#52 - Harnett Falls, Mersey River, Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania
After an easy two hour walk up and over Du Cane Gap passing the snow capped Falling Mountain on the way from Windy Ridge Hut in reasonably wet and windy conditions, the track junction appears in the middle of the rainforest. The track down to Harnett Falls where walkers doing the Overland Track may drop their heavy packs takes about half an hour, is quite easy, and is well worth the detour, especially after good rains.
Normally the falls would have just a little water flowing over them, but with all the snow and rain prior to the trip there was plenty of water flowing over the falls.
In weather like this you can hear the falls well before you can see them and the closer you get the greater the anticipation of just what you will find.
As a small clearing at the top of the fall is reached all the water of the Mersey River can be seen plunging over the 25m cliff and into the void below, where the thundering torrent creates a cloud of mist below. What a spectacular view!
Shooting the fall is difficult due to spray and rain but patience and carefully shielding the camera pays off and I get one out of four shots with little spray on the lense as the wind swirls and blows the mist away from me for a few seconds.
A very worthwhile side trip off the Overland Track to witness a stunning waterfall.
AustraliaTasmaniaCentral HighlandsCradle Mountain Lake Saint Clair National ParkMersey RiverOverland TrackMichael Gay PhotographyNatureLandscapeWildernessBushwalkingWaterfallHarnett FallsMistStream
