Woolshed Falls Beechworth

Description

We will begin our full day bushwalk to the spectacular Woolshed Falls from your Beechworth accommodation or, if you are staying out of town, we will meet and set off from the gorgeous TINY café in Camp Street.

Woolshed Falls is located in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park south of Beechworth and is much loved by locals as a spot to cool down on a hot day as well as a magical place to spend some time with nature. Speculating how much water is going over the falls after a sudden downpour is an ongoing conversation every local partakes in and many make the drive out of town to find out for themselves.

This is an invigorating, easy but rocky downhill walk that is great fun and has the added reward of a fabulous waterfall at the end. The well-worn smooth granite surface the water cascades over gives the falls an interesting multi-tiered characteristic with a beautiful and very deep swimming hole at the bottom. Small pools at the top of the falls are perfect for sitting in with friends on a hot summer’s day or soothing your feet after a long walk. The entire Woolshed Valley is steeped in mining history and everyone loves to hear wild tales about the bushrangers who used these hills as lookout posts, but for a walker the ever changing terrain and peacefulness of the bush is what makes this place so special.

We will head out of town on Sydney Road turning in to the Gorge Road just before we leave town and then pass by the Powder Museum and make our way down to the picturesque cascades and Spring Creek Bridge. The Woolshed Falls walking track follows Spring Creek down into the Woolshed Valley. As we are in old goldfield territory please be mindful the area has many deep mine shafts on either side of the track so please do not wander off the path to take that ‘must have’ photo!

After an easy downhill walk you will follow the creek through the Reid’s Creek Goldfield site and then onto the Woolshed Falls passing the deep gully created by sluice mining. When we reach the falls there is plenty of room to explore or just relax. There is a wonderful observation deck overlooking the falls which offers a great perspective and stunning view. The colour of the rocks can best appreciated from this angle and are ever changing with the light. Access to the falls is quite unrestricted so take some time to explore the whole area, especially the top of the falls, with its rock pools and beautiful weathered rocks. Feel free to clamber over the upstream cascades and maybe even to the pool downstream. Unless there has been a recent heavy downfall of rain, which is a fantastic spectacle in itself, you can walk right alongside the falls on bare rock and watch the arc of water spray out into the air right in front of you. A simply perfect spot for lunch.

Tearing yourself away from this magical, and somewhat spiritual, place will be the hardest part of the day but eventually we must! As we make our climb back to Beechworth and the real world remember to take joy in the fact you have given yourself some precious down time… time to enjoy our stunning outdoors with an active body, still mind and peaceful soul. One step at a time.