Rainforest Escarpments and High Country Waterfalls at Tully Falls

Overview

Tully Falls National Park sits on the southern Atherton Tablelands near Ravenshoe, in Queensland’s tropical high country. It covers upland country on the Walter Hill and Cardwell ranges, reaches about 1215m at its highest point, and forms part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. The park was gazetted in 2006 after assessment of its former state forest lands, and it now protects a cool, elevated landscape of rainforest, streams, waterfalls and steep escarpment country.

This is a place of high rainfall and big relief. The Tablelands side feels like mountain country, with forested ridges and creek lines, while the land falls sharply away toward the gorge country beyond. Being close to Ravenshoe helps place it on the map, but once you are in the park the stronger impression is how quickly settled farmland gives way to wet forest and a more rugged plateau edge.

Highlights

The park’s defining feature is the dramatic break between the upland tableland and the deep gorge country below. Tully Falls is the best-known scenic focus, especially when wet season flow sends water thundering over the escarpment. Even when the main falls are not in full flow, the setting still feels striking because of the sheer drop, dark rock walls and dense rainforest wrapped around the edges.

Elsewhere, the scenery is built from high-elevation creeks, smaller falls and thick forest. Mount Koolmoon, Koolmoon Creek and Koolmoon Falls are part of the park’s upland character, adding to that sense of a cool, rain-soaked plateau cut by watercourses before they spill away toward the gorge.

Best Time to Visit

The drier months usually make for easier conditions if you want clearer views and a more settled trip, but they show a quieter version of the park. If your main interest is seeing Tully Falls at its most impressive, the wet season is when the big water arrives and the escarpment scenery really comes into its own.

Season also shapes the feel of the place. This is one of the wettest parts of Queensland, and the high elevation keeps things cooler than the coast. Mist, cloud and damp forest are part of the character here for much of the year, so even in drier periods the park often feels lush and close.

Plants and Animals

Tully Falls National Park protects a mix of upland rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, clear mountain streams and waterfall country. That combination of altitude, heavy rainfall and World Heritage rainforest creates habitat for a rich spread of wildlife and plant life.

Recorded wildlife for the park is extensive, with more than 900 species noted. Birds and rainforest mammals are a strong part of the experience, and southern cassowaries are among the animals associated with this high-rainfall forest country. In and around the creeks and pools, smaller life stands out as well, including crayfish and amphibians. Records for the park also include species such as spectacled flying-foxes and a range of native bats, showing how varied the habitat is from canopy level down to waterways.