The Liffey River is most well known for the magnificent Liffey Falls which entice many visitors all year round. The rainforest surrounding the falls, and further upstream is exquisite, and deserves it’s own special mention.

Liffey River Rainforest below the Great Western Tiers, Tasmania

As with most areas of Tasmanian rainforest, the myrtle beech is the dominant tree, with a host of understorey trees such as the native pepper and various ferns. The sassafras is common too, and as you get close to Liffey Falls you pass through a stunning fern gully, where the tree ferns tower overhead.

Cascades on the Liffey River

The Liffey River is a good sized river, with plenty of cascades, moss covered boulders and many twists and turns along its course. I have always enjoyed shooting in the Tasmanian rainforest and today was no exception! The sunshine meant lots of waiting, as shooting creeks and waterfalls in bright sunshine doesn’t really yield the best results, but there was enough cloud around to block the sunlight if I was patient enough to wait a little!

Some cascades on the Liffey River, and the effect achieved by using the “Interval Composite” mode.

In the brightish conditions I was able to achieve an exposure of 1/4 second, which was just enough to give me a smooth feel to the water. In addition, I gave the “Interval Composite” drive mode a run this day. Interval Composite is basically in camera stacking and merging of exposures. In this case I set the camera to take ten exposures at a short interval (the shortest being 2 seconds). The camera basically blends all those exposures together to create a long exposure effect, even in bright conditions!

Liffey River Cascades & Moss

The Liffey Falls walk starts from a clearly signposted turnoff on the Lakes Highway (A5) around 30 minutes from Deloraine. The upper reaches of the river can be accessed from a lookout on the side of the road closer to Pine Lake.