Zillie Falls

Atherton Tableland / Far North, Queensland, Australia

About Zillie Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Zillie Falls was the second of three waterfalls (the other two being Millaa Millaa Falls and Ellinjaa Falls on the popular 17km Waterfall Circuit on the looping Theresa Creek Road.

With this particular 30m waterfall (making it the tallest one in the Waterfall Circuit), there were a couple of different ways to experience it – from the top and the bottom.

Zillie_Falls_005_05172008 - Zillie Falls
Zillie Falls

To experience the waterfall from its top, it was a mere short jaunt from the car park (see directions below) to an overlook yielding a view across the brink of its plunge.

Unfortunately with this viewpoint, it seemed to have become increasingly overgrown so the views have become more obstructed over the years.

Therefore, it made sense to look for a way to get to the bottom of this waterfall, but we wouldn’t be able to do that until we came back to this falls in late June 2022 (over 14 years after our first visit in May 2008).

The key to finding the trail of use leading to the bottom of Zillie Falls was to look for it on your right as you start to head back to the car park from the overlook.

Waterfall_Circuit_092_06292022 - View of Zillie Falls from the bottom
View of Zillie Falls from the bottom

That’s where there’s an unsigned trail-of-use that was surprisingly well-used as it weaved between trees (which themselves concealed the path if looking back towards it from the overlook).

As the trail descended further, the descent became steeper, but there were surprisingly rock steps, which suggested that there was some degree of trail maintenance here and that it wasn’t as unsanctioned as I previously thought.

Towards the bottom of the trail, there was a more satisfying view of Zillie Falls (albeit still partial), but any further scrambling to improve the views would have to come at a risk.

That’s because he rocks were very slippery, there was a lot of mud, and there were hazardous dropoffs to contend with during our rainy visit in June 2022 so I didn’t bother scrambling all the way to the waterfall’s mist zone.

Waterfall_Circuit_071_06292022 - The unsigned trail leading to the bottom of Zillie Falls
The unsigned trail leading to the bottom of Zillie Falls

I’d imagine that this scramble would still be risky but much more doable under drier conditions, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend risking it when it’s wet.

Nevertheless, this was still a short little hike and scramble, and I ultimately spent about 30 minutes away from the car, which included both the overlook and the experience from the bottom.

Authorities

Zillie Falls resides in the Atherton Tablelands Region near Millaa Millaa, Queensland. It is administered by the Tablelands Regional Council. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website or Facebook page.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: atherton, far north queensland, queensland, australia, waterfall, tablelands, waterfall circuit, millaa millaa, theresa creek



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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.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.