It’s no secret that one of our favourite day trip destinations is Springbrook National Park. There are so many beautiful walking tracks, look outs and picnic areas to choose from, that you just want to keep coming back to explore some more. One of the tracks that we hadn’t had the opportunity to walk was the Purling Brook Falls Walking Track.
This four kilometre walking track takes you down into the bottom section near the base of the falls. The Purling Brook Falls circuit was closed for some time after floods washed away part of the track and a foot bridge. This has since been repaired and was re-opened in 2015.
There are two ways that you can approach this walk. I recommend that you tackle it in a clockwise direction. As you walk in from the car park veer to the left and follow that path. This leads to a viewing area where you can take in the full size of the falls and also look down into the bottom section where you will be walking to.
The walking track is fairly steep and narrow and has a total of 450 steps that wind their way down into the foothills of the falls. I would suggest that you have a moderate level of fitness before attempting this walk. I found the walk down and the steps easy to navigate. However, the walk back out was steep and I needed to stop a couple of times to catch my breath.
Sturdy footwear is a must as well to help prevent slips. The dampness of the area makes parts of the track quite slippery in places. Some sections of the track are close to steep drops. It is a good idea to supervise any younger children at all times.
GOOD HIKING BOOTS
These Merrill Moab Hiking boots are comfortable and give excellent ankle support.
We stopped numerous times to take photo’s so all up the walk took us about two and a half hours. If you want to add an extra two kilometres onto your walk, you can include the Warringa Pool track walk. We didn’t on this occasion as the weather wasn’t looking the best.
The weather in the Gold Coast Hinterland is often unpredictable and can often be several degrees cooler than on the coast. I would suggest packing a light jacket. Some bottled water is also essential and you may want to consider packing a snack as well.
Once down the bottom it was much cooler and I could feel the spray blowing off the waterfall. And the views are nothing short of spectacular. I felt completely dwarfed by the cliffs that the falls run over.
Of course after you have finished your walk, you will want some lunch and there are some great picnic areas to choose from. We stopped at the Settlement Camp Ground Day Use Area. This is away from the main parking area and a lot quieter. Plus there is loads of open space for the kids to run around.
Although we haven’t camped at the Settlement Camp Ground it looks like a great spot for a few nights camping with decent size flat areas. There are barbecues and toilets available but no showers. The camp ground is run by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and a camping permit is required.
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What a beautiful walk, and with such a gorgeous destination!
It sure is a gorgeous destination….the whole of Springbrook is one of our favourite spots.
The Gold Coast Hinterland is a lovely area with lots of lovely walks. We have done some of these walks many years ago when we stayed in a lovely cottage at a Canyon. I hope we will get back some day.
We are so lucky to have the Hinterland right on our back door step. We spend a lot of time out there.
This looks like a hike I would do. I love to end my hikes at waterfalls! Unfortunately, that is something we cannot find that much here in Southern California. #TPThursday
We are very lucky here….we have so many walks all over Australia that end up at waterfalls, especially here in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Love bushwalking in Australia. Never done it in Queensland, though. Adding it to the list.
Lots of amazing places to bush walk here Sophie, especially around the Gold Coast. We are very lucky to live where we do.
Oh this brings back memories! I’ve done this walk Melissa and it’s a beautiful one. We stayed at The Mouses House Rainforest Retreat – so lovely there! I love that area. 🙂 #teamlovinlife
I’ve seen the sign for the Mouses House…looks lovely. Such a great part of Queensland!
I have done this walk a few times and love walking down all those steps, but detest walking back up! The Falls are fabulous after we have had a lot of rain so I would recommend holding off visiting until we’ve had some decent rainfall. I really love the Gold Coast Hinterland. There are so many walks to choose from.
We have been out there a couple of times when we have had lots of rain. Very spectacular. I was actually quite surprised at how well I went coming back out.
I have to admit I’m a bit snake phobic so not big on walking through the great outdoors.
Plus I hate hills! But… I do find walking on a hiking track to be quite therapeutic. (As long as someone chases the scary things away first!)
#teamlovinlife
The only snake we have seen out that way was a lovely python trying to catch some sun on a rock. I’m inclined to think it’s probably a bit cool for them on the overgrown tracks. We did see a lovely goanna though 🙂