Upper Florentine self-drive guide

The Upper Florentine Valley lies 80km west of Hobart (100km by road) in the rugged and wet Western part of the state. It is an intrinsic part of Tasmania’s South-West wilderness—one of the greatest temperate wilderness areas on Earth.

The upper reaches of the Florentine are surrounded by the spectacular mountains of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The valley floor is home to giant trees, rainforest and moorlands as well as outcropping limestone. This limestone is riddled with caves containing ancient Aboriginal heritage as well as the bones of extinct mega-marsupials.

Today, the Upper Florentine is visited by thousands of people on their way to Lake Pedder. From the Gordon River Road, people can walk through a spectacular part of the Upper Florentine en route to well-known peaks and lakes within the World Heritage Area. Lookouts on the road provide impressive views across a landscape of jagged quartzite mountains and thick forests.

Download the 2007 Upper Florentine self-drive guide (pdf, 490kb)

	The Upper Florentine. Rob Blakers

1. How to get there
From Hobart, travel through New Norfolk and on to Maydena via Bushy Park, Westerway and past Mt Field National Park. When you reach Maydena (90 km from Hobart, last petrol) set your odometer to zero. Continue through Maydena on the Gordon River Road. You will soon pass a sign indicating the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Crossing the Humboldt Divide you will be greeted by a vista of bare, jagged mountains looming above a valley of primeval forests. These are the threatened forests of the Upper Florentine.

2. Thumbs Lookout (17.7 km from Maydena)
Just down the hill from the Humboldt Divide, park on the right hand side of the road and follow the short rock-lined pathway to the Thumbs Lookout. From here you get an overview of the threatened forests of the Upper Florentine Valley, and the surrounding alpine peaks, including the spectacular Thumbs Range.

3. Timbs Track carpark (21 km from Maydena)
Keep driving along Gordon River Road until you re-enter forest. On the right, 3.3 km from the Thumbs Lookout, is a signposted car park and the start of Timbs Track. The track, although very clear and well maintained, does have some muddy patches and there is no reliable water supply unless you are planning on walking as far as the Florentine River (approx. 1.5 hrs plus). Timbs Track provides access to visitor points 5 to 8 described here.

4. Timbs Track
From the car park, walk along Timbs Track and enter the mixed wet forests of the Upper Florentine Valley. Follow Timbs Track through a primeval forest of giant stringybarks with a rainforest understorey of ancient myrtles and sassafras. Timbs Track continues to the Tiger Valley Lookout and on to the Florentine River. As you walk along the track you will experience changing geology and ecology as you move from mixed wet forests and rainforest up onto a low quartzite ridge and into buttongrass and heathland. In spring and summer the wildflowers here are spectacular. Along the way you will pass the following two side trip options.

5. Twisted Sister (approx. 15 mins return from Timbs Track)
After about five minutes walk along Timbs Track, you will see pink tape and a sign on your left. This indicates a track (approx ten minutes or 250 m) that runs through the forest and makes a loop around the base of a giant tree called Twisted Sister. The reason for the name will become obvious when you find the tree!

6. Coupe Loop (50 minutes return from carpark)
A further ten minutes along Timbs Track, you will see another track marked with pink tape. This is a loop track which curls back onto Timbs Track after making its way through forest typical of the area—full of towering eucalypts, giant myrtles and fantastic tree ferns.

7. Tiger Valley Lookout (1 hour from carpark)
The Tiger Valley Lookout was built by volunteers concerned about the proposed logging of the Upper Florentine. The wood was milled from a eucalypt log left as waste from forestry operations in the Florentine. From the Tiger Valley Lookout you can see the surrounding peaks, including the Thumbs, Mount Wright, Tiger Range, Mount Field West, Tim Shea, the Needles, Mount Mueller and the Sawback Range.

8. Florentine River (40 mins from the lookout)
From the lookout, you can walk on to the Florentine River. At the river there are a couple of decaying huts, and a clear mossy area (perfect for a picnic).

Important information

• Bring food, water, sunhat, raincoat and stout shoes.
• There are no built toilets within the forest areas described in this leaflet. The most convenient toilet facilities are located in Maydena or at the Needles Picnic Ground.
• Gordon River Road is a sealed road, however the Upper Florentine is a remote area out of mobile phone range.
• Ensure you have a spare tyre and jack.
• Drive slowly at night and at dusk to spare wildlife.
• Beware of log trucks, especially if you are driving on a weekday.
• Bushfire warning: please do not light campfires or smoke cigarettes while in the forest. It is not advisable to visit the forest on days of total fire ban.

Download the 2007 Upper Florentine self-drive guide (pdf, 490kb)

DISCLAIMER: Visitors to this area should be aware that natural hazards occur within Tasmania's forest environments. The Wilderness Society accepts no liability for any injury or damage resulting from such hazards.