Girringun National Park, Queensland: Walks, waterfalls or camping?

Girringun National Park in Queensland has six sections. Wallaman Falls, Blencoe Falls and Dalrymple Gap have more things to do than Mount Fox, Princess Hills and Wairuna.

There are six sections to the somewhat incoherent Girringun National Park in North Queensland. It’s largely based around the Herbert River Gorge, which runs parallel to the coast between Cardwell and Ingham. These sections are best treated as separate parks, however.

Girringun Natonal Park walks: Wallaman Falls and Blencoe Falls

The biggest attraction in Girringun National Park is Wallaman Falls, the highest waterfall in Australia. This is the very south of Girringun National Park, 51km south-west of Ingham. The 3.2km Djyinda Walk will take you to the base of the falls. You can also camp here, and there’s a decent chance of spotting a platypus in Stony Creek.

Wallaman Falls in the Girringun National Park, Queensland. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland

The other main waterfall in Girringun National Park is Blencoe Falls, near the northern end of the Herbert River Gorge. Blencoe Falls is 84km north-west of Cardwell. This Queensland waterfall plunges 90 metres, then cascades another 230 metres through Blencoe Gorge. To get there from Cardwell, you need to drive down the Kirrama Range Road. Be warned – you’re advised to have a 4WD vehicle for the Kirrama Range Road.

From the car park, it’s a 400m return walk to the Blencoe Falls Lookout. You can also walk there through the eucalypt forest from the Blencoe camping area. The Jabali Walk is 5km return. It’s moderately difficult, and should take 90 minutes to two hours.

Dalrymple Gap and Mount Fox

The nearest section of Girringun National Park to the coast is Dalrymple Gap, 13km south of Cardwell. The 10km Dalrymple Gap walking track follows the route the local Aboriginal people have traditionally taken across the Cardwell Range. The route largely follows Dalrymple Creek with cute wooden bridges and old wagon crossings punctuating the walk through the forest.

The three lesser visited sections of Girringun National Park are Mount Fox, Princess Hills and Wairuna. Mount Fox, on its own 75km south-west of Ingham, is an ancient conical volcano with a large crater. You need a 4WD vehicle to get there, and the 2km walk to the summit is both steep and tough. There is no maintained track, so you’re basically scrambling up the mountainside.

Girringun National Park camping: Princess Hills and Wairuna

The two remaining sections of Girrigun National Park are in the north-west, near Mount Garnet than Cardwell or Ingham.

Princess Hills is basically just a camping area, but there’s good wildlife-spotting to be had. Look for turtles and freshwater crocodiles in the Herbert River, plus gliders and tawny frogmouths around the forest. The Wairuna camping area is pretty similar – it’s just by the Burdekin River instead of the Herbert River.

For more information on Girringun National Park, visit the Queensland Government Parks and Forests website. This North Queensland national park can be visited on the Townsville to Cardwell leg of the drive up the coast from Airlie Beach to Cairns.