THINGS TO DO AT WALLAMAN FALLS – GIRRINGUN NATIONAL PARK

Things to do at Wallaman Falls. A complete guide to the Djyinda Walk, Banggurru Walk and wildlife spotting in this section of Girringun National Park.

About Wallaman Falls

Girringun National Park is found just over 100km north of Townsville, in part of the the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in the state of Queensland. Wallaman Falls is one of the six sections that make up the Girringun National Park. The other five being Blencoe Falls, Dalrymple Gap Track, Wairuna, Mount Fox and Princess Hills. Home to some great walks, amazing wildlife and spectacular waterfalls, all of Girringun National Park is well worth visiting. But for us, it’s the Wallaman Falls section that really steals the show and we’re going to show you why.

Walks around Wallaman Falls

Other than the much longer multi day Wet Tropics Great Walk, the Wallaman Falls section of Girringun National Park has two lovely walks – Djyinda Walk and Banggurru Walk. Short in length, these two walks are quite different, but both are a must if you’re visiting Wallaman Falls.

Djyinda Walk

Distance: 3.2km Trail Type: Return Grade: Moderate Time: 1.5-3hr Start Point: Wallaman Falls lookout – Park at the Wallaman Falls Day-use area Finish Point: Wallaman Falls lookout

The Djyinda Walk is the headliner! Pronounced ‘Yin-da’ it means ‘falls’. And it’s not hard to see why it got this name. Wallaman Falls is the highest, permanent single drop waterfall in Australia. At 268 metres tall, it is simply stunning.

Even without setting foot on a walking track you can enjoy epic views over to these falls. Only meters from the Wallaman Falls Day-use area car park you’ll find the Wallaman Falls Lookout. Super accessible, it means everyone can enjoy this majestic falls.

But for those who want to see some equally impressive views from the waterfalls base, there’s an easy to follow short and steep track down to the foot of these falls. The trail starts as a sealed path and not far from the start (about 300m) you’ll come to the Herbert River Valley/Stony Creek Lookout.

The path then becomes more of a dirt trail through a lovely forested section where you can really enjoy the flora and fauna on this part of the walk. But do also take note of the signage you pass about ‘Stinging Trees’ on the trail, you don’t want any nasty souvenirs from the hike.

It’s about a 40 minute walk to the end of the track where you’ll come to a fenced Djyinda Lookout. You can also explore all around the rocky base with any number of different angles and photo opportunities. But note, the rocks are very slippery, especially the algae covered ones close to the falls. You can even swim in the falls if conditions permit (far too cold on our visit!) But it’s all completely at your own risk.

Remember it usually takes a little longer hiking up than down. As a rough estimate it will likely take about one hour to retrace your steps back up to the top. For us, this was one of the best things to do at Wallaman Falls.

Banggurru Walk

Distance: 800m Trail Type: Return Grade: Moderate Time: 30min-1.5hr Start Point: Wallaman Falls Camping and day-use area Finish Point: Wallaman Falls Camping and day-use area

The Banggurru (which is pronounced ‘Bun-gu-roo’) means Turtle and you’ll see why when you get down to the Creek. Often just considered as a nice ‘add-on’ or ‘addition’ to the more popular Djyinda Walk, we think this short walk is completely underrated and not to be missed especially for wildlife lovers.

Starting from the Wallaman Falls Camping area (about 1.5km from the Wallaman Falls Day-use area) this hike is much more flora and fauna focused than the Djyinda Walk. Keep your eyes peeled for the elusive Red-Legged Pademelon which are easily missed. We were lucky to see several of these tiny macropods both on this hike and around the campsite.

You follow the Stony Creek upstream enveloped by the surrounding vegetation on a really nice and tranquil forested trail. Lookout for birds like the Spectacled Monarch and Pale Yellow Robin on the way. After about 400m, you’ll come out into the open.

Home to plenty of wildlife it’s definitely worth exploring the areas around the pools and creek. Vibrant Azure Kingfisher, Eastern Water Dragons and Saw-shelled turtles (the walks namesake) are common sights on this final part of the Banggurru Walk.

Apparently Platypus are also found here! However having been completely spoiled with numerous Platypus sightings on a very recent trip to Eungella National Park, we only had a very brief and unsuccessful look for them here. But we did come across this rock, that startled us at first. Anyone else thinks this looks like a croc’s head? In the end we concluded it was just a rock.

On a hot day there is also this beautiful swimming area to enjoy. But again it was far too cold on our visit, so we just enjoyed the serenity. When you’ve had you’re fix, just retrace your steps back to the Wallaman Falls Camping and day-use area.

Wildlife of Wallaman Falls Camping Area

To maximise our experience around Wallaman Falls we camped at Wallaman Falls Camping Area. As a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) camping area it was as ever a bargain! At the time of our visit (August 2021) it was $6.75 per person per night or $27 per family per night.

Set in open woodland adjacent to Stony Creek it was a lovely campsite and we really enjoyed our two nights here. As with the vast majority of our QPWS campsite experiences, there was no shortage of wildlife around too.

Wildlife by day

Having only had fleeting glimpses of the Red-Legged Pademelon during the daytime at Eungella National Park, we were delighted when we found them here on the edge/periphery of the campsite late in the afternoon. They were incredibly shy so we had to be pretty patient and stealthy to photograph them in daylight. But our persistence paid off and we got some great photos on both afternoons.

Whilst out and about looking for wildlife around the edges of the campsite we also came across this snake coiled up in the rafters of one of the sheltered picnic areas. Unfamiliar with this species, we can’t tell you what it is. Anyone who knows please let us know in the comments section.

The birdlife around the campsite was a little easier to spot than on the tracks. The scavenging Brush Turkeys were a menace, so if you are camping, lock your food away! Others were more welcome like the Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Lorikeet, Eastern Yellow Robin and the Lewin’s Honeyeaters.

Wildlife by night

The campsite came alive just after dark and as we were the only campers on our second night, we had good fun trying to find and photograph some of it. Just like our time at Fern Flat Camping area in Eungella National Park even without leaving our camp chairs, we could see Long-Nosed Bandicoot and a couple of Red-Legged Pademelon, who were far less skittish at night! There was also a Brushtail Possum floating around too.

The chorus of frogs by night was also pretty impressive. We went out with the flashlight to see if we could find any, particularly the colourful Tree Frogs. We had no luck with the Tree frogs, but did find what we believe to be a Stony Creek Frog?

In Summary

There are plenty of things to do at Wallaman Falls. The walks and wildlife in this section of Girringun National Park was all we hoped for and more. Beautiful walks, plenty of wildlife and home to one of the most impressive waterfalls we’ve visited in Australia!

As always, if this guide has helped in anyway or you have any other feedback about it please do let us know in the comments section.

Useful information and packing essentials for the Wallaman Falls section of Girringun National Park

• The Wallaman Falls section of Girringun National Park is 2WD accessible.
• It’s important to consider your health, fitness and experience when choosing your hikes here.
• Good footwear is recommended if hiking the Djyinda Walk and especially if you plan on exploring the slippery rocks at the base of Wallaman Falls.
• Wallaman Falls flows all year round, but should be at its most powerful during the wet season from November to April.
• Weekends and holidays can get busy here as Wallaman Falls is an understandably popular tourist attraction.
• The Wallaman Falls Camping Area needs to be pre-booked for the camping permit.
• As always, leave no trace and take all your rubbish with you and dispose of it correctly.

---

Like this post? Then pin it!

Planning a trip to Queensland? Check out our blogs to help you plan the perfect trip