Adventure: Conondale National Park – Booloumba Falls walk

Head to the hinterland for the day and walk to the absolutely stunning Boolouma Falls, one of the highlights of the Conondale Range Great Walk.

Suitability

This walk is 1.5km one way and is suitable for walkers with some experience. Dogs are not permitted in this state government national park.

Highlights

By the time you reach the Booloumba Falls carpark, you’re at 500m above sea level. Take a short but very beautiful downhill walk to the falls, cascading past a rock pinnacle nicknamed the breadknife for its serrated razor formation. It’s probably the most impressive part of the Conondale Range Great Walk complete with a great lookout, bubbling brook and sublime swimming holes along the way (albeit a little too cold to actually swim‍ in right now).

And yes, you can walk there and back in one day too from the Booloumba Creek camping and day use area. It would be about 17km for the round trip.

Afterwards

There are numerous walks to be done in this area including the Strangler Cairn, Mount Allan Summit and the full 56km Conondale Range Great Walk.

After your walk you can head to Mapleton or Kenilworth, or even further afield to Imbil, Kandanga or Amamoor. 

How to get there

Follow the M1 / Bruce Highway north, and take the Kenilworth exit. Follow the signs for Kenilworth, travelling along the Eumundi-Kenilworth Road for about 28km. Go through Kenilworth and continue toward Maleny. The turn-off to Booloumba Creek day-use and camping areas is on your right about 7.5km, just after Little Yabba Creek Park. Follow this road for another 7km and you will get to the Booloumba Creek Day area.

If you have a tough 4WD, it’s possible to drive right up to the Booloumba Falls carpark. The walk on the map starts from here, otherwise start from the Day Use Area.

*NOTE: Queensland Parks advises: All park roads are gravel and at present suitable for high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles ONLY. Booloumba Creek Road includes three creek crossings. Many keen walkers  park their cars on the side of the road before the first creek crossing and walk in. For more parks information, maps and park alerts, visit https://fal.cn/3yNj1 

Trail 

For more than 250 walking, running, paddling, cycling, mountain-biking and horse-riding trails on the Sunshine Coast #chooseyournextadventure with Adventure Sunshine Coast: https://adventure.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/

NB – For those who have a four-legged friend they wish to take on their adventures – be sure to check out council’s handy interactive off leash dog map to help identify the current dog off-leash, on-leash and prohibited areas when you’re out and about across the Sunshine Coast local government region at https://pets.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/