Waterfall Record

This is a portion of a waterfall with a rainbow.

The Waterfall Record

Purling Brook Falls, Queensland

Purling Brook Falls is a 314 foot / 106 meter tall waterfall that plunges off a cliff in Springbrook National Park in Queensland, Australia.
Purling Brook Falls in June 2023

Quick Facts

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy, see below)
Length of Hike: 0.2 miles / 0.3 km round-trip
Height: 314′ / 106 m

The Record

In 2023, my husband and I hopped around Australia. We hit Melbourne, Adelaide, and then Brisbane & the Gold Coast. One of the main locations we visited in the Gold Coast area is Springbrook National Park. The drive up to Springbrook National Park is an adventure in itself. Be prepared for some serious twists and turns. The roads are incredibly curvy and windy, often narrowing down to single lanes in places. The park is famous for its waterfalls, and Purling Brook Falls might be the “queen” of the bunch (since it’s in Queensland), standing tall as the highest waterfall in the park, though there may not be a massive amount of water flowing.

The Purling Brook Circuit is a 4 kilometer round-trip hike. We decided against the full hike after visiting other waterfalls that day. To see the falls, you don’t need to hike the whole circuit, but you can take advantage of short treks to two viewpoints. Heading to the lookout to the right of the falls, you’ll be able to see most of the waterfall. The second viewpoint leads to the crest of the waterfall. The 300’+ drop is free-falling, and I wasn’t a big fan of the heights at this viewpoint, though it’s a worthwhile stop.

From a photography perspective, it’s quite difficult to capture the full waterfall unless you complete the entire circuit hike. This longer, more strenuous walk takes you right down into the valley, giving you that iconic view from below. However, for those looking for something a bit easier, the walk to the two viewpoints we visited is incredibly manageable. I rated this short portion of the circuit hike as easy, as it was mostly paved (from what I remember).

Directions

  1. The M1 expressway surrounds Gold Coast. The “simplest” route may be to follow State Road 99 southwest to Springbrook National Park. The parking areas for the falls are on Road 99. It may be “quicker” to use State Road 97, Pine Creek Road, and State Road 99, and I think we were forced to due to road closures. The main point: check road openings before heading to the park.
  2. You’ll turn left onto Forestry Road, which leads to the parking area for the Purling Brook Circuit. I think signs indicated this, so it wasn’t difficult to find.

Where in the World is Purling Brook Falls?

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