The New Town Rivulet (also known as Newtown Creek) is a permanently flowing creek that has as its headwaters the springs and snow water run-offs of Mount Wellington. The New Town Rivulet flows from its headwaters though the Hobart suburbs of Lenah Valley and New Town to New Town Bay in the River Derwent. The rivulet is fed by a number of underground springs in the Wellington Range. New Town Rivulet starts around Big Bend Carpark at an elevation of 982m and ends flowing into the River Derwent. The Rivulet drops around 982m over its 10.9km length.

The upper reaches of New Town Rivulet are easy to access via walking and cycling tracks alongside the Rivulet and Lenah Valley Road. The Rivulet can also be accessed via the Intercity Cycleway at Creek Road and then up it to Lenah Valley Road, following the New Town Rivulet. The track paralells the road for most of the way beside the Rivulet.



The two and a half hour return trip from the start of the Lenah Valley Track to New Town Falls takes you from sea level to 430m in elevation to meet this lovely waterfall. It is highly recommended to be prepared for this walk by taking plenty of water and some food with you. Once you do arrive you will be greeted by multiple tiers of cascades and a beautiful view out across Lenah Valley towards the Derwent River. There are multiple sections to New Town Falls with the main path leading to the middle tier. You can ascend higher to see the top or descend to the very lower-tier via a track approximately 5 minutes back from the main section of the fall. It flows best after heavy rain and is part of the New Town Rivulet.



The New Town Rivulet Track is a very rewarding walking trail. Following New Town Rivulet upstream from its junction with the Derwent River is a wonderful journey of discovery. The landscape changes steadily from urban to suburban to bushland. There is history too, with glimpses of colonial houses with their rambling gardens, a convict-built bridge beneath New Town Road plus the unexpected Greek-temple-style Lady Franklin Museum. The sound of running water is ever present and in the higher reaches there are lovely pools and cascades. Small trout and native fish are often seen darting past and if you are very lucky you may even spot a platypus.
Track notes and map>



Looking for all the world like an ancient Greek temple, the sandstone structure that is the Lady Franklin Museum was commissioned by Lady Jane Franklin, the wife of Sir John Franklin, who was the lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1836 to 1843. Lady Franklin had a strong desire to see the cultural tone of Hobart lifted, and being quite taken by the Lena Valley, saw it as the perfect setting for what she intended to become Hobart's cultural and educational centre.

She was a strong believer in education and brought plans for her museum, to be built in the Greek revivalist style popular at the time, from England. Built by convict labour, the building she originally called Ancanthe, a Greek word meaning 'vale of flowers'. Not long after Lady Franklin's "Tasmania Museum" was opened in 1843, Sir John was recalled as lieutenant-governor, and they left Ancanthe and the museum to Queens College.

Over the years, much of the land was sold off, the collections in the museum disappeared and the building left to ruin. The City of Hobart Council took ownership of Ancanthe Park and the museum in 1921, slowly restoring the temple-like building over the years. It is now occupied by the Art Society of Tasmania (AST), which took over the building in 1948. The Society holds monthly art exhibitions, workshops, tours and social events — close to Lady Franklin's vision for the space.