Zeehan Area, 296km from Hobart |
| Start/end: | Williamsford to Melba Flats |
| Status: | Open |
| Length open: | 19.5km |
| Surface: | Compacted earth, Fine gravel |
| Terrain: | Hilly |
| Contact Region: | Western Tasmania |
Details
Features
- 105 M high Montezuma Falls
- Lush rainforest with Leatherwood, Myrtle, Sassafras
- Williamsford mining ton ruins
Description
This trail features the 105m high Montezuma Falls. Traversing lush rainforest with leatherwood, myrtle and sassafras, the trail follows the route of the former North East Dundas Tramway which ran from Zeehan to Williamsford. Williamsford was once a busy mining town but is now slowly being reclaimed by the bush.
The trail is in two sections: walking and cycling is allowed on the 5.5km from Williamsford to the falls; 4WD vehicles are allowed on the 14km between the Melba Flats and the falls.
Williamsford to Montezauma Falls
the start of the trail is well marked at Williamsford. After 500m, a tack on the right leads to the original tramway formation. The trail then descends gently to the Montezuma Falls. Just before the falls, look for an old mining adit driven into the exposed rockface to your left. Soon after you will hear he falls cascading ove rthe rocky tiers. To get to the falls, follow a track to the left just before the bridge. TRake extra care as it can be wet and slippery.
A 50m long curved trestle bridge once once carried the railway over the creek and past the Montezuma Falls. A new steel suspension bridge now allows trail users to cross the valley. Remains of the original timber bridge can still be sen on the other side of the creek. From the falls either return to Williamsford the same way or cross the footbridge and continue to Melba Flats 14 Km away.
Montezauma Falls to Melba Flats
Shortly after crossing the cridge you come to a car park. From here the old tramway formation is used by 4WDs and can be wet and muddy in palces. After about 4km you reach the turnoff and another 4WD road, the Ring River Track. Continue straight ahead aklong the rail trail. You have to cross several creeks with long gone timber bridges, so expect to get wet feet.
Other mining and logging tramways intersected the trail at various points along this section of th trail and you can still see their formations if you look carefully.
Fourteen kilometres from Montezuma Falls, at Melba Flats you reac the Murcison Highway (A10). You can return to the start of the trail the same way or take the highway north back to Williamsfords. If you're ken, continue to Zeehan via the Melba Flats to Zeehan Rail Trail.
For more information on this trail see the book Rail Trails of Tasmania.
Links
West Coast Pioneers' Memorial Museum
Photgraph of the Montezuma Falls at the National Library of Australia Photograph Collection
May 2011
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Contact Us About This Trail
Email or click here: tas@railtrails.org.au.
Comments
Comments
18 December , 2014 by Jarman
We recently rode the first 5.5kms of this trail as a family with 2 kids, and the falls at the end were beautiful BUT this is not your ordinary rail trail. Firstly it is obvious the trail has not been maintained in a very long time,there are multiple very large trees and rock slides covering the track, meaning we needed to carry the bikes over and under the trees to keep going. The trail is very wet and muddy, I would not attempt it on any less than a mountain bike. The trail is a long way from anywhere. If you are coming from Strahan it is approx a 1 hour drive on winding roads. We were considering doing the second part to Melba Flats but it took us about an hour to ride the 5.5km to the falls so I would hate to think how long the remaining 14km would have taken us . Other than that the kids loved getting muddy and playing at the falls just be prepared with a full change of clothes for the drive back.