The Stunning Coomera Falls. To see these falls from this angle was great reward after a grueling hike.

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The Stunning Coomera Falls. To see these falls from this angle was great reward after a grueling hike.
Coomera Gorge - 11th December 2016
After a brief hiatus due to Lewis travelling Europe, we returned hitting the ground running with a tough descent into Coomera Gorge. Starting from the Binna Burra Teahouse car park, we began our hike along the Coomera Circuit at 7.30am. At this time of day, the wildlife was buzzing. We could hear many catbirds and whipbirds and could see lots of tiny scrub wrens feeding on the low flora.
The Coomera circuit track is very straightforward and after 45 uneventful minutes we arrived at the turnoff, which was marked by a giant knobbly tree and a hollowed out tree. The path quickly deteriorated from the well-worn cleared graded track, into overgrown long grass, as well as a steep gradient, made slippery from the leaf litter and rain and thunderstorms during the previous week. It didn’t take long before we got lost. This was a result of taking the wrong turn around a couple of recently fallen trees, and consequently we had to backtrack after being halted by impenetrable wall of vines. Eventually we made it back to the slightly friendlier descent, frequently grabbing on to the grass trees as handholds to help us down quicker… but this was not quick enough to avoid getting bitten by jumping ants and both of us got a good couple of bites walking over a nest.
We had to take a quick break at a rocky outcrop to recover from the shooting pain that was pulsating throughout our ankles. Here there was a small stream of running water that helped to ease the pain caused by the bites and cool us down. From the outcrop there is also an impeded view of the gorge below. We knew we still had a while to go. The ant bites eventually subsided to a constant and uncomfortable throb, so we continued across the cliff face until we arrived at a stunning patch of clear pristine Australian rainforest. We slowed down our pace to enjoy the scenery as well as the little bit of extra freedom to move. This would prove to be the last patch of open forest that we would encounter before arriving at the Coomera River at the bottom of the gorge.
We soon found ourselves facing a huge drop with the beginning of it requiring us to cross a daunting narrow ledge that overhung a fatal drop. Lewis went first and slowly but safely made it across to a safer platform, however, in doing so he had dug up a jumping ants nest and they were not happy. I had to wait till they had subsided before I attempted to cross the ledge, as one of the safe handholds was a tree root, right amongst the swarming ants! The rest of the clamber down involved lots of slipping, a couple of heart attacks and lots of using the grass plants as a handhold.
It was just when we thought the descent would let off, that the track turned right only to reveal that it continued down even further, with a wet slippery 5m rock face to contend with that overlooked the rest of the drop. We used a rope to let ourselves down this face because if we slipped, there would be nothing to stop us falling down the rest of the cliff.
Eventually the gradient eased off into thicker forest and we snaked further into the gorge, using old creek lines to help us down. Our motivation sparked up again once we had finally reached the river after about 3 hours of walking. Rock hopping is always a tedious process, and with the rain the water level was even higher, but beautiful scenery of blue dragonflies, running clear water and largely untouched greenery made it enjoyable. There were some parts that were more difficult than others, including ascending a small waterfall on slippery rocks, and our feet slipped into the river a fair few times, but there was nothing too difficult to navigate.
Eventually, after a gruelling 4 or so hours, we arrived at the base of Coomera Falls. For a brief moment we forgot about the gruelling descent and enjoyed the view of the final destination. This waterfall was stunning and we arrived just as the sunlight had illuminated the gorge. To the right of Coomera Falls was another awesome waterfall called Yarrbilgong Falls that was very picturesque. From the base we could see the viewing platform of Coomera Circuit, but that platform does not do this waterfall justice.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale had to end and we began our journey back, albeit much quicker. Knowing the route back, we smashed our time taken to get back to our turn-off up the cliff. We then charged back up the cliffs until our joints were aching and our muscles burning but it was much faster on the return as we knew what we were looking for, and we returned to the Coomera Circuit in just over 2 hours. By this stage we were very dreary and the slight incline back to the car park was enough to make it seem very difficult. We were fortunate enough to see an Eastern whipbird, which can be heard all throughout the forest but are very difficult to spot, and an adorable rufous fantail feeding on the trail, which are much less common. These sightings gave us the life we needed to get back to the car, and call it a day.
Lewis walking through the friendliest part of the rainforest. Here there was not much undergrowth and it was easy to trek through.
Coomera Creek in the early afternoon. The sun had only just started to break this low into the gorge and despite being a sweltering summer’s day, it was very cold down amongst the river.
Sam taking a quick break looking out and down into the gorge covered by thick rainforest. The Mountainside opposite is part of the Darlington Range. Soon after this we had a very steep descent.
Yarrbilgong Falls - Located next to Coomera Falls on the Western side of the Coomera River. It is a very high waterfall and due to the way the water splashes it makes a lot of rainbows.
The incredible sight of the very-remote Joonbeelba Falls at the end of our trail.
Noowongbill Lookout & Joonbeelba Falls - 28th June 2016
Freezing mornings are never fun, and it had certainly been a while since waking up well before sunrise to leave for the bush. After a final gear check, we departed home at 6am and drove to Binna Burra, travelling with the sunrise. Along Beechmont Road we caught a glimpse of the morning light shining on the Mt Warning through the Numinbah Valley.
Upon arrival at the Binna Burra information centre, the thermometer read an unholy 4 degrees and the temperature did not rise much above that for the first few kilometres. We began descending the Gwongoorool Pool circuit along a distinct winding path until we reached the Coomera River. After a brief interlude trying to find the best part to cross the stream, we rock hopped across and scrambled up a small steep hill until we found an old walking trail. This began the start of a 300m slogging ascent along a ridgeline of the Darlington Range. This range links the Binna Burra and Green Mountains sections of Lamington National Park. About a third of the way up, our crew briefly rested after being alerted to the sound of a cockatoo’s shriek. We were rewarded for our patience when 2 large Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos glided close to us below the canopy.
Besides a few graceless slips and falls on loose foliage, the rest of the ascent on the ridge was largely uneventful, and after about 2.5 hours we arrived at Noowongbill lookout. From there we had a spectacular view ranging from the Western Face of Binna Burra, all the way to Brisbane. We briefly rested, enjoying the warmer sunshine that hit the lookout before continuing on towards the Western cliff of the ridge, and beginning descent to the Eastern Branch of Canungra Creek. The trip down involved lots of sliding through loose foliage and a good chunk of Lawyer vine, but eventually clambered down to the end of our trail, reaching the remote Joonbeelba Falls. It was a stunning waterfall and definitely made for a rewarding sight after the tough voyage in. After a small exploration of the surrounding creek, we decided to turn back to make good time on the return route.
Halfway back up the first climb, a Bush turkey began following us and did so for about a kilometre until we reached the lookout. It was pecking at food that became exposed as we kicked off the topsoil. We named it Brent the Bush Turkey. Also near the lookout saw a small Red-Necked Paddymelon that was frantically hopping around. From here, we powered back down the ridge and up the Gwongoorool Pool circuit, making it back at the car at around 2.00pm and headed home, absolutely exhausted.
-Lew and Sam
Stunning Panorama view from the lesser-known Noowongbill Lookout at 725m above Sea Level.
Mt Warning seen between Springbrook and Binna Burra. The morning sun made for a spectacular view.
Lewis (Right) and Amoi rock hopping along East Canungra Creek near Joonbeelba Falls
Coomera River in the afternoon sun.
Bally Mountain - 2nd of May 2016
Last Monday, Lewis, Amoi and I began our trek expecting thunderstorms, but to our pleasant surprise we were gifted with a great day for mountain climbing. Our initial plan was to follow a well-worn trail up Small Bally Mountain, and scramble across a razorback until we reached the peak of Big Bally Mountain, which stands at about 497m high.
Around 9am, our small crew arrived at the end of Old Bonogin Rd. Armed with a rough map of the area, we began our hike through simple terrain and although the area seemed effortless to navigate, we would later discover that we strayed from our intended path at the very first turn. From here our new path consisted largely of a dried up creek, which meant that our feet constantly found themselves falling further through the degrading sticks and leaves than intended. We endeavoured through the foliage until our path joined onto a steep ridge, which lead to the top of the mountain. As we climbed the ridge, we were often using the long grass and tree roots as rough handholds and from about halfway up, we began to see some interesting flora and fauna, including a flowering Giant Spear Lily, a plant very localised to certain area’s of SE QLD. This was fascinating to see considering Spear Lilies only flower once in their lifetime and can take up to 13 years to do so.
From there, we powered through the remainder of the climb, reaching the peak of Big Bally in just over an hour. Here we observed a magnificent view of the Tallebudgera/Springbrook/Coolangatta region. While resting there, we also saw an Eastern Spinebill doing bird stuff. After a quick rest, our crew made for the smaller peak. Part of the descent contained a smooth wide dirt path that snaked down the mountainside. It was steep and dry enough that we could slide down much of this section, which was a load of fun. Eventually the mountain narrowed into the ridge that we had to cross.
After trudging along the ridge for a couple of hundred metres we came to a vertical rocky cliff-face. It wasn’t difficult to scramble down, due to an abundance of foot and handholds, but a slip would have resulted in record-breaking time down Bally Mountain. Just below the rocky face was a small cave that tunnelled through to a secluded area that has a comfortable viewing of the forest canopy. We took the opportunity to take a brief rest in the shade and observed a few Grey Fantails darting between trees.
From the cave and on it was much easier-going to get to the Little Bally peak. At this peak, there was no view, but nearby, there was an abandoned and weathered cabin that had a guestbook dating to 1984. On the trail down we realised why climbing the small peak first was the intended route as the trail was made from predominantly dirt tyre tracks which traced all the way back to our original error. We saw a few more Fantails on the way down back to base, but it was largely uneventful otherwise. We made it back to the car about 1pm and then made the journey home.
-Sam
Top: Amoi taking in the scenery. Bottom: Lewis staring really hard at a tree.
TOP: Grandeur View of Coolangatta/Tallebudgera/Springbrook from the Big Bally summit.
MID-LEFT: View from a clearing from the ridgline about halfway up Big Bally MID-RIGHT: Northern view from a different clearing at the peak of Big Bally. BOTTOM: View of Little Bally and the joining ridge line.
A jagged cliff face with a feint view of a flowering Giant Spear Lily (the feint red coming from the lighter disco-ball-esque plant. This plant only flowers once in it’s lifetime, and is only found in certain SE Qld Locations.
TOP: The vertical cliff face that we descended. On the right is a sheer drop. MID: The view from inside the cave that formed just below the rocky face.
BOTTOM: Lewis and Sam travelling along the razorback.