Overnight bush walk to a Unique waterfall feature that is part of the Vale River

Reynolds Falls is a spectacular feature of the Vale River deep in the heart of the Reynolds Falls Nature Recreation Area. Reynolds Falls is named after W. Ross-Reynolds who in 1898 surveyed a route of a proposed railway near the area. The track was cut by Ossie Ellis in 1979 when he was an owner of the now named Cradle Mountain Lodge. The Vale river plunges out of a notch high in a cliff face and makes a sharp turn as it continues on to Lake Mackintosh.

You will need to be a capable overnight bush walker to bag this waterfall. Doing during the wet months will bring spectacular water flows over the falls but difficult muddy and boggy walking conditions and possibly too much spray to get a good view of the falls. Summer will present better conditions but maybe smaller flows. Several steep assents and descents are required. You will loose or gain about 500M of elevation over the length of the walk. Crossing of button Grass plains, creeks and across one small waterfall are required. Finding your way around and over several fallen hazards will also be required and a particularly difficult scramble over the last couple of hundred meters down to the river.

The track is not maintained but it is reasonably well marked for the experienced off track walker and the start is sign posted at the Cradle Mountain end, behind the lodge, next to a small picnic table and creek. The walk is about 14KM one way. Several small camping sites are scattered across the walk but they are limited and generally of poor quality. Good water supplies existed along the route when we did it in early December 2011.

The route can get very muddy and slippery descending into Tumbling Creek and the next unnamed creek. The walk across the button grass Speeler Plains is exposed and drags on a bit as well as being very wet. Once you cross Fleece Creek (can be difficult in high flow) the walk eventually gets into more pleasant forest and a Pandanni topped area. There are several nice campsites in this area if splitting the trip into two nights or from a late start.

The easiest way is to camp half way along the walk and go to the falls with day packs on. The small campsite on the next ridge above Tumbling Creek would be an option. The more adventurous can carry their packs to a campsite within 1km of the falls or the second last campsite right next to an unnamed creek is a better option in my opinion and where we camped (about 500M to the last campsite from here). A visit to the falls in the afternoon / evening and again the next morning gives different lighting and the best chance to get a good photo. The rocks around the falls are EXTREMELY SLIPPERY, be careful and enjoy it as we did.

NOTE: Geocachers see our cache here: ga4049