Palmers Rivulet Caves – Sat. 21st March 2026
Another completely new walk for Boots N’ All, Palmers Rivulet Caves are on the northern face of the Great Western Tiers, high above the Poatina area. Apart from the interest in visiting an area you may have never previously walked, there are waterfalls in the area, and, of course, caves. Expect great views as well!
Walk Route: From Poatina Road just below Mt Blackwood, the route sidles steeply downhill for 1.5km on an old 4WD track to reach the main caves. There is the option of further 1km each way to another large cave and a short steep descent to waterfall. Being a short walk, we should be finished in time to have lunch at Poatina – the cafe should be open for coffee and other drinks etc. The walk is rated easy-medium – a short distance but quite steep in places. Energetic children should enjoy this one, along with adults who are looking for a shorter walk.
Meeting Times and Places
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone or text the walk leader, Peter Davies on 0414 516 268 to register. The departure time is 8:30 am from Door of Hope car park in Launceston. If you wish to meet with the group at any other place, please arrange with the leader. However, you still need to contact the walk leader, if intending to walk. The leader should be notified of any other people you intend to bring along. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time.
To access this area from northern Tasmania:
From Launceston, head south on the Midland Highway for 18 km, keeping an eye out for the B52 exit on left as you begin to pass Perth. Follow B52 for 4.5km to the Longford roundabout, continuing into Longford, then through Longford, swinging right to Cressy Rd. B51. Continue for 11 km to Cressy, and through Cressy, continue south another 7.5km and turn right into Poatina Rd. Follow Poatina Rd. for 28 km, past the Palmerston switchyard, past the Poatina turnoff, and up the switchbacks to almost reach the top of the Great Western Tiers. The old 4WD track where the walk will start drops off the right of the road about 1km short of the Westons Rd junction.
Warnings:
The following codes apply from our 2026 walks calendar:
E Exposed alpine conditions – can be dangerous in poor weather if not fully equipped – see below.
S Steep incline for at least part of the way
While Palmers Creek will hopefully be flowing, please carry a drink and a snack. Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters are recommended due to scrubby patches. Even in warm seasons, you should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing including gloves and beanies in case of sudden weather changes. The destination of this walk is close to 1000 metres altitude, and can be very exposed if the weather turns bad. Be prepared!
Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N’ All walks.
Map details:
Mt Blackwood-Palmers Creek area: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8214 (Meander) and 1:25000 map is 4837 (Poatina)
Map references: n/a
No Peakbagger peaks will be visited on this walk. For explanation of this challenge, see our new Peakbaggers and Abels page, which has links to various lists of peaks, including Peakbaggers, Abels, Poimenas and others. For really enthusiastic walkers, Phil Andrew’s recently updated Tasmanian Peaks Composite List [link] can be downloaded, which gives a complete smorgasbord of Tasmanian mountains, hills and high places – enough for a lifetime of bushwalking!
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions of the track for this walk: Click here to browse our collection.
Direct links: (route to Palmers Creek Caves) GPX for this walk … KML for this walk
