25-November 2006: Unforgettable Twilight Sight: Remembering what the waitress told us about something going on in the Cataract Gorge, this got both Julie and I interested in exploring the gorge further. Besides, we had to work off the food we had just eaten. So as we proceeded to cross the King's Bridge and entered the entirely paved walk, we basked in the fading light of the day. The incredible views of the gorge with houses perched high above easily made this the most scenic developed river/gorge walk I had ever been a part of, I reckoned. The steep gorge and developed track really seemed like a strange combination, but it added to the mystique of the place. We could certainly feel something was going on this night. Families were walking back and forth in both directions - not at all concerned about the coming darkness nor any safety or potential for crime. Julie and I heard music echoing faintly in the background. It beckoned us closer as if everyone was heading towards some spooky outdoor gathering. Of course we were curious to see what the source of the music was so we kept on walking further into the gorge...

It didn't take long to get to St Columba Falls as we had arrived at its trailhead at 7:15am. The entire drive to get here was sealed, which was unusual for a waterfall in a rural area. I reckoned this must be a major tourist attraction for this part of Tassie.

As we left the car, we could see the wishbone-shaped 90m waterfall across the valley from where we stood. The falls wasn't anywhere near as misty as what the waterfall book had shown. None of this was surprising though. But at least this waterfall still looked like it had satisfying flow.

We took some time to walk towards the base of the falls. There, we saw a sign that said the falls had never been known to dry up. Maybe this year might challenge that claim. But still, the falls were still flowing somewhat strong given its dimished flow.

But on a more normal year, I could totally see how the overlook would be completely misty and very difficult to take photos. We had no such problem on this November morning.

At 7:44am, we regained the car and took a fairly rough and narrow unsealed road towards Ralphs Falls. Having already seen the photo of this waterfall in the waterfall book, I wondered how well this one would flow if St Columba Falls already had a dimished flow. I certainly hoped Ralphs Falls wouldn't go completely dry on us.

As we took the unsealed road, we couldn't help but notice how dry and brown the trees around us were. It really looked like a forest that was just ripe for a bush fire. And all this did was reaffirm my fears that the drought also affected Tassie and hence our waterfall-viewing experience.

At 8:11am, we arrived at the car park for Ralphs Falls. The short walk to its overlook platform was shaded and easy. The cliff hugging final portion to the so-called Norm's Lookout offered expansive views in the direction of the Ringarooma township as well as a direct view of the Ralphs Falls itself.

This was another one of those falls where a wide-angle lens would help due to its sheer height. But I couldn't help but wonder how much better this falls would perform under more normal conditions.

We regained the car at 8:41am and proceeded to drive towards Lilydale. There, we expected to see the Lilydale Falls, which was a popular but tiny pair of waterfalls.

At 10:10am, we were at the car park for the falls. You could easily tell this well-developed site was family-oriented with the jungle gym and well-developed track. After locking the car, we proceeded to take the easy walk towards the First Falls which flowed in a double-barrel with a standing fallen log leaning against and concealing one of the columns of the falls. Later, we continued on the track past the First Falls towards the smaller but still charming Second Falls.

It was 10:54am when we got back to the car. Then, we headed straight into Launceston - site of our next accommodation.

It was around 11:30am when we entered the Launceston CBD, but once again we noticed detour signs and road closures. Upon passing one of the streets, the quantity of people standing on the streets made it obvious that we had just stumbled onto yet another parade - just like our first go in Melbourne.

Just what is it with Oz and parades and us getting detoured by them?

It's almost as if there's a conspiracy to prevent us from getting to our accommodation in a timely and efficient manner.

We would eventually check in to our accommodation at the Comfort Inn Commodore Regent at 11:47am and we proceeded to go for a stroll around town along with a little supermarket shopping for more grub and water that would last us the remainder of our time in Tassie.

It was about 1:35pm when we finally left Launceston and headed for Liffey Falls - the last waterfall for today.

As I was driving the Hwy 1 in the direction of Devonport, I couldn't help but notice the Liffey Falls signs. We had planned on taking only the highways (which was a little bit longer distance-wise), but those signs basically convinced me to take one of the exits earlier than I wanted to. And so I proceeded to follow these signs, which took us through rural roads instead of the main Highway.

What a mistake!

The roads started off as two-lane rural roads that were a bit narrow. Then, they became nontrivial unsealed roads before finally becoming the single-lane unsealed road that ultimately ended at the car park for the falls. I reckoned we could've saved at least half an hour taking the longer but more highway-oriented way we had originally intended (oh well, we figured we could do that on the way back to Launceston).

We got to the Liffey Falls car park at 2:37pm. There were plenty of cars here already. It was clear this was a very popular tourist attraction.

So Julie and I walked the well-developed path and noticed numerous people walking back and forth. It definitely had a more touristy feel to it than some of the quieter waterfall hikes we had been on in Tassie.

And it wasn't long before we started to hear and see the first two of Liffey Falls' cascades. A pair of viewpoints let us look at the falls, which were both short. The bright sun also made photography of these cascades a bit difficult.

The falls looked like it could've been able to span the wide watercourse under wetter conditions, but seeing how we were in the midst of a drought, only the near side of the watercourse had water.

That was too bad.

So onwards we walked. Just minutes afterwards, we saw the third waterfall, which consisted of a small cascade before plunging through a chute that lunges 7m into the shadowy depths below. And like the first two cascades, this one wasn't tall nor did it appear to have anywhere near the normal volume.

Then, Julie and I continued towards the last waterfall. This particular falls already had numerous people frolicking around the falls and at the overlook. I think they were all part of a tour.

The food turned out to be quite good even though the proportions were a bit limited for the price we were paying.

After finishing our mains, we walked up to the counter to pay rather than waiting for them to bring the bill to us. We still wanted to get to the Cataract Gorge as soon as possible.

Upon learning our urgency, the waitress told us that there was something going on in the Cataract Gorge. And this bit of news added further motivation for us to go check it out. Soon thereafter, we exchanged pleasantries with their staff as we left the Stillwater Restaurant.

Remembering what the waitress told us about something going on in the Cataract Gorge, this hastened our pace as were determined to explore the gorge further than initially thought. Besides, we had to work off the food we had just eaten.

So as we proceeded to cross the King's Bridge and entered the entirely paved walk, we basked in the fading light of the day. The incredible views of the gorge with houses perched high above easily made this the most scenic developed river/gorge walk I had ever been a part of, I reckoned.

The steep gorge and developed track really seemed like a strange combination, but it added to the mystique of the place. We could certainly feel something was going on this night. Families were walking back and forth in both directions - not at all concerned about the coming darkness nor any safety or potential for crime.

Julie and I heard music echoing faintly in the background. It beckoned us closer as if everyone was heading towards some spooky outdoor gathering. Of course we were curious to see what the source of the music was so we kept on walking further into the gorge.

As darkness started to dominate, the floodlights started taking over. The night sky was mostly still and even the partial moon's glow helped the floodlights illuminate the gorge.

After nearly 20 or so minutes of walking, we would eventually reach an overlook where we could see way across the gorge the natural amphitheater in which the performance was happening. We weren't quite sure what kind of performance this was, but we heard cheering and music while there were teams of youngsters dancing some choreographed routine to the music.

We weren't close enough to truly participate in this event, and we opted not to walk any further on this strangely magical night. I regretted not bringing my camera and tripod given the low light settings to try to capture the mood of the moment. But still I wonder what it would've been like had we gotten here earlier and became part of this unforgettable twilight sight.

It wasn't until about 9pm when we regained the car, but I was determined to get back to our motel room at the Comfort Inn to pick up the camera and the tripod. Once that was done, we returned to the gorge at 10pm. But by then, the magic seemed to have disappeared as heaps of people were walking away from the gorge and the custumed performers were awaiting a shuttle at the trailhead of the gorge next to the Kings Bridge.

Now the Cataract Gorge was considerably quieter and no longer possessed the energy it had just an hour earlier. I went ahead and took my night-time photos of the gorge taking advantage of the flood lights. But the whole time I was kicking myself for not having my camera and tripod ready when we left the Stillwater Restaurant.

Still, the experience of this memorable and unique event in the gorge was what Julie and I took away from this day. As a matter of fact, I don't think we had ever been a part of a night time function as unique as this and I'm not sure if we're ever going to experience something like this again.