Our Top 10 Best Australia Waterfalls List is where we showcase our favourite waterfalls that we’ve visited and written about (so we show you how to visit them) in the “land down under”. And even with these constraints, we still had a difficult time putting together this kind of a list.
After all, such lists tend to subject themselves to criticism because of subjectivity. Even the same waterfall could yield different experiences for different people, which further adds to the variability in a list like this.
We found it particularly challenging to limit our extensive survey of Australian Waterfalls down to just ten. Heck, we even had to leave out waterfalls such as Dip Falls, Wangi Falls, Fortescue Falls, Liffey Falls, Florence Falls, Wentworth Falls, and so many others!
That should tell you how competitive and exclusive this list is!
Moreover, just to give you an idea of how expansive our survey is, you can see the waterfall map or the comprehensive listing in our page dedicated to all the Australian Waterfalls that we’ve been to and written about.
Indeed, Oz possessed too many beautiful waterfalls. Thus, we inevitably had to make some very tough choices and snub some very deserving ones.
So without further ado, here they are in reverse order…
#10 MONTEZUMA FALLS
West Coast Council / near Rosebery, Tasmania, Australia
This waterfall could very well claim the title of tallest permanent waterfall in Tasmania.
We definitely had to earn our visit with a three-hour return walk. Although the track once served as a causeway to haul mining goods, we saw that the forest has recovered nicely since they re-purposed this place for hiking.
And with its reasonably close proximity to some of Tassie’s wildest places (including Cradle Mountain), this waterfall stood out to us on a trip adversely affected by drought (on our first visit).
Adding to the atmosphere of this falls, we even got to experience it from a scary swinging suspension bridge!
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#9 TIA FALLS
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Of all the waterfalls we visited in the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, only this waterfall had a healthy and voluminous flow. Indeed, so many others seemed to struggle flowing or ceased to flow altogether.
Whether by circumstance or good land management, the falls seemed to sit in a very good drainage where most of its catchment remained uncleared and intact. And we wound up with a quality experience as you can see in this photo.
Oh and by the way, the waterfall also exhibited power, height, and the precipitous gorge scenery to earn a place on this list of the best Australia Waterfalls.
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#8 RUSSELL FALLS
Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
This curtain-like multi-tiered waterfall might claim the title of the most popular in the state of Tasmania.
It certainly caught the eye of early visitors since it was the centerpiece of the first national park in the Island State.
With friendly walks among giant gum trees as well as a chance to see wildlife, we relished the Nature on display. We also augmented our experience with another waterfall further upstream in Horseshoe Falls.
Indeed, we spent plenty of time here, which afforded us the ability to see the falls in its best light. So we managed to get great photos to boot!
Based on all these things, we just had to give it room on our regional top 10 list of the best Australia Waterfalls.
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#7 MACKENZIE FALLS
Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia
This resilient waterfall of over 30m withstood some of the harshest drought-ridden conditions in the country.
During our visit to the southeast of Australia in 2006, we had little reason for optimism. Given the fires that took place in Grampians National Park, we witnessed plenty of evidence of recent fires as well as kangaroo tails sprouting as a result of them.
Yet, the falls still flowed strong!
Indeed, despite all the water problems here, it made us forget what this waterfall overcame to put on a miraculous show.
So for its resilience along with its obvious beauty amidst such difficult conditions, we emphatically included this waterfall on our list of Top 10 Best Australia Waterfalls.
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#6 BLENCOE FALLS
Girringun (Lumholtz) National Park, Queensland, Australia
Situated in the Herbert River Gorge deep in the Outback of Queensland, this very remote waterfall featured on the reality show “Survivor.”
And true to its claim to fame, we had to earn our sighting of this falls by risking damage to our rental car on some pretty rugged high-clearance 4wd roads.
But once we got to this unique and remote waterfall, we enjoyed its 90m plunge followed by a 230m cascade. Indeed, all that trouble made us realize that the adventure yielded an unforgettable experience.
Thus, with all things considered, this Survivor Country waterfall belongs on the list of Australia’s best.
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#5 FITZROY FALLS
Morton National Park, New South Wales, Australia
This impressive escarpment-leaping 120m waterfall in New South Wales’ Morton National Park was a popular attraction.
Not even rain stopped us from sharing the experience with dozens of other tourists!
With its scenic position framing a deep and lush valley when viewed from near its top, we understood why it earned its popularity.
Not to be outdone, we also appreciated its towering size when viewed directly from one of the more distant lookouts further downstream.
And just a few minutes walk further, we encountered another set of waterfalls called Twin Falls to round out the experience.
With all that this waterfall had going for it, it had to make our top 10 list of best Australian Waterfalls.
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#4 ELLENBOROUGH FALLS
Greater Taree Region, New South Wales, Australia
We went on a bit of an unexpected adventure to see this waterfall. But in the end, we witnessed a towering 200m falls decorating the head of the Ellenborough Gorge.
That lofty drop placed this as one of the tallest single-drop waterfalls in Australia. It also possessed the scenic vertical backdrop to boot.
The visitor-friendly walk had interpretive signs while connecting us With several overlooks allowing us to see the falls from different angles. We even felt its mist at its base.
Thus, this excursion presented one of the more enjoyable experiences in the country, and so it clearly made our regional top 10 list of best Australia Waterfalls.
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#3 JIM JIM FALLS
Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
Plunging off a towering yet remote escarpment in the hot and humid UNESCO wilderness of Kakadu National Park, this was the most dramatic waterfall in the reserve.
With its 200m height amongst colourful cliffs, the falls was indeed an awe-inspiring sight.
Even though we needed to time our visit for either a flyover in the Wet Season or an intimate 4wd adventure in the middle of the Australian winter (dry season at the Top End), it was also the perfect waterfalling excuse for us to witness all the Aboriginal history, the scenery, the wildlife, and of course the character of this falls.
By the way, if you’re going to go through the effort to reach this waterfall, you mind as well include the neighbouring Twin Falls to really make this an over-the-top experience!
Once sitting atop this list as our favourite Australia Waterfall of all, we may reconsider if we finally get a chance to experience this pairing from the bottom.
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#2 MITCHELL FALLS
Kimberley Region, Western Australia, Australia
Deep in the remote red rock wilderness of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, this multi-tiered waterfall easily made our top 10 list.
Adding to the gorgeous scene, the deep red cliffs framed and contrasted the white of the plunging Mitchell River.
Plus the fact that nature dominated out in this remote part of the Outback further assured us that beautiful places like this do indeed exist!
However, you definitely had to earn your visit. Indeed, you either had to go on a rough two-day 4wd adventure. Or you had to willingly burn a hole in your pockets to do a flight/hike day trip for this waterfall.
Fortunately, we did have that second option, and the adventure richly rewarded us with an unforgettable experience among unforgettable scenery.
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#1 WALLAMAN FALLS
Girringun (Lumholtz) National Park, Queensland, Australia
Located deep in the UNESCO World Heritage Wet Tropics Area, this was said to be Australia’s tallest single-drop permanent waterfall at 268m.
Viewable from numerous positions across the gorge at the top and from its misty base (after the Djyinda Walk through some of the world’s oldest rainforest), it was fairly easy for us to enjoy the falls as well as catch a rainbow or two in good weather.
Add to this the lush and precipitous gorge scenery of the surrounding area and we had ourselves quite an experience at one of the country’s must-see attractions.
Even in not-so-great weather, don’t give up on going to the bottom when the view across the gorge is blocked by clouds!
In fact, it’s this waterfall’s accessibility that was the deciding factor in just barely edging out the waterfalls that occupied the #2 and #3 spots on this list (indeed, we’ve been flip flopping between them when it comes to updating this list).
So for now, this iconic Queensland waterfall sits atop our exclusive list of the best waterfalls in Australia!
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Looking for more of our favorites?
Below are a few more Top 10 lists of the waterfalls we’ve visited.