Dozens of waterfalls are dotted throughout the Murrindindi region, each with a character and timeless beauty of its own, some more accessible than others. Well worth a visit is the renowned Stevenson Falls at Marysville.
Take the easy stroll to one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls. The falls were opened to tourists in 1866, and drop a total of 84 metres into the Steavenson River Valley. The gravelled path and falls are floodlit between dusk and midnight.
Walk 350 metres to the viewing platform below the falls. You can visit the turbine generator along the way. A viewing platform spans the river providing a vantage point from the far side.
There are a number of walks in the reserve varying from easy to the more difficult.
A turbine driven by water drawn from the weir at the base of the falls generates power for the floodlights and the lights along the paths. Funding for these works was obtained by the local Tourist Association from the old Tourism Victoria. The floodlighting was formally turned on by the then Minister for Tourism – The Honourable Murray Byrne MLC. on 3 November 1972. Marysville’s water supply also comes from this weir.
Dense forest covers the entire Steavenson Falls Reserve in the steep-sided valley. Pure stands of Mountain Ash which regenerated after the 1939 bushfires grow in sheltered places.
Elsewhere the forest contains a mixture of eucalyptus species, notably Mountain Grey Gum, Messmate and Narrow-leafed Peppermint. Other trees growing in association with the eucalyptus include Myrtle Beech which has small, shiny, dark green leaves and is restricted to areas of high rainfall, Blackwood, one of the wattles, a tall tree with masses of pale yellow flowers, and Silver Wattle.
The sheltered river margins support Soft and Rough Tree-ferns, their height bearing testimony to their considerable age.
Lyrebirds are often seen in the morning and after rain searching for insects and worms. It’s easy to see where they have been by the prominent scratch marks in the leaves and twigs on the ground.
Steavenson Falls is a major tourist attraction with some 180,000 visitors a year.