Wanting to go to Wallaman Falls? You’re not alone. This is Australia’s highest permanent single drop waterfall (what a mouthful) but is also one of the most impressive waterfalls in all of Australia. It’s been doing the rounds on Instagram for several years now and is easily an insta-famous North Queensland waterfall.
Wallaman Falls is a photographers dream. At 305m tall the water cascades dramatically down the rugged cliff face before pooling at the bottom and is a phenomenal sight whether viewed in gushing flood or a smaller trickle.
How to get to Wallaman Falls
Wallaman Falls is a good 3 hours and 40 minutes drive south of Cairns or 2 hours and 15 minutes north of Townsville. I visited it in one day from Cairns and despite the length of time it was well worth the car journey. You can also see other sights along the way like Cardwell Spa Pools, Paronella Park and Mission Beach.
For those on a North Queensland road trip (like this one: Cairns to Townsville: The 2 Day North Queensland Road Trip for Time Poor Travellers) Wallaman Falls is a highlight of the area between Cairns and Townsville and well worth the slight detour off the Bruce Highway at Ingham to see it in all its glory.
From Cairns
To get to Wallaman Falls from Cairns put this link into Google Maps. The easiest way to get to the waterfall is to head south out of Cairns until you reach the town of Ingham. Once you’re in Ingham you will see dedicated signs directing you inland and out of the town. Wallaman Falls is about 55 minute drive out of Ingham and the road is windy; however, it’s easy to follow and you won’t get lost.
From Townsville
To get to Wallaman Falls from Townsville put this link into Google Maps. Head north out of Townsville on the Bruce Highway until you reach Ingham. Here you will see dedicated signs directing you inland, out of Ingham until you reach the waterfall lookout.
How to view Wallaman Falls
You have two options to view Wallaman Falls – view it from above at the dedicated lookout or hike down to the bottom to see it from below.
While the top certainly gives you an impressive view of the falls, if you have the time the waterfall is definitely more impressive after making the hike to the bottom and taking it all in from below.
The hike to the base of Wallaman Falls
The Djyinda Walk to the base of Wallaman Falls is well signed and easy to follow. Be sure to bring plenty of water, sturdy shoes, a backpack to easily hold your belongings and, of course, your camera.
This path starts as bitumen but soon becomes a rough dirt track. You have to be relatively fit to do this walk, not for the going down part but coming back up. Both of us were on the fitter side of normal (but no gym junkies/marathon runners) and managed the hike back up just fine but I definitely recommend listening to any health advice or warnings as the walk up is quite a lot.
How long does it take to walk to the base of Wallaman Falls?
While official recommendations are to allow 2 hours for a return journey; from memory, it took us about half an hour to get down and half an hour to 45 minutes to get back up again. Worth every step.
Once you’re at the base you can rock hop around to get all the photos you want. Bar the wide angle shots, we took all of these on a zoom lens from further away as this really magnified the size and texture of the waterfall in comparison to us standing in front of it.
Enjoy your time exploring this phenomenal waterfall! If you are interested in this you may also be interested in: