Agnes Falls South Gippsland - Victoria

Photographs and Useful Information about Agnes Falls

Agnes Falls is the highest waterfall in Victoria (spanning 59 meters) and can be found slightly inland from Toora, or Welshpool via the South Gippsland Highway. It also provides the tapped water for many towns such as Agnes, Port Franklin, Toora, Bennison, Hedley, Port Welshpool, Welshpool and some surrounding districts.

About Agnes Falls And The Water Catchment System – The water begins with trickles on the southern slopes of the Strzelecki Ranges before it flows into the Agnes River which was found to be ideal or domestic use because of it’s low degree of hardness and little organic matter. The first part of the Agnes River system was completed in 1926 and has since been extended to include Cooks Dam (approx. 2 kilometres upstream), a Water Treatment Plant.

The Best Time To Visit Agnes Falls – The best time to visit this small but well maintained park, is after heavy rains, when the overflow is stunning as it splashes high over the rocks and even on to the walking track; only a short and very easy walk from the car park and suitable for wheelchairs and elderly walkers. The track itself gives an excellent view of almost the entire waterfall from top to bottom, but even I have done the unspeakable and jumped over the fence to get a better view – but a fall from here would most likely be deadly.

Facilities – It is a beautiful place to visit at any time of the year, but it’s particularly spectacular after heavy or consistent rains. It is only a 200 meter walk from the car park to the well constructed viewing area where you’ll find great views of the waterfalls and rock pools.

A new visitor facility was completed late-July 2014.

In the Reserve you will find a fabulous brand-new octagonal-shaped picnic shelter with two tables and seating undercover, several other new picnic settings in the grounds, and a wheel-chair accessible new toilet block with two unisex cubicles, right on the carpark. The road is perfectly safe for cars, but it’s not suitable to take caravans or trailers down the short, steep grade. No solid fuel fires are permitted and you are asked to take your rubbish home with you which helps preserve the area for everyone to enjoy.

People Who Care – The grounds are maintained by Parks Victoria with occasional assistance from supervised low security offenders through the Office of Corrections. Plans are currently underway for the future construction of a cantilever viewing platform out from the gorge lookout! In September 2012, after a number of meetings with representatives of Parks Victoria, the South Gippsland Shire and the local community, the “Friends of Agnes Falls” has been formed! Members have already held working bees on site under the auspices of Parks Victoria, and a number of projects are in the pipeline once funds can be secured. If you would like to join the group please contact the FoAF Secretary on 03 5688 1400. Annual Membership is $10 per adult per financial year.

What Else Is There To Do Around Agnes Falls? – Take a picnic lunch, listen to all the birds and read the information on the interpretive sign boards. While you are in the area, take a drive past the Toora Windfarm. Several of these enormous wind turbines can also be seen from the viewing platform at the Agnes Falls Reserve.

Plants And Trees At Agnes River Reserve – Tall Southern Bluegums, Blackwoods and Silver Wattles are protected in the sheltered gorge at Agnes Falls Reserve. The understorey is also comprised of Hazel Pomaderri’s, Blanket-Leaf Dogwood, Prickly Moses and Clematis, with an abundance of ferns, native grasses and sedge. The colours of the eucalypts are quite amazing, This is the first time I’ve seen them with such strong green and yellow colouring…and you can see clear pictures of them in the set below.

Birds And Animals – According to the Parks Victoria information plaques, the bird species include Honey-eaters, Thornbills, Blue Wrens, Crimson Rosella’s, the Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Fantail, Laughing Kookaburra’s and Currawongs. At night the owls and possums come out and swamp wallabies can sometimes be spotted hopping off into the bush.

Pictures Of Agnes Falls – This page includes pictures of the Agnes River, the picnic tables, rocks, moss, beautiful eucalyptus trees, timber steps, wattle blossom, views to local farmland, padlock on the gate, rotted tree stumps, Agnes Falls, grass by the side of the river, rocky outcrops, a girl on the rocks, the waterfall, native flora and more.

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Downloading Photographs – Photographs are available for you to enjoy, and use under a special license. To read about how to do that legally, go to the Contact page! Thanks to Crystal Wilson-Richardson for allowing us to use the first photo on the page below, showing the beauty of the rock pools at Agnes Falls.

Kathy Whelan

· Reply

January 20, 2018 at 11:39 AM

Thanks so much for this wonderful promotion of our falls, and the lovely photographs!
We believe these falls are the highest “single-span” falls in Victoria, at 59 metres. There are some others much higher but are in different configurations, and often not quite as accessible for visitors as the Agnes Falls.
The 2017 Calendar year saw well over 34,000 visitors enjoy viewing the falls!
Who knows how many more people will come once the cantilevered viewing platform is constructed! The South Gippsland Shire is funding the project ($520,000) and is hopeful that tenders will soon be called, the final design confirmed, and construction then to commence. Hopefully , the cantilever will be completed late 2018 or early 2019! There may also be upgrades to pathways, signage, and the carpark in the near future, as well.

Kay

October 4, 2022 at 5:07 PM

I first visited the falls in the late 1960s and I am sure that the road / track in those days approached the falls from the base on the other side of the stream , no facilities of course. . Am I right? Thankyou