Wednesday 7/10/2020 Minnamurra River – Minnamurra Falls
Budderoo National Park, NSW
Tharawal country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
With an expiring NSW National Parks Pass and planned walking trip into Kosciuszko National Park in there near future we decided on revisiting Minnamurra Falls. One of the few places you could buy a year pass and, whilst there, take in a rainforest walk. Check for opening hours.
Max elevation: 290 m
Total climbing: 300 m
Total descent: -294 m
Average speed: 4.45 km/h
Total time: 01:52:51
Minnamurra Falls is very much a tourist walk and has been since at the 1870’s. The walk is short with a lot of wide, raised boardwalks at each end separated by wide track. It passes through a long protected area and contains most of the rainforest species found in southern NSW. There are many trees, ferns and other rainforest plants not found elsewhere.
There is a large carpark at the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre. After paying your entrance fee here the wide boardwalk soon splits off with two options. We headed left following the Minnamurra River viewing lots of ferns and moss-covered rocks, occasionally looking up towards the forest canopy where more bird-nest ferns could be seen perched high on tree trunks, many of which are draped in vines. Below are the twinkling waters of Minnamurra River.
Over the suspension bridge, the track starts to climb steeply. At the first platform, we were lucky enough to pause at watch a lyrebird scratching around through the leaf litter in search of food. Further along, I chatted with a Parks Ranger who was checking his traps, he outlined the never-ending battle with managing the feral cat population and their impact on the native fauna.
Further along, the partially paved track steepened for a few hundred metres before levelling out again. Along this upper section, there are a few small creeks that cross the track and a couple of small waterfalls.
At the far point, there are two viewing platforms which take in views of the impressive two-level Minnamurra Falls and the gorge below it.
For our return, we took the alternate, higher dirt track. Along this section, our attention was drawn to lots of birds-nest ferns and small fungi. Here we were also lucky enough to sight a few smaller birds and hear a lot of birdsong. This proved to be a fantastic way to renew our annual NSW National Parks Pass.
Clickable icons on a world map which open the related trip report
A detailed, searchable trip list with links to reports, photo galleries and other content
NSW National Parks signage along this track also states
The Falls Walk is steep for the first 500 metres, then becomes a medium grade for the following 800 metres before reaching Minnamurra Falls.
Minnamurra Falls viewing platforms
Provide good view of the Upper Falls with a height of 22 metres; and the Lower Falls that drop 52 metres into slot gorge.
