St Columba Falls


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Pyengana, in the north-east of Tasmania, is known for its Dairy Company and not much else - until you go seven miles south along the South George River, when you come to the St Columba Falls. At nearly 300', it is one of Tasmania's tallest waterfalls (if not the tallest) and when it gets down to it, you can have 10,000 gallons of water cascading down every minute!

The falls were discovered by Margaret Cotton, transported out to Tasmania as a 9-year old girl with her convict mother. Margaret was separated from her mother and put into an orphanage where she stayed until at 15 she took service with a local farmer. There she caught the eye of his son and the two were married and took out their own farm at Pyengana.

Margaret was given to riding round the farm in her spare moments and it was while doing so that she discovered the falls. She named them after one of the famous Irish saints and the name has stuck.

You park your car at the end of the road (which is narrow but tar-sealed) and then walk for a quarter of a mile down into the valley, through a forest of tall ferns. It is an easy stroll, even when returning up to your car, and the view of the falls is well worth the walk.