First Basin Track damage being assessed

Published on 14 March 2025

The City of Launceston is overseeing engineering safety assessments to the First Basin Track within the Cataract Gorge, following a bushfire in the reserve last week.

The fire which occurred last Friday was extinguished by the Tasmania Fire Service using water bombing aircraft.

Approximately 200m of the track between the Alexandra Suspension Bridge and the Sentinel Lookout was impacted by the fire, which has resulted in damage to bridges, elevated walkways, fences and bluestone retaining walls.

Fallen trees, landslips and rockfalls have also occurred.

City of Launceston Acting Mayor Alan Harris said ground conditions along the walkway were extremely hazardous.

"So far we've only been able to undertake an assessment of the damage to the track by aerial survey using a drone," Acting Mayor Harris said.

"It is going to take some time for us to be able to get detailed engineering assessments of our infrastructure safely completed and then we will be able to look at what repairs need to be undertaken.

"We can already see from our aerial survey that a number of timber bridges have been damaged by the fire and each of those is going to need to be assessed, made safe and repaired.

"We've also sustained damage to other important infrastructure like fences and retaining walls.

"It's too early for us to be definitive, but it's clear the First Basin Track will be closed to the public for a significant period of time and we're asking for the community's patience in the weeks ahead.

"I can't stress enough the importance of obeying track closure signage which we've put in place as the ground conditions along the track are extremely hazardous."

The section of the First Basin Track between the Sentinel Lookout and Duck Reach Power Station remains open to the public, with access to this section of track available via the Denison Rd Senintel Lookout Car Park or the Corin Street Duck Reach Car Park