Tucked away behind Huonville on McDougalls Spur Road, the Grove of Giants is home to what might be the most remarkable collection of ancient trees you’ll encounter anywhere on the planet. This 100-hectare patch of old-growth forest contains over 150 trees with diameters exceeding four metres—that’s roughly eight people linking arms just to encircle a single trunk.
The star attraction? Lathamus Keep, the world’s largest Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus), discovered only in 2021. This 500-year-old giant stands 80 metres tall with a trunk volume of 325 cubic metres—making it not just any big tree, but officially the biggest blue gum on Earth. To put that in perspective, this single tree has been growing since before Europeans even knew Tasmania existed.
But the Grove of Giants isn’t just about one spectacular specimen. What makes this place truly extraordinary is the density of giants. Four different eucalyptus species—Blue Gum, Swamp Gum (Eucalyptus regnans), Stringybark, and Messmate—all reach colossal proportions within this small area. Nowhere else on the planet will you find such a concentration of gigantic trees from multiple species growing together.
The 3-kilometre walking track winds through temperate rainforest understory, where man ferns, sassafras, myrtle, and horizontal create a prehistoric atmosphere. The track splits into the “Top Track” (easier and drier) and “Bottom Track” (steeper and muddier but more immersive). Either way, you’re walking through what feels like a cathedral—except the ceiling is 80 metres overhead and made of leaves.
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