Blencoe Falls

Blencoe Falls is that waterfall you might have seen if you've watched the reality show Survivor (the second season was filmed in Australia's Outback) where the tribal council took place at the top of this remote falls. The falls initially plunges some 91m before cascading another 230m (for a grand total of three major stages) as the waters continue at the bottom of the spectacular Herbert River Gorge. There's a short walk (400m or 20 minutes each way) to a lookout platform taking in the scenery. If you're hardy and self-sufficient for a few days, there are even longer walks in the area. There's a separate car park above the falls where you can also do some primitive bush camping.

Even though Blencoe Falls shares the same park as the easily-accessible Wallaman Falls, getting here is not easy. There's a dry-weather only 4wd road just north of Cardwell at Kennedy, which leads some 71km west to the rugged 4wd turnoff leading south to the falls car park itself. Unfortunately, according to some locals we've spoken to at Cardwell, Cyclone Larry made this road so bad that 2wd vehicles shouldn't even bother.

There's a longer approach that passes through the dry, dusty town of Mt Garnett (west of Ravenshoe) before going south on extensive unsealed roads ultimately reaching the 4wd spur to the falls lookout from the west. The latter approach was the way we took with a 2wd vehicle, but honestly I don't recommend doing what we did (unless you're real patient, you've taken out the damage waiver with your car hire company, and you've got a whole day dedicated to the falls). We started from Millaa Millaa and it took us over 3 hours to get to the falls, but not before the plastic covering guarding the oil pan came loose.

Don't even bother with this waterfall if it has been raining because you're likely to either get stuck in the mud or get cut off by washed out roads along the way.

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The Herbert River Gorge

Looking down at the falls

A particularly rough and rocky section of road on the way to the falls from Mt Garnett

Cliffs framing the falls

An area that appears to be afflicted by Cyclone Larry in March 2006