Browne Falls
Encyclopedia
Browne Falls is a waterfall
above Doubtful Sound
, which is located in Fiordland National Park
, New Zealand
. In breathtaking scenery amidst temperate rain forest, the falls cascade down to the fiord near Hall Arm. Heights of 619 metres and 836 metres have been given for the falls.
Their source is a tarn
called Lake Browne (836 m above sea level) which when full, overflows down the side of the mountain face (similar to Sutherland's
source). The stream makes 836 m height difference over 1,130 m horizontal difference, thus the mean gradient of stream is 42 degrees. This comparatively low angle makes falls less impressive.
The falls are one of the two candidates for the title of New Zealand's highest waterfall. The other is sourced from a tarn
behind Elizabeth Island which is also in Fiordland
.
The falls are named after pioneering aerial photographer, Victor Carlisle Browne, who discovered Lake Browne and the associated falls on one of his flights over Fiordland in the 1940s.
There are at least two other notable waterfalls falling to Doubtful Sound: Helena Waterfall and Lady Alice Falls.
of Browne Falls. Extensive stands of nothofagus
dominated trees are present along with a wide variety of understory fern
s and shrubs; examples of the forest floor vegetation include Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor
.
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
above Doubtful Sound
Doubtful Sound
Doubtful Sound is a very large and naturally imposing fjord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound...
, which is located in Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,500 km², and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In breathtaking scenery amidst temperate rain forest, the falls cascade down to the fiord near Hall Arm. Heights of 619 metres and 836 metres have been given for the falls.
Their source is a tarn
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
called Lake Browne (836 m above sea level) which when full, overflows down the side of the mountain face (similar to Sutherland's
Sutherland Falls
Sutherland Falls is a waterfall near Milford Sound in New Zealand's South Island. At 580 metres the falls were long believed to be the tallest waterfall in New Zealand...
source). The stream makes 836 m height difference over 1,130 m horizontal difference, thus the mean gradient of stream is 42 degrees. This comparatively low angle makes falls less impressive.
The falls are one of the two candidates for the title of New Zealand's highest waterfall. The other is sourced from a tarn
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...
behind Elizabeth Island which is also in Fiordland
Fiordland
Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western-most third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lakes and its ocean-flooded, steep western valleys...
.
The falls are named after pioneering aerial photographer, Victor Carlisle Browne, who discovered Lake Browne and the associated falls on one of his flights over Fiordland in the 1940s.
There are at least two other notable waterfalls falling to Doubtful Sound: Helena Waterfall and Lady Alice Falls.
Natural history
There is a diversity of plant and birdlife in the vicinity and watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of Browne Falls. Extensive stands of nothofagus
Nothofagus
Nothofagus, also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 35 species of trees and shrubs native to the temperate oceanic to tropical Southern Hemisphere in southern South America and Australasia...
dominated trees are present along with a wide variety of understory fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s and shrubs; examples of the forest floor vegetation include Crown Fern, Blechnum discolor
Blechnum discolor
Blechnum discolor is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. As noted by C. Michael Hogan, this species is found in a number of forest communities in diverse locations within New Zealand, and is sometimes a dominant understory component.Spores are...
.