Millaa Millaa Falls

Millaa Millaa Falls drops around eighteen metres in a wide even curtain into a circular pool ringed by tree ferns and rainforest, and the symmetry of the setting, with a car park a few steps away and no climbing required, has made it probably the most photographed waterfall in the country; it has appeared in shampoo advertisements and countless hair-flick photographs taken in the pool. Swimming is allowed and the water is cold and clear. The falls sit on the Waterfall Circuit, a short loop road that also takes in Zillie and Ellinjaa falls, each different in character, making a straightforward hour's drive through Tablelands dairy country.

History

Europeans came upon the falls while seeking routes from the Herberton mining fields to the coast, and the name, often said to mean waterfall or plenty water, comes from the Mamu name of a rainforest vine, Elaeagnus triflora, whose fruit was a seasonal food. Sub Inspector Alexander Douglas and Christie Palmerston blazed tracks near the falls in 1882, and Palmerston mapped a better route in 1884-1885, though the popular story that he camped at and named the falls, marked by a monument at the site, has no support in the records; the falls were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 December 2005 (Wikipedia, Millaa Millaa Falls).

The landscape

• The symmetrical curtain - an even eighteen-metre fall into a round pool.
• The swimming pool - cold clear water directly below the falls.
• The Waterfall Circuit - Zillie and Ellinjaa falls on the same short loop.
• The tree fern setting - dense rainforest framing the fall.

When to go

January to July for the strongest flow after the wet season; the falls run year-round but thin later in the dry. Early morning avoids both crowds and the tour buses. The water is cold in any season.

Good to know

The site is small and can be crowded with photographers, particularly midmorning. Parking is limited. The pool is cold and the rocks slippery. The circuit is a drive-up experience rather than a walk into wilderness.

Nearby

Zillie and Ellinjaa falls are on the same loop; Atherton and the Tablelands lie north.

Key facts