Queen Mary Falls

Main Range National Park / Killarney, Queensland, Australia

About Queen Mary Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Queen Mary Falls could very well be the most impressive of the waterfalls that we visited near the rural town of Killarney.

Speaking of the waterfalls near Killarney (there are at least two other neighbouring ones in Daggs Falls and Browns Falls, they can be collectively referred to as the “Killarney Falls”.

Queen_Mary_Falls_023_05082008 - Looking down at the full extent of the Queen Mary Falls
Looking down at the full extent of the Queen Mary Falls

Anyways, regarding the Queen Mary Falls, it was where Spring Creek plunged 40m over a basalt cliff, which was a remnant of the Main Range shield volcano.

That volcano, by the way, is why the reserve it’s in is called the Main Range National Park, which is the main draw to the Southern Downs (or Darling Downs) Region of South East Queensland.

Now when you compare the experience of this waterfall to the other two nearby, I’d say that the Queen Mary Falls offered a pleasant, family-friendly walking experience.

That walk involved doing a 2km circuit that took in gorge views, a lookout to better appreciate the entirety of the waterfall, and the misty base of the falls for a little cooling off.

Queen_Mary_Falls_073_07072022 - Queen Mary Falls as seen from its misty base
Queen Mary Falls as seen from its misty base

By contrast, Daggs Falls was an easy lookout that could be wheelchair-accessible while the Browns Falls was more for the adventurous given that it required a bit of an uncomfortable scramble to reach.

Experiencing The Queen Mary Falls Circuit Track To The Lookout

There are actually multiple circuit tracks around the Queen Mary Falls, but I’ll just describe how I did the main loop in an anticlockwise manner.

My wife and daughter did an even shorter Cliff Circuit Track, but they were disappointed with that experience as it didn’t yield a clean view of the waterfall itself.

So starting from the car park, which was right across the Spring Creek Road from the Queen Mary Falls Caravan Park, I crossed a picnic area and proceeded to go onto the main circuit track to the far right.

Queen_Mary_Falls_002_07072022 - Looking across the open picnic area at the Queen Mary Falls trailhead
Looking across the open picnic area at the Queen Mary Falls trailhead

In hindsight, I probably could have stayed closer to the cliff by taking the Cliff Circuit down from the picnic area for perhaps a little more variety in the scenery.

Regardless, both trails converge at a trail junction right in front of a bridge over Spring Creek just upstream from the Queen Mary Falls.

Once I got beyond the bridge, the trail then briefly followed Spring Creek downstream towards a fork, where the path on the left went right to an overhanging lookout yielding perhaps the best view of the Queen Mary Falls.

The first time Julie and I came here in May 2008, we contented ourselves with just going to this overlook and back, which made the whole experience about 30 minutes or so.

Queen_Mary_Falls_009_05082008 - View of the Queen Mary Falls from the official lookout as seen during our first time here in May 2008
View of the Queen Mary Falls from the official lookout as seen during our first time here in May 2008

However, when I came back in July 2022, I was determined to finish the experience by completing the entire circuit, which I’ll detail below.

Completing The Queen Mary Falls Circuit Track

After having my fill of the main lookout for the Queen Mary Falls, I then backtracked and resumed my anticlockwise trajectory on the circuit track.

This involved following the cliff top for about 500m before reaching a lone switchback that then made the rest of the gradual descent to the base of the waterfall.

At the base of the falls were a jumble of giant boulders attesting to the inherent tendency of the cliff to flake off over time.

Queen_Mary_Falls_075_07072022 - Context of the Queen Mary Falls as seen from its misty base before going across the footbridge over Spring Creek
Context of the Queen Mary Falls as seen from its misty base before going across the footbridge over Spring Creek

It was also quite misty down here, which I’m sure would exacerbate the constant erosion that always goes on at waterfalls as its brink tends to move upstream at a rate proportional to its waterflow and erosion rate.

After crossing the footbridge between the base of the Queen Mary Falls and some lower cascades, the track then made its gradual ascent.

Like with the first part of the circuit, this latter part goes up an elongated switchback as it went downstream away from the Queen Mary Falls before veering back towards the picnic area.

Overall, I spent about 75 minutes away from the car, but it could easily be shorter since I took my time and chatted with some families that I encountered.

Queen_Mary_Falls_090_07072022 - Looking back at the context of a family descending towards the base of Queen Mary Falls, which towered over them during my July 2022 visit
Looking back at the context of a family descending towards the base of Queen Mary Falls, which towered over them during my July 2022 visit

By the way, that was further evidence that this circuit walk was indeed a family-friendly excursion.

Authorities

Queen Mary Falls resides in the Main Range National Park near Killarney, Queensland. It is administered by the State of Queensland Department of Environment and Science. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual members. See Membership Options.
Content is for members. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: killarney, main range, national park, spring creek, queensland, australia, waterfall, condamine, murray-darling, gondwana, rainforest, warwick, lismore



Visitor Comments:

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Queen Mary falls March 31, 2013 10:53 pm by Andrea - Lovely bush walk ! If you are of moderate fitness. I suggest you take the stairs end first! Beautiful scenery and the track takes you to the bottom of the waterfall as well a the top so you great a great view! My kids loved it too! ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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