St Columba falls is a very easy short walk in north east Tasmania just 30 minutes away from the seaside town of St Helens. Deep into dairy country, you will pass the Pyengana Dairy and it’s wonderful “Holy Cow Cafe” – well worth a stop after exploring the exquisite rainforest surrounding the waterfall.

St Columba Falls, north east Tasmania

Visiting St Columba Falls

The waterfall itself is one of Tasmania’s highest, and can be seen from where you park your car near the entrance to the walk. Walking to the lookout at the base of the waterfall should only take 10~15 minutes or so. The waterfall is great to gaze at for a few minutes but for the photographer, it is the creek just below the waterfall that is the real highlight.

Rainforest near St Columba Falls, north east Tasmania

The creek is filled with mossy green boulders and lined by tall tree ferns. Water levels are still fairly low at the moment but will no doubt increase in the coming months.

Rainforest near St Columba Falls, north east Tasmania

As always with waterfalls and rainforest photography, overcast days will result in the best images as the light is nice and even, and you don’t have to contend with contrast and burnt out highlights. The rainforest is generally quite a dark environment which means the nice effect of cascading water is quite easy to achieve, but I like to add a polarising filter to reduce any glare and amplify those magnificent greens.

Rainforest near St Columba Falls, north east Tasmania

Tasmanian rainforest photography tours

Anyone who enjoys rainforest and waterfall photography should look into joining my Mt Field & Styx Valley photography workshop. Autumn is the best time of year for this workshop so contact me for details.