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The Stoodley Forest Walk traces a path through an arboretum established by the islands early forestry industry. The forest includes international plants that were experimented with to see if they grew well in Tasmanian conditions.
The original wooden water trough, on the Sheffield side of the plantation, was built in the early 1900s and was a regular stopping place for horses and their riders. Traction engines would also stop here to top up their boilers.
Perhaps one of the most interesting constructions in the area is Dick Lowe’s Bridge. This is hidden away under several metres of built up road and can be found on the bend towards the Railton side of the plantation.
The bridge was originally built in 1877 and features a fine bluestone archway.
The 1 hour loop walk focuses on some interesting remnants of the old plantings. Highlights include radiata pine planted in 1939 and 1981, Tasmanian blue gum planted in 1939, Understorey Robinea - a member of the legume family, Tasmanian stringy bark (Eucalyptus obliqua), Tasmanian peppermint (Eucalyptus Amygdalina), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) and coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) which is closely related to the giant redwood (Sequoia gigancea). Corsican pine (Pinus nigra) planted in 1939, western red cedar (Thuja plicata) planted in 1939 and European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Some of the timber from this plantation was used in constructing ships for the Tall Ships Race as part of Australia’s bicentenary celebrations in 1988.
The trail partially follows the Railton-Roland train line that operated until 1957 and also included a station at Stoodley. It is also the site of one of the regions first sawmills which was built in 1854 on the nearby Red Water Creek.
Entry
Free
Open
All hours
