V C Falls

Mt Field National ParkGPS Coords: -42.6864, 146.5544
Land Tenure: National Park

Tasmap Reference: 4627 Dobson

V C Falls
© 2015 - 2024 Photography: Caedence Kuepper
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Grade 5 Hike
Suitable for very experienced hikers only.

14.5km's7 hours returnRough unformed track Sign posted

No Modification of the natural environment.

Dogs are not allowed
Drones are not allowed
Not suitable for caravans
Not suitable for campervans or RV's
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About V C Falls

By far the least well known of Mt Field National Park's famous waterfalls, V C Falls is more of a series of cascades then significant single drop, situated on the outlet creek of Lake Belton as it makes its way down to Lake Belcher. There are at least 10 tiers making up the waterfall and probably more depending on how generous you're being, with the name reportedly being chosen to represent a falls for each recipient of the Victoria Cross. Most of the sections of the falls are nothing more than rocky cascades and no single drop is more than 4 metres high, so realistically V C Falls is only a waterfall worth bothering with for the most dedicated waterfall baggers, especially given the difficult and trackless access. 

V C Falls is best accessed via Lake Belcher, which can be reached by taking a 13 kilometre, 5 hour return walk starting from Wombat Moor near the terminus of Lake Dobson Road. The track ascends steadily through the moor, which is wet and boggy for much of the year, before reaching its highpoint at a saddle to the east of Mt Mawson after about 45 minutes. There are expansive views from here towards Mt Mueller and The Needles in the foreground, and more distantly towards Mt Anne, as well as across numerous other ranges. 

After passing over the saddle, the trail enters the forest and descends steadily down an often-rocky track for a while, dropping over 300 metres before reaching the Humboldt Valley, where it crosses a log bridge over the Humboldt River. The final 40 minutes to the lake from the crossing point is treacherously muddy even in summer, with well disguised holes threatening to swallow you up to your knees, or perhaps even deeper in wetter times. Eventually, the track reaches the lake after passing a hut, where there are spectacular views to Mt Florentine, the Rodway Range and the cirque surrounding the lake. 

Getting to V C Falls from here now requires going off track, through some nasty scrub beside the lake. In summer when the water is warm and the levels not too high, it may be easier to just walk through the shallows of the lake for the 400 metres or so until you come to the outlet creek from V C Falls. You have no choice but to enter the scrub here, which is thick and difficult to push through. This is a walk best done in summer when the water is low, as it is often easier to walk through the creek itself, until you reach the start of the long series of cascades making up the waterfall. Again, the easiest option when the water isn't too high is scaling the rocks themselves, but this is still potentially dangerous and often very slippery, so extreme care must be taken. After climbing at least 50 vertical metres from the lake up near-continuos cascades, you come to the most impressive section of the falls, where a three-tiered waterfall tumbles over solid bedrock (seen at the top of this page). There are a couple of small cascades further upstream, but it is probably worth turning around here as they are nothing you wouldn't have seen before by this point of the climb. 

As mentioned before, this hike is a significant undertaking and not necessarily worth the effort unless you're very keen, and is definitely best attempted in summer. At least 7 hours must be allowed to visit V C Falls, or 5 hours to get to Lake Belcher, which is a very worthwhile trip on its own. 

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