Visitor Information
Your visit to Chauncy Vale is guaranteed to be a one-of-a-kind experience and a day you’ll never forget.
Chauncy Vale connects visitors through inspiring stories of Nan, Anton, her family, cultural heritage, and the natural environment unique to this area.
Below you will find the information you need in order to plan a visit to the reserve.
PLEASE NOTE: DOGS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE RESERVE
Recreation, bushwalks & Facilities
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary, a 415 hectare reserve linked by a walking track to Flat Rock Reserve (455 ha), is visited by bushwalkers, bird watchers, field naturalist groups, families, groups and school parties. With it’s enchanting natural environment, heritage, culture and history, Chauncy Vale has shared a role in creating many meaningful experiences for several generations of Tasmanian schools, families, individuals and community groups.
- There are a range of walks available which lead to points of interest such as Brown's Cave, Eve's Bath, Guvy's Lagoon and Flat Rock lookout.
- There are several areas suitable for picnics and gatherings, with toilets, bbqs & picnic facilities, and a meeting room available for booking (see link below).
- For viewing Day Dawn Cottage museum, the former Chauncy family home, it is necessary to make an appointment (refer to Contact page). Entry fee to Day Dawn Cottage is $2.00 per adult, and a $20 fee for school groups (please note, due to the compact size of Day Dawn, each group is restricted to 15 people at a time).
- If just visiting the Reserve for picnics, bbqs, meetings or walks, there is a $2 entry donation for adults which may be placed in the donation box at the front gate or at the walker registration booth. Entry for children is free.
The reserve is closed to visitors on days of total fire ban in the Southern Region.
Check www.fire.tas.gov.au for these alerts or ABC tv evening news.
Chauncy Vale Flat Rock Reserve Brochure
Chauncy Vale Reserve & Walkers Map
Chauncy Vale Visitor Precinct Map
WINTER TRACK - 1.5 km loop, 50 minutes
The Winter Track is a woodland loop walk commencing at the Information Shelter. This walk is of easy to moderate grade.
WOMBAT WOODLAND WALK for kids - 0.8 km return
This new-ish attraction, the Wombat Woodland Walk, is a loop walk commencing at the first bridge - just follow the signs from here. Enjoy exploring and see what you can observe.
Please note: a creek crossing is currently necessary to complete the loop and will be impassable after heavy rain
EVE'S BATH WALK - 1.2 km return, 40 minutes
Starting at the walker registration booth, this easy grade short walk along the scenic Rivulet Track to Eve's Bath provides a good preview of the Chauncy Vale natural environment. Eve's Bath is a series of sculptured rock pools - named after Nan Chauncy's sister Eve.
CAVES LOOP WALK - 2.5 km loop, 1.5 hours
This popular and spectacular walk takes in some of the sandstone caves that Chauncy Vale is renowned for and also follows alongside the pretty Browns Cave Rivulet. This track has a sustained gentle climb up to the caves and is a little uneven and rocky in places so care needs to be taken. Improvements to this track are currently being undertaken and will be completed in the summer of 2020-21.
Please register at the walker registration booth for this walk
GUVY'S LAGOON WALK & LOOKOUT - 5.5 km return, 2.5 hours
If walking to Flat Rock it is worth taking the short diversion to Guvy's Lagoon, particularly for the lookout point just beyond the lagoon where there is a view onto sandstone cliffs which is nesting habitat for peregrine falcons. This is an easy grade walk with sustained but gentle climb once the track leaves Browns Caves Rivulet. Please note, Guvy's Lagoon dries up during extended dry spells.
Please note - a rivulet crossing is required for this walk and it can be impassable during wet spells of weather.
Please register at the walker registration booth for this walk
FLAT ROCK EASTERN LOOKOUT - 12 km return, 5-6 hours
A sustained but gentle climb up to 600 m altitude where there are good views of Mt Wellington and parts of Hobart. Large areas of relatively unspoiled woodland to enjoy.
Please note - a rivulet crossing is required for this walk and it can be impassable during wet weather.
Please register at the walker registration booth for this walk
PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES
Two pedestrian bridges were installed at Chauncy Vale in 2020. The bridges, over Browns Caves Rivulet, enable the popular Caves Loop Walk to be an all weather, all seasons walk. The bridges have been a valuable addition to the reserve given the numerous high rivulet flows and occasional flood since installation.
This project is part of Southern Midlands Council's and the Chauncy Vale Management Committee's commitment to gradual improvement of infrastructure and visitor experiences at Chauncy Vale.
Walking track upgrades and improvements have also been undertaken enabling more people to enjoy and appreciate the natural and cultural heritage attractions of the reserve.
chauncy vale meeting room
The Peter Bird Memorial meeting room / public shelter is in a secluded bush setting and has a wood heater, kitchenette, gas oven, tea/coffee, couches, meeting table, spacious deck and BBQ for your next meeting, function, workshop or event. The indoor space is functional for up to about 12 people but larger groups can be accommodated if using the spacious deck as well. Large doors open out onto the deck.
campervan sites
Stay a while longer and enjoy the peaceful ambience of Chauncy Vale and explore some of the bush walking tracks. There are four campervan sites available at Chauncy Vale and the suggested donation is $10 per night. The donation can by placed in the donation box at the front gate or given to the Caretaker.
Please note there are toilets and fresh water at Chauncy Vale but no electricity or showers.
Caravans are not recommended due to the tight turning areas.
Chauncy Vale is quiet and sites are generally available, however, it is worth phoning ahead to check availability
2 NIGHT MAXIMUM STAY
03 62545050 (office hours) or 0422 936027 (sms preferred)
Our Environment
The Sanctuary is managed by the Chauncy Vale Management Committee according to a statutory management plan (1993). A revised Joint Management Plan with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) was completed in 2010 which covers both Chauncy Vale and the TLC’s neighboring Flat Rock Reserve. Together, the two reserves protect over 800 hectares of native bushland. This protected area is bolstered by a 450 ha conservation covenant adjoining Chauncy Vale to the south and the 275 ha Alpha Pinnacle Conservation Area adjoining Flat Rock Reserve to the north (Figures 16 & 17).
Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary and Flat Rock Reserve are managed with the intention that they be managed in a way that:
· ensures the protection of its natural and cultural heritage features, and
· encourages its use for education and passive recreation purposes.
Chauncy Vale has important statewide context in that it provides reservation for dry sclerophyll woodlands that are poorly represented in Tasmania’s reserve system. These woodlands support a high diversity of wildlife with the bird diversity being a particular highlight. Shady riparian vegetation lines Browns Caves Rivulet which also forms a geological boundary with dolerite to the north and sandstone to the south. The weathered sandstone escarpments are a feature of Chauncy Vale and are a focus for many visitors who come to see Browns Caves.
Chauncy Vale is particularly important in terms of its threatened vegetation communities and habitat for threatened species
Table 1: Threatened Vegetation Communities of Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary and Flat Rock Reserve
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