Arve Road Forest Drive

The Arve Forest Drive follows the Arve River Valley and a drive along this road is one of the easiest ways to experience the Southern Forests.

Like other areas of forest the Arve has a long history, with the early loggers accessing the area in the early 1800s. As you drive along, you will see regrowth eucalypt forests of varying ages. It is not a scene of destruction but a renewable resource.

Unlike coal and oil, regrowth forests help our environment by reducing carbon in the atmosphere, caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Young fast-growing trees do this at a far greater rate than old mature trees. So keep your eyes and minds open on the drive and enjoy the experience of our forever growing forests.

There are many things to see and do on your visit, but make sure you take a raincoat and wear walking shoes. If you intend to cook on a wood barbecue then we recommend that you take some paper and kindling.

The Arve Road is sealed to the new Tahune Forest AirWalk, located 29km from Geeveston (Geeveston is 62km south of Hobart). However, most roads in State forests are unsealed, and driving conditions can change from dusty to muddy depending on the weather.

These roads are primarily for forestry-related vehicles, and log trucks can be encountered on most days, so please drive carefully on these roads.


Outward Bound on the Arve Road

 Blue Gum Plantation
Stand in a Southern Tasmanian Blue Gum plantation. Planted in 1999 you can see them growing at 2-3m per year. The pruned stems will provide saw logs in about 20 years.

The Look-in Lookout
This information booth is a useful stop for familiarising yourself with the attractions and activities on the Arve Forest Drive. Perched above the forest floor, the Look-in Lookout allows you to see right into the forest and to explore the various processes, both natural and man-made, that impact on the growth of trees.

Arve Picnic Ground
Alongside the picturesque Arve River, this site is a popular place for a picnic lunch or to relax and enjoy a barbecue. It is also a good spot to come down from the Hartz National Park to get warm. A short 10 minute walk goes upstream before heading uphill to see the changes in vegetation in this small reserve.

Keoghs Creek Walk
(One of Tasmania's Great Short Walks)
Just like the forest in the Arve Picnic Ground, part of this site is a streamside reserve. Streamside reserves are corridors of forest next to streams or rivers, which are reserved from logging in order to protect water quality. A short stroll through a variety of forests and several creek crossings allows you to compare the unlogged forest of the streamside reserve with the much younger regrowth forest in an area which was partially logged about 20 years ago.

The Big Tree Lookout

Turn left off the Arve Road onto the Arve Loop Road (*gates beyond the Big Tree) after you have been to Keoghs and travel just over 1km to the car park.
The Big Tree is a large swamp gum and its great size and age shows it is a survivor. Much of this forest was logged selectively for sawlogs by old-time loggers. Extensive bushfires swept through this area in the 1960s. On surrounding hillsides you can see the grey trunks of the trees that were burned. Read the signs to find out how this tree has survived the many threats it has faced in its long life.

West Creek Lookout
This lookout and approach walkway is a great way to get a feel for the AirWalk. It looks out over the steep slopes of the West Creek Valley, part of which is protected in a streamside reserve, and few can resist the urge to view the forest from such a dizzy height.

Zig Zag Track
A short 15 minute downhill stroll, meet your driver at the lower car park. This track follows part of the old Picton packhorse trail through unlogged forest. Here the old trees are rotting after their tops have been blown off in high winds.

Travelling Details

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