A scenic country road trip to Queen Mary Falls from Brisbane

Road Trip

By Chelsea Tromans

A visit to Queensland Country has a special way of filling your soul cup - even in just a day - with its rolling green hills, rainforest canopies, rushing waterfalls and pace that lets you stop and stare without a timeline.

Queen Mary Falls is like the pot of gold at the end of a country drive rainbow, just a few hours outside of Brisbane. One of Queensland’s best waterfalls, the 40-metre natural beauty is tucked in amongst the ancient World Heritage Gondwana Rainforest on the edge of the Scenic Rim. 

Not just about the destination, the journey to Queen Mary Falls is a treat in itself - especially if you get off the highway and take the scenic route. Clear your calendar for the day (or weekend) and set out on this picturesque road trip to Queen Mary Falls from Brisbane. Time it right and you might also be greeted with fields of golden sunflowers too. 

Stop and pause at Lake Moogerah

Photo by @florols

With the city well behind you, jump off the Cunningham Highway toward Lake Moogerah (one of the best camping spots outside the city). Take a moment to drink in those beautiful lake and mountain vistas: the sound of traffic has been replaced with the chirps of native birds and people enjoying the good life outdoors.

A popular place for boating, water skiing and jet skiing, the lake is the perfect place to soak up the views out to Mt Greville, Mt Alford and Main Range National Park. Pull up at Haigh Park and follow the short walk across the Moogerah Dam wall for a great viewpoint, before hopping back in the car to continue on.

If you’ll be returning to Brisbane along the same route, save your stop here for a stunning sunset.

Savour flavour at Kooroomba Vineyards and Lavender Farm

A short skip from the lake lies one of the Scenic Rim's best foodie stopsKooroomba Lavender Farm & Vineyard. Surrounded by views of the Scenic Rim mountains, the six hectare vineyard and fragrant lavender fields, it’s a great little stop for a bite to eat, a wine tasting and a wander.

Set your sights on Queen Mary Falls 

Continue along Spring Creek Road and you’ll come across Queen Mary Falls in under an hour: but before you get there, make one more pitstop at Carr's Lookout to take in some of the region's most spectacular, sprawling country views.

A short drive down the road will bring you to the main event: the falls. Don't rush down the bushwalking track just yet though, take time to take in the views from above first. The rushing falls are most impressive after rainfall, but nomatter when you visit, you'll be struck by the surroundings. This is a place where ancient lineages of flowering plants, songbirds (such as bower birds) and other rare or threatened animals (such as the spotted-tail quoll) are protected. 

Queen Mary Falls is part of Main Range National Park, one of 50 reserves that make up the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area - the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the entire world, dating back some 180 million years.

Impressive, right? There's more. Queen Mary Falls is located on the western slopes of what was once an active volcano. The volcanic rock surface (known as trachyte) that the water flows over was part of a lava flow from an ancient volcano that was active over 25 million years ago.

The water that tumbles down this volcanic rock face is part of the headwaters of one of Australia’s longest river systems, the Murray–Darling. The headwater, Spring Creek, plunges 40 metres over Queen Mary Falls to continue its twisting journey down the valley floor to join the Condamine River’s upper reaches.

Take a moment to appreciate it all before you set off to explore the falls from a different angle.

Hike to the base of the falls

The Queen Mary Falls circuit is a 40-minute walk that takes you from the lookouts at the top of the falls to the creek below. The 2km circuit trail isn’t hard, but it is spectacular. 

As you sit at the base of the falls and feel its sheer mist spritz your face, take a moment to truly appreciate this gentle giant in front of you.

Just warming up your hiking legs? Check out these unmissable hiking trails in Queensland Country.

Quench your thirst for more waterfalls

Photo by @spurwaya

While it's the biggest, Queen Mary Falls isn’t the only waterfall worth a visit while you’re here. There are five waterfalls in the Killarney area; two of which are connected to Queen Mary Falls via Falls Drive. If you jump back in the car and keep following Spring Creek Road, you'll come across Daggs Falls and Brown Falls. If you packed your swimmers, the waterhole at the base of Brown Falls is an idyllic place for a dip.

Stick around to discover Killarney's country charm 

Photo by @sqcountry

Day trippers might be ready to make the drive back to Brisbane post-swim, but if you can stay a while, this country offers a soul recharge with every moment you spend here.

Killarney is an old timber and dairy town with plenty of history and amazing fresh produce, thanks to the region’s rich soil. Pop into the Heritage Centre to explore records of the early settlers, loggers, agricultural and farming histories of the area.

Get to know the locals over a pub meal at the Killarney Hotel, or drop into the Willow Gallery Collective - a volunteer-run space that showcases local artists, crafters and makers (open Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Take it easy and settle into Killarney View Cabins and Caravan Park for the night. 

Here are some more ideas of what to do in Killarney.

Inspired to seek out a little more fresh air? Add these country getaways from Brisbane to your calendar. 

 

Featured image: @nathanwhiteimages

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