Booloumba Falls

Post

Subscribe

Posted 2015-02-17 by Toni Megan ⇒ follow

Up the Bruce Highway, beyond Maleny and down a bumpy track, adventures can find hidden waterfalls to dip their feet and cool their bodies.

My brother is one of these nature-obsessed adventurers and last weekend he piled us all in his ute and we set off on a three-hour journey from Brisbane to the beautiful .

The journey to Conondale National Park is a lovely one filled with sweeping farmland and takes just over two hours to drive. However once you get to the entrance, you need to tighten that seatbelt and grab a hold of something because you are in for a wickedly bumpy ride. If you are a fan of four wheeled driving, then this is a trip for you.

The track from Sunday Creek Road to the falls is a stunning one, but is only accessible via vehicles with 4WD capacities. When we went, the drive involved three creek crossings and many a moment where the cars were just able to pass one another of the narrow and winding roads. It was a huge amount of fun. We sung, we lurched, we talked, we jumped, we joked and we wobbled. We never felt unsafe, just simply in awe at the stunning natural surroundings and the pothole-ridden road ahead.

We passed a couple camping grounds with signs requesting that guests book in advance, which we immediately regretted not booking. Whilst a lot of these spots were filled, the hidden falls still seemed like a quiet oasis to be enjoyed by just us. We were aware we were sharing this park with many others, but it was pretty easy to find your own private spot on the rocks by the creek bed.

To get to the rushing water pools there is a 1.5km track through the tall eucalypt forest that visitors have to traverse first. It had rained previous to our arrival so the track was a little bit slippery for the two of us who hadn't thought ahead enough, and had just worn good old thongs. But we stumbled our way through the growth until we reached the waters edge. The clear path takes visitors all the way down to the creek via carved stairs and easy to hold handrails.

We sat by the edge of the water dipping our toes in the cool flowing water and cursed the fact we hadn't bought our togs, as the water was just perfect for a refreshing dip. So whilst the families nearby splashed about in the water we sunbaked on the rocks and washed the mud off our de-thonged feet, talking away with the rushing water as background music.

Just a tip though; make sure when you plan your trip that you take enough water and food in with you as there is no where to grab some more if you get hungry. Also, unless you are accustomed to toileting in the bush, I would recommend you use a loo back in Conondale.

After a while of lying in the sun and staring at the gorgeous greenery around us, our hunger finally dragged us away from the water's edge, and we headed home. Whilst the rest of my family went straight to bed to rest after our big day, I headed off to yoga to work out the lumps in my neck from the very jumpy ride; a ride I will be doing again shortly.