May 29

May 29 Explore a waterfall wonderland in Lamington National Park

If there is one thing you need to know about the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park, it’s that it is full of waterfalls!

We spent a full day exploring this section and were lucky enough to have the best weather and not too much water that the many creek crossings weren’t too dramatic. I can imagine after heavy rains that your feet would be wet the whole time.

Staying at O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat meant that we could start whenever we wanted and still make it back for a sunset drink, but you could easily drive out here from anywhere on the Gold Coast for a day trip as well if you started early – just be aware that the windy road to the top will slow you down.

We combined a few trails to make the most of a full day hiking in the park – starting on the West Canungra Creek circuit down to Yerralahla (Blue Pool). You ease into the day, following the Border Track for about 600m before branching in to the West Canungra Creek Circuit.

The first part dives into lush rainforest and leads you to Yerralahla Pool - there is a 400m drop in elevation from O’Reilly’s to the Blue Pool.

Though we hadn’t yet really worked up a sweat, we stripped off to have a quick swim before continuing.

From here, we followed the creek up stream, crisscrossing about 10 times, sometimes rock hopping and only once took our shoes off to wade across. Sometimes the track at crossings isn’t clear, so you (unlike me) you need to keep an eye out for those elusive trail markers!

Sitting by one such crossing for a lunch break, we spotted the local Spiny Blue Crayfish in one of the many deeper pools – a protected species - which looks like a cross between a yabby and a lobster but with vibrant blue markings.

At the junction of the Box Forest Track, there’s a decision to be made: continue along the creek, or head up the valley away from the creek. – we took the Box Forest circuit up to the Border Track that takes you back to O’Reillys .

Waterfalls aren’t the only scenery on this walk

It’s now almost the end of the waterfalls… but the last two falls (reached by short side-tracks) are the most of the day stunning in my opinion. The first signposted side-track leads to Tulleriguam Falls (Box Log Falls). These falls are tucked away and you can feel the temperature drop as you get closer. We stood here for a bit just soaking up nature’s show.

The next (short) side-trip is to Elabana Falls which is by far the busiest spot of the day with a lot of people just walking here from O’Reillys and back.

Elabana Falls is actually not one, but two falls and despite the crowds, it is still spectacular. The falls feature a tall upper section that looks like a curtain and a lower cascade that consists of multiple streams of water flowing into a natural swimming hole.

You will need to scramble over a few rocks to get the best views but the view from the track isn’t too shabby.

We stopped here for a VERY refreshing swim. The chill in the water will take your breath away. We saw plenty of small blue spiny crayfish on our swim too.

Like with any natural pool, there are submerged rocks and varying water depths so sliding and not jumping is recommended – plus, it is super slippery around here.

After spending most of the day descending or being on (relatively) flat ground, it is time to ascend back out of the valley. Be prepared for some exertion at this point but the gradient is pretty gradual.