Franklin forest walk

Just 7 kilometres from the historic boat building town of Franklin lies Franklin Forest.

Enter a stunning wet forest of  tall Eucalyptus regnans, a ferned gully, and a magnificent stand of leatherwood.

Visitors of Franklin Forest can find wonder in ancient ecosystem processes, visit the home of swift parrots and Tasmanian devils, and revel in a myriad of fungi, lichens and mosses. Franklin Forest lies in the traditional, and never ceded, land of the Melukerdee people of south-eastern Tasmania.

Here you can also find the remains of the McMullen’s mill which has historical and cultural value.

Friends of Franklin Forest run free guided walks through the forest. For more information please email: friends.franklinforest@gmail.com.

Franklin Forest offers a variety of walks, some easy and some more challenging ones.

Track Notes:

The Loop Track – 1.5 km (easy), 1h

The loop track is approximately 1.5km on uneven terrain. The first 200 metres is descending through a regrowth forest that was burnt in the 2019 bushfires. Follow the clear track down and you will reach unburnt wet forest. Continuing along the yellow tags is the Castle Forbes Rivulet and a bridge. After the bridge, the track becomes a circuit through the forest. Either follow it right, along the creek, or straight into the forest. It will loop around to meet the bridge again, after approximately 1km.

The Mill Track – 2 hrs return (moderate)

– leave Loop Track at marked sign.

The track goes through lush forest with beautiful tall Eucalyptus regnans up to the historic McMullen’s mill site that has remains of the boiler and various site artifacts.

Return by the same route.

Tramway – 30 min side trip from mill site

– turn SW at the tramway in the opposite direction to the Mill, as signed.

Flat track with giant Swamp Gum with burls, remains of tramway building and scattered artifacts.

The end of the track is marked by 4 yellow tapes.

Return to the Mill Track and back to car park via the Loop.

The Gully Track – 2hrs return (moderate)

– leave Loop Track at marked sign.

Lush green gully, huge tree ferns along the creek. This gully has never been logged.

The end of the track is marked by 4 yellow tapes. Return the same way.

Note:

Please understand that you enter the forest at your own risk, the terrain may be uneven and slippery, at times you need to climb over fallen logs.

Please stay on the track.  If you bring a dog, please keep it on the lead at all times.

Difficulty: easy to moderate

Facilities: closest facilities in Franklin (toilets, cafes, restaurants, etc.)

Access: dirt road, 2wd ok

Getting There:

From the town of Franklin drive up New Road into the clear felled area, continue and don’t turn right. After crossing Castle Forbes Rivulet turn right and follow the road. When the road goes downhill look out for an old access road that comes off to the right. There is a sign “Forest Walks”. Park on the side of the road or in the old access road.

The tagged track begins on the old access road that comes off New Road. Walk down this old logging road for approximately 20 metres. You should see the path going into the burnt regrowth forest on the left-hand side. Follow the path down into the Franklin Forest.

Plan Ahead
Tasmania’s remote areas are beautiful however weather and track conditions can change suddenly. Mobile reception in many of these areas can be limited or non existent. These tracks are not Council owned or maintained.

Be prepared for the walk or activity. Plan ahead, bring enough water, check the alerts, and make sure you are comfortable with the difficulty rating.

For more information, visit the following websites:

TasALERT – for fire, floods and other emergencies
Tasmanian Fire Service – for planned burns
Bureau of Meteorology
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service – Safety in Parks

Leave No Trace is an internationally accepted way of minimising your impacts on the places we visit. Respect wildlife, be considerate of others, dispose of your waste properly.

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