Purling Brook Falls, Springbrook National Park is a activities & tours in Springbrook, NSW, Australia. It has a 4.8/5 rating from 2576 Google reviews. Website: https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/springbrook?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb&utm_content=purling-brook.Listed on thegood.guide, the local's guide to Byron Bay.





Springbrook · Activities & Tours
(2,576 reviews)
After decent rain, the drop here is genuinely jaw-dropping: 109 metres of water crashing into a rock pool you can actually swim in, surrounded by rainforest that feels completely untouched. The loop track runs about 4km and takes most people an hour to complete, though two hours gives you time to sit at the base and actually absorb it. The short leg to the falls involves a solid staircase, nothing brutal, but your calves will know about it the next day. Multiple lookouts break up the descent nicely. Parking is the wild card: arrive early or accept your fate. The falls run year-round but timing matters. Visit after a dry spell and you'll see a fraction of what this place can do. After rain, it earns every five-star review.
Nice drive up the hill and we were very lucky with parking this time (a small miracle). The walk itself is genuinely a walk in the park safe, easy, and very pleasant. You wander through bushland and straight past the base of a cracker of a waterfall. Yes, you can swim in the rock pool, sit under the falls, and just zone out with nature for a bit. The loop brings you right back to the car park, which we love because getting lost was not on today’s agenda. One leg is shorter than the other, so if you want to cut to the chase, take the short leg to the waterfall and head back the same way. Plenty of stairs on the short leg, but nothing too taxing even low fitness levels will cope. That said, if you don’t train your calves much (or have Asian ankles like me), do yourself a favour and plan an Epsom salt soak afterwards. I needed a rest day the next day 😅 A few lookouts along the way are perfect for a breather and some casual “I’m totally fine” moments. You can smash it out in about an hour, but allow 3hrs if you actually want to enjoy it longer if you stop for a swim or snack. We visited during a dry spell, so it wasn’t at its best and the photos barely scratch the surface anyway. After some decent rain, though, this place is the real deal. Timing really is everything.
Lovely walk. Beautiful water fixtures. Great panoramic views. In terms of critters, we didn't see a whole lot, mostly wrens and bell birds. Note, it starts off as a walk down towards the Falls, then you have to climb back up again. Not an insignificant climb either.

O'Reilly
A 4.4-kilometre return walk through subtropical rainforest leads to a cascade dropping into Morans Creek. The track is easy, the canopy is cool, and weekday crowds are thin. The drive up Lamington National Park Road is the real adventure.

Springbrook
A 350-metre walk through rare Gondwanan rainforest opens onto a panoramic view that stretches, on a clear day, almost to Byron Bay. No facilities, no fuss. Bring a layer, arrive early, and sort out your bathroom stop on the drive up.

Forty minutes from the coast, the Gold Coast Hinterland holds some of southeast Queensland's best walking tracks. From the glow-worm cave at Natural Bridge to the 109-metre drop at Purling Brook Falls, here is the definitive guide to the walks and waterfalls worth the drive, with honest notes on difficulty, parking, and when to arrive.
The temperature drops somewhere around the Nerang turnoff and the Gold Coast you know disappears in the rear-view mirror. This is how to spend a proper 48 hours in the hinterland: a rainforest lodge, Springbrook's waterfalls, glow-worms at dusk, good food on both sides of the mountain, and a Sunday drive home you will not regret.
Purling Brook waterfalls is an amazing waterfall with fantastic lookout points. It is barely 80 meters from the parking spot. there is also another small walk where you go where you can go around and watch the falls. both of them are very accessible definitely the views are worth checking out and you must visit this if you are into waterfalls and nature, highly recommend visiting this place. There is no fee to enter this place. It is free to walk. You could also do the whole circuit can take up to 2 hours, but we couldn’t do as it was raining.
Wow! This one is truly a gem. I went on a couple of other hikes at Springbrook National Park and in the area, but nothing beats this one. The Purlingbrook Falls are without doubt the most beautiful and stunning waterfalls I have ever seen. They are incredibly tall and situated at a perfect spot. The rainbow at the bottom was just the cherry on top. When we came on a weekday it was pretty quite as well. In general, the hike also offers a few more highlights such as a viewpoint onto the National Park and a decent hike through the rainforest. We were lucky to also spot a tree goanna - what a highlight!
Such an amazing trail. The bridge view was heavenly. Road can be muddy and slippery, so proper footwear is a must.
Natural Bridge
A basalt cave where a waterfall drops through a hole in the roof and glow-worms light the ceiling after dark. The 1km rainforest loop is easy enough for toddlers, spectacular enough to bring everyone back for the night walk.