Launceston Field Naturalists Club

Looking south-east over the Silver Wattles

NATURE TRAILS
AT THE
JOHN SKEMP FIELD CENTRE

Mini Forest Walk \| Forest Walk \| Watergate Walk \| Top Falls Walk Bedfordia Walk \| Fern Gully Walk \| Zig Zag Walk \| Combined Falls Walk
The late Geoff Martin, a Life Member of the Club, was the architect of most of the nature trails (1737Kb PDF) on the property. The walks have been created to pass through the various types of habitat on the property from dry sclerophyll to wet fern gorge. Examples of the different flora have been labelled along the nature trails. Seating at interpretation sites has also been provided.
Mini Forest Walk	Mini Forest Walk Walking Time: 10 - 15 minutes Trail Assessment: easy and mostly even Description: this walk provides a brief, easy encounter with marginal wet sclerophyll forest containing at least four eucalypt species, among them Eucalyptus brookeriana, and a range of other vegetation in the understorey. back to top
Treeferns, Stinkwood and Varnish Wattle	Forest Walk Walking Time: 25 - 30 minutes Trail Assessment: easy and even Description: a walk that penetrates more deeply into wet sclerophyll forest where the walker encounters both drier, northerly exposed sections and a cooler, south facing section in between where water ferns and moisture loving shrubs become more prevalent in the understorey. back to top
Lichen and Mosses	Watergate Walk Walking Time: 20 - 25 minutes Trail Assessment: easy and fairly even Description: this walk passes through open fields, regenerated scrubland and a small remnant of old forest which differs in composition from the forest encountered in the previous two walks. In this case, acacias are the major contributors to the canopy and eucalypts are scattered throughout. back to top
Top Falls Walk	Top Falls Walk Walking Time: 35 - 45 minutes Trail Assessment: moderate effort, fairly even Description: this walk traverses open fields, a forested gully, regenerated forest and returns to the Field Centre via Skemps Road. It features a waterfall, stately Giant Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), mountain views and a small plantation of Tasmanian native plants not indigenous to the area. back to top
Moss covered rocks Native Currant and Musk Daisy	Bedfordia Walk Walking Time: 45 - 55 minutes Trail Assessment: moderate effort, fairly even Description: the focus of this walk is the Bedfordia Trail which is accessed by following Skemps Road to the Scotch Oakburn Adopt-A-Patch. The Bedfordia section which takes off to the left, features small dense forest types dominated by Dogwood (Pomaderris apetala) and containing some very old Bedfordia (Bedfordia salicina) trees, moss covered rocks and a large, spreading White Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis). Views of Mount Barrow and Mount Arthur may be seen en route. back to top
Kangaroo Fern Treeferns and Sassafras	Fern Gully Walk Walking Time: 1.5 hour approximately Trail Assessment: moderate to difficult, steep and uneven in short sections Description: the Fern Gully is accessed via the Tyre Track starting near the boomgate. Walk through understorey regrowth to steps and a trail that winds down to the gully floor. The walk down the gully features towering Soft Treeferns (Dicksonia antarctica) associated with a range of epiphytic and ground ferns under a canopy of Giant Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) and Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata). This walk continues through to the Bottom Falls and rejoins the Forest Walk back to the Field Centre. back to top
Fungi and Lichen Dogwood	Zig Zag Walk Walking Time: 35 - 45 minutes Trail Assessment: moderate effort, fairly even Description: this walk follows the outward route of the Watergate Walk then branches off across the field and Skemps Creek to negotiate two small, discrete forests and return to the Field Centre via Skemps Road. Features of this walk are densely shaded forest floors with moss covered rocks, Giant Ash, hillside springs, two Tasmanian endemics Coral Heath (Epacris gunnii) and Heartberry (Aristotelia peduncularis) and panoramic views. back to top
Giant Ash and Lichens Bottom Falls	Combined Falls Walk Walking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes approximately Trail Assessment: moderate to difficult, steep and uneven in short sections Description: the walk encompasses virtually the whole of the southern section of the property taking in two waterfalls with an associated range of water ferns and other wet gully vegetation. It traverses several different wet sclerophyll forest associations resulting from changes in aspect and topography. Good forest overviews are obtained from the ridge tops. Two ponds are located by the return route via Skemps Creek. back to top

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