Moina is a town 45 km inland from Devonport. Moina is the last service town before Cradle Mountain which is approximately twenty minutes drive south. Moina was the site of a brief gold rush in the late nineteenth century and then one of the largest wolfram and bismuth mines in Tasmania. It has been the centre of continued mineral exploration in the Middlesex district since the first discoveries of tin and tungsten ores on Dolcoath Hill in the 1890s. The name may be a derivation of a small crustacean of the same name found in Tasmanian waters.




Moina, 1919

James Smith, discoverer of Mount Bischoff tin mine, was the first European to traverse the Forth and& Wilmot Rivers. Along with J. Jones and J. Johnson, he prospected along the Forth River in around 1859. Malcolm Campbell discovered the Mount Bell gold mine, near Moina, in 1892, where 100 men were at work soon after. The Shepherd and Murphy, later referred to as the S & M or Moina Tungsten-Tin mine, contributed the greatest part of the total production of tin, tungsten and bismuth from the Moina and Round Mount districts. During periods of intermittent production between 1893 and 1957, an estimated 525t Sn, 255t W03 and 71t Bi have been recovered from the underground and surface workings at this mine.

Moina Post Office opened on 1 January 1910 and closed in 1958.


Lake Gairdner

A small Hydro Tasmania storage on the Forth system with highly fluctuating water level, Lake Gairdner was formed by the damming of the Lea and Iris rivers; the dam is the headwaters of the Wilmot River. With a large population of small brown trout, the lake offers good fly fishing and spinning. The local town Moina has no shops for getting supplies like groceries or fuel so best to come with supplies if staying or camping.

Lake Gairdner camping area is a large, privately owned paddock along the edge of Lake Gairdner. The camping spot is well known by locals and welcomes campers. Lake Gairdner camping is suitable for campervans, caravans and motorhomes. Lake Gairdner is located on the banks of this hydro lake. Often if the campground at Cradle Mountain is full this campground can offer a good alternative, but you must be fully self-sufficient by carrying your own firewood and drinking water. The campground is quiet, surrounded by farmland, plantation forest and bush land. From a rock wall under which the platypus like to hide, there is water coming out of the rock like a water spout. It was bizarre and is hard to describe as we have never seen anything like it. and it also has platypus.
Location: From the C132 you can turn off to the west on the Lake Gairdner Rd to take you to the dam wall and the boat ramp or further south you can turn west onto the Moina Rd to take you to the south end of the lake where the Iris River flows into the lake.

Lake Cethana

Lake Cethana is a Hydro Tasmania lake near Moina in north west Tasmania. It is one of the Hydro Tasmania storages on the River Forth and directly upstream from Lake Barrington. Cethana Power Station was opened in 1971, and is one of only a few underground hydro stations in the state. It has one Francis turbine with a generating capacity of 85 MW of electricity. The station is run by the waters of Lake Cethana.

Part of the Mersey–Forth scheme that comprises seven hydroelectric power stations, the Cethana Power Station is the fifth station in the scheme. The power station is located underground and is supplied with water from Lake Cethana, the Wilmot Power Station located below Lake Gairdner, and uncontrolled flow from the Forth River. Water from the station is returned to the Forth River through a tailrace tunnel which has a tailrace gate structure at the outlet portal. Lake Cathana is 18.3 km km south of Wilmot via Cradle Mountain Road.

• More about Lake Cethana

Forth Falls

2 km km east of Wilmot via Williams Road

Forth Falls is a series of picturesque waterfalls and cascades on Forth Falls Creek, that meanders its way into Lake Barrington. On the northern side of Wilmot there is a turn to the left that heads down to Lake Barrington. A few kilometres down the road a right turn is taken. Immediately to the right there is a car park to the right. The track to Forth Falls commences here. A half hour walk on an easy track takes you to the gorge which hosts the falls. At this point the track splits in two and the going gets tougher. The left branch descends down to the fiver where the lower falls are found - 10 minutes. The track to the right heads very steeply to the upper falls - about 20 minutes. The track to the falls from the junction is rough with numerous loose rocks. The tracks would be particularly difficult in wet conditions.

While you won’t notice the unobtrusive Bell Mountain from afar its location affords unparalleled 360 degree views across Tasmania’s Central Highlands to the south; Lake Cethana, Cradle Mountain, Barn Bluff and Mount Roland to the east. To the west is the Dial Range and Valentines Peak; To the north the views are complemented by a vista of tapestry agricultural farmland dissected by the Forth River Valley, Lake Barrington, and through to Tasmania's northern coastline. The walk is a steep 45 minutes to the summit and only 20 minutes return. Due to the steepness of the track and the slippery terrain bushwalking boots are recommended. Access is from the bottom of the Cethana Gorge and is a short diversion when coming from Wilmot or Sheffield.


Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls are one of two lovely waterfalls at Moina, near Cradle Valley. The falls tumble 15-20m into Bulls Creek and when flowing well, look like a rectangular curtain of water. In lower flows, the wall of water becomes columnar strands draping the underlying rock wall. Combining this waterfall with Champagne Falls, below, makes for an excellent half day walk.


Champagne Falls

To visit nearby Champagne Falls, take the track past the manager's residence of Lemonthyme Lodge Wilderness Retreat, as previously mentioned, for Bridal Veil Falls, and follow the signs to Champagne Falls. The 15m high falls are in a shady area of Bulls Creek. Allow 3 hours to comfortably take in both waterfalls. These falls are near Lemonthyme Lodge Wilderness Retreat at Moina, near Cradle Valley section of Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park, Tas.