Mount Field National Park (Tarn Shelf)

National park · Southern Tasmania

Autumn foliage at Mount Field National Park (Tarn Shelf)
Photo: Mooonrise / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Tasmania's oldest national park, an hour from Hobart, where the alpine bench of the Tarn Shelf above Lake Fenton holds Australia's only cold-climate deciduous tree. Nothofagus gunnii, known locally as fagus, turns from green to gold, orange and red in low twisted thickets before dropping its leaves, usually around Anzac Day, 25 April.

Best for: the one true native fall-color hike in Australia

Don’t miss

  • Nothofagus gunnii, Australia's only deciduous native tree
  • Tarn Shelf alpine walk above Lake Fenton
  • Russell Falls near the park entrance
Typical year

Peak: April 20–April 30

Climatological window from published records. The weather model’s elevation extrapolation isn’t reliable on this terrain, so this is the long-run normal rather than a season-specific forecast.

Source: https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/experiences/stories/fagus-turning/

When to go to Mount Field National Park (Tarn Shelf)

Color here typically peaks between April 20 and April 30. It sits at 830 m, high enough to turn before the valleys do.

Mount Field National Park (Tarn Shelf) on the map

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Frequently asked

When does Mount Field National Park (Tarn Shelf) peak?
In a typical year, color peaks around April 20–April 30. The weather model's elevation extrapolation isn't reliable on this terrain, so this is a climatological window (source: https://www.discovertasmania.com.au/experiences/stories/fagus-turning/) rather than a season-specific forecast.
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