Wankaroo Falls
Wankaroo Falls is located in Wooroonooran National Park. The rough track is well-marked and easy to follow.
Location - Wooroonooran National Park, Far North Queensland, Australia
Difficulty - Grade 4, on-track
Distance - Approximately 14 km return
Time - Allow 6 hours return
Start/Finish - Golden Hole
Wankaroo Falls is located in Wooroonooran National Park and takes you along a single-file rainforest trail for approximately 5 hours and covers 14 km (the same distance as Windin Falls). There are a number of small creek crossings before arriving, where you take a left downstream. The final access to the base is a steep drop down a lightly trafficked trail (be careful around the cliffs) and then a small walk back up to the base. Wankaroo Falls is the wet season has two streams flowing over the top and a large pool at the bottom, perfect for a refreshing dip to replenish your spirits.
In addition to its natural beauty, the area has cultural and spiritual significance for the Indigenous people of the region. The rainforests and waterfalls are part of their traditional lands, and many of the sites within the area hold spiritual and cultural importance. This track actually follows an old songline that linked the bora grounds via Wankaroo Falls and Moochoopa Falls. It was then adopted by the early gold miners and evidence of this can be seen in the names such as Chinaman's Beach and Water Race Falls - both of which were home to the early Chinese during the gold rush.
Starts at the Golden Hole car park. The track is well-marked and easy to follow with a few detours to see the Russel River along the way, including Chinaman's Beach.
You will find king ferns and black bean trees within this dense rainforest.
Interactive Map
Note that the trail continues past Wankaroo Creek to Avatar Tree, a giant fig tree, and to Water Race Falls, possibly named after the Chinese gold miners. However, to go to Wankaroo Falls, you need to turn left off the main track at some ribbons around the 7km mark.
Notes
It's fairly deep under the falls and provides a great swimming area to relax and recover. The track is undulating with the final descent to the bottom of the main falls being the hardest part and can be unsafe if wet and slippery. There are a few creek crossings along the way. There is plenty of wait-awhile along the way as well as other plants such as stinging trees. This walk may not be suitable for everyone.
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