Steavenson Falls

Steavenson Falls, a waterfall on the Steavenson River, is located 4km southeast of Marysville, Victoria, Australia. The falls are one of the tallest in Victoria, with five cascades, a total descent of 122m, the last having a clear drop of more than 21m.HistoryResidents cut a track to the falls in 1866. The falls and the river were named after John Steavenson (Assistant Commissioner of Roads and Bridges), who first visited the site of what is now Marysville in 1862. He was carrying out a survey of the area to try to find a new alignment for the road to the gold fields at Woods Point.The 190ha Steavenson Falls Scenic Reserve was proclaimed in 1959 to protect the falls and their surroundings. The Reserve is jointly administered by the Department of Primary Industry and a Voluntary Committee of Management.The reserveThere are a number of walks in the reserve varying from easy to the more difficult.A turbine driven by water drawn from the weir at the base of the falls generates power for the floodlights and the lights along the paths. Funding for these works was obtained by the local Tourist Association from the old Tourism Victoria. The floodlighting was formally turned on by the then Minister for Tourism - The Honourable Murray Byrne MLC. on 3 November 1972. Marysville's water supply also comes from this weir.Dense forest covers the entire Steavenson Falls Reserve in the steep-sided valley. Pure stands of Mountain Ash which regenerated after the 1939 bushfires grow in sheltered places.