Queen Mary Falls Caravan Park - Western Darling Downs

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Queen Mary Falls
Caravan Park
Western Darling Downs Queensland

The owners call this park a "low level caravan park". We'll find out just what this means a bit later. We are visiting Queen Mary Falls about two and a half hours from Brisbane on all bitumen roads. There are quite a few routes into this area, but beware that the route up from Boonah is unsuitable for towing. We chose the scenic all bitumen route known locally as the Settlers Route. Just head along the Cunningham Highway, pick up some fruit and veg as you pass through Aratula, then up over the Gap and keep going 26 kms past the Cunningham's Gap monument and turn left at the brown sign marked Cedar Route 14 - sign says Freestone 5 - Swan Creek 15.

Cunningham's Gap Road

Aratula Markets on the way up to the falls

Reset your Trip Meter to 000. Lovely open pastoral land, beef and dairy cattle, and cropping. Cross Freestone Creek - past the memorial hall on left. At 6.4 km turn left - sign says Queen Mary Falls and Swan Creek - single lane bitumen large open valley, mainly cattle and sheep properties. At 8.8 km turn right - two lane bitumen road - well sign posted to Queen Mary Falls. At 15 km turn left - just after you turn there is a sign saying Settlers Route (1). Yangan 8, Killarney 30, QMF 41. Continue into Yangan - gorgeous well maintained old buildings - School of Arts - Hotel has counter meals from $3.30 - lots of interesting houses and countryside. We loved the old church. At 22.6 km - turn right to Killarney - cross Swan Creek. At 27.7 km - turn right - state school on left - avenue of Conifers. At 36 km cross Farm Creek. At 42.4 km turn left to Killarney. At 44.5 km you reach the town of Killarney - credit union - farm supplies - police - supermarket - petrol station - Vinnies - cute Bonnie's Crafts - farm machinery - Heritage Centre - newsagent - even a fish and chips shop - NO mobile - situated on edge of Condamine River - potato and onion capital of Queensland - pre, primary and high schools - established 1874 - bowls club and abattoir. This well established town completely blew us away! At 45 km - turn right - sign says 11 km to Killarney Falls - semi-open valley. At 50.1 km - turn right sign says Dagg's Falls and Queen Mary Falls. Continue to climb in a closed valley - well maintained bitumen road. At 52.2 km Killarney Falls Nursery. At 52.6 km Browns Falls - picnic area on left - Browns Falls on right - Continue to climb up one side of the valley. At 53.5 km Dagg's Falls - no mobile - bellbirds - small table/shed - rubbish bin - stone block "in memory of Samuel Young and Mary Anne Young - born England 1818 - born USA 1825 - died Warwick 1894 - died Spring Creek 1885 - Married Sharrin Michigan USA 1843 - arrived Queensland 1866 - selected adjacent land 1873 - which includes this reserve. Easy access when towing as circular in/out road - back to bitumen. Landscape changes to small hills and continues to climb to plateau and heavily wooded slopes. At 56.8 km signs advises you are at QMF - excellent services. It is a complicated route as you have no doubt already gathered, but well worth the extra navigating effort - it only just scratches the surface of this beautiful area.

As you progress towards the falls the countryside just gets better and better until you reach the delightful town of Killarney. The local Co-Op seems to own just about every business, but nevertheless it is a charming town and far larger than we imagined. It has a nice coffee shop - even a fish and chip shop. As you will have gathered from the instructions Queen Mary Falls is just 8 kms past Killarney - all clearly signposted.

Typical Yangan cottage beautifully restored

Church on the hill at Yangan

On arrival at the park reception is very friendly, but at typical Queensland pace! We weren't offered any touristy literature or mud maps of the area - a shame as you do need them. Upon enquiring we were directed to a map on the wall and another on what seemed to be the back of an old biscuit tin - quaint! On our visit we got to pick our own site and we were told there was no need to rush out on departure day as it was OK to leave after lunch. This ALWAYS makes us return to a park! We picked a very quiet weekend to visit and by Sunday lunchtime we were the only ones there - great for us as we hate crowds!

The gentle climb out of Killarney

Main entry to the caravan park

Sites are all nicely mown grass with no annex pads, of a reasonable size, but none are true drive through which is understandable as this is not the sort of spot for just an overnight stay. The non-powered area is right at the back of the park and is a well grassed mostly sloping area. The whole park is actually on a hill, but the van sites have all been nicely terraced. Large shade trees are a bit light on in the powered area, but overall the park has a nice leafy bush feel. There are lots of cosy nooks and crannies with little seats and rocky fireplaces. A quite romantic spot!.

Nicely terraced powered sites

Not a lot of level sites in the non-powered area

Lots of delightful cabins to suit all budgets

The emerald green grounds

Tenters get miss out a little here as there are no undercover BBQ's, no camp kitchen at all, but there is a very clean and tidy stainless steel washing up sink in the open air laundry. The complete area is nicely tiled and well lit at night and always open.

Park lighting is minimal, but around the amenities is quite good. We initially liked the lights on top of the power poles - not too good though if you happened to be on one of those sites as it could keep you awake. We ended up putting a bucket on top of ours! A neat trick that worked well. No sites have sullage, but all have a water tap each. You don't need a long lead as each pole is in the middle of four sites.

Nicely terraced un-powered site

Light on a power pole!

Looking towards the rear of the park

All cabins are nicely landscaped

The park has its own tea rooms. We tried their light lunch - Avocado Quiche $7.50 and we certainly recommend them. There is seating for thirty inside, with room for thirty more on the verandah under huge umbrellas. It is ideal for small group functions, with very courteous staff. Very pretty at night, as it is all lit up with tiny fairy lights. It only opens for dinner on Saturday nights and then by appointment only. Cake lovers rejoice as the range made on the premises is quite mouth watering, BUT by the looks a wee bit high on calories. We restrained ourselves and didn't give in to temptation. If you are into souvenirs the shop is filled to overflowing with everything imaginable. You can get a Sunday paper, but during the week if you must keep up with the news, you will have to drive back into Killarney. (8 kms) Of course the specialty here is Devonshire Teas and judging by the Visors Book these go down a treat with overseas guests.

The dining room seats thirty

The verandah is a Fairyland by night

Nicely displayed clothing

Bring your Bankcard - plenty of knick knacks!

The amenities are quite good with flush toilets and plenty of hot water. The timber top benches were unusual and most attractive. Soap on tap and paper towels were provided. We particularly liked the simple ideas in the showers. Lots of hooks, a high shelf for toiletries, a low bench for wiping feet and a CLEAN shower curtain. The cubicles weren't that large and they very cleverly accommodated the bench by cutting a chunk off the bottom of the doors. A fantastic idea that other park owners short on space should perhaps look at copying. We also liked the list of Emergency Phone Numbers strategically placed in the entrance to each block - an excellent very sensible thought.

The spic and span amenities

Gardens around the amenities

The laundry and washing up area

One of the many cosy BBQ areas

No mobiles work up here at all, but there is a Telstra public phone just outside the park. On pets - they do not allow dogs during school holidays no matter how much you beg and plead! At other times they must be on a lead. We had zero problems with dogs on our visit, but then again the park was relatively empty.

The bird life in this park is excellent with King Parrots, Butcher Birds, Finches, Whip Birds, Bell Birds, Kookaburras, Magpies and Noisy Miners. There is an official bird feeding outside the tea rooms everyday around 3 pm. Now the brochure states that you can hand feed the possums. We gave this a go one night outside the phone box. We have to report they got it wrong. The brochure should read "Feed hands to possums"! So watch out!

Walking and back to nature is what this park is all about! Kangaroos freely roam around the park all day even though you can bring your dog if you wish. The Queen Mary Falls National Park is just across the road, so there are no car parking security problems, as you simply leave your car and van in the park. The National Park picnic area is very picturesque and also very popular. The walk down to the base of the falls and return takes about forty minutes. A good pamphlet is available from reception. If you hate walking up steps it's best to go clockwise by starting at the left hand end of the picnic area. In doing this you come back up on a gently sloping trail.

Good sign posting to the Falls

Queen Mary Falls picnic area

So here are our tips for the walk. Queen Mary Falls walk is easy - provided you walk the right direction!!! If you are going to do the circuit, start from the left hand end as you face the signs - don't go to the lookout and then decide to continue on - or else you will be coming up steps at 45� and more. This is a simple walk down on concrete block steps, but no fun if you were coming up - real huff and puff territory.

We started the circuit from the left hand end - thanks to fellow campers, Tom and Gayle of Redcliffe, we were warned. A well marked and trodden bush path for a few hundred metres turns into a stone staircase. There are beautiful overhanging rock walls on the left and steep valley views on the right. We didn't count the stairs, but with the handrails provided, they proved no problem at all and zig zag, so you are so busy concentrating on the steps, you don't notice the steepness. This quickly flattens out onto another slowly descending track. The canopy of trees overhead is alive with the twitter of many birds.

You can swim in some spots

The water flows all year round here

All the time you can hear the rush of the falls and it slowly becomes louder - your first sight of the falls is through a break in the trees - the cascading water over the rocks and down the face. Continue along and you see a magnificent 40 metre waterfall, crashing down onto huge black rocks at the base. A well constructed wide concrete bridge provides an ideal photography point. The photo of a teenager below gives you an idea of the dimensions - some of the rocks are as tall as a person.

You can get soaked down here!

Fantastic rock formations

A meander back up the track, zig zags back up the valley walls - then you have to make a decision - 0.4 kms to the picnic area or 0.3 kms to the picnic area via the cliff walk. You can if you wish, go right down to the base of the falls. The track back to the top is only a very slight gradient and the happy sounds of picnickers soon greet your return. For average fitness people - the circuit walk presents no problems, but is definitely not disabled friendly.

Upper Falls

Lower Falls

For people who want a very short walk - definitely take the lookout walk. If you have problems walking, you could still manage the lookout and back with just a little time and care. If you're overweight, it would be a good aerobic exercise - but think about going that bit extra to go to the base of the falls - it is well worth it.

The easy uphill return

Another view of the falls

The cliff extension we will have to do next time - because we will definitely be back - to sample such a pristine environment is a real joy - especially when we saw not a person on the first section of the walk, until we got to the falls itself - that made time to sit on a rock and soak in all the peaceful sounds of the waterfall and birds overhead. On a scale of 1 to 5 for the two sections we walked - we would rate it a 5 - it is really that good! Whatever you do, don't miss it!

This is a great place to spend a week and enjoy the total peace and tranquillity. As the road isn't a popular through road it is lovely and quiet at night. The morning birdsong starts of course with the kookaburras then becomes more gentle.

(insert coming soon - birdsong LINK & button)

It makes a great base to explore the surrounding area. We are Brisbanites, yet we had no idea how much there was to do and see up here. Without the van in tow we went and explored Dagg's Falls. There is a 15 second video on this page. Next we continued on to Browns Falls. What a delightful picnic area. You cannot free camp there and this is well sign posted. You can take your dog on the walk to the falls, as this is not National Park and it is really just a cattle trail. Next we went and had a more detailed look at Killarney and delved into the fascinating history of the area. The Killarney area was, at the beginning of white settlement, part of 'Canning Downs', taken up in 1840, by the Leslie Brothers � formerly of Warthill, Aberdeenshire, in bonnie Scotland. This area of Canning Downs was bought by J. D. Macansh in 1873, as land was then available for sale to settlers.

Killarney Craft Shop

Killarney Co-Op

Initially the rich farming land was firstly occupied close to the Condamine River, then moved towards the foothills of the ranges. Small business sprang up, and a general store, butcher shop, hotel, churches, etc, were soon established. The town site was established way back in 1878. It was surveyed and botanical names were given to the streets. The first school started in 1874 and is still on the same site. The railway was extended to Killarney from Warwick in 1885, but the line like so many others, was closed in 1964. The present post office was opened in 1888. In the early days it was the timber cutters who opened up and cleared much of the land, with dairying and general farming and grazing following. Like so many places in Australia, the dairy industry has declined over the years and Killarney's prosperity now relies on mixed farming, an abattoir, vegetable packing, transport operators, the co-operative store and other small businesses. The population hovers around the 1000 mark. Local legend has it that Peter Murphy, a convict servant of the Leslie Brothers, while on a reconnaissance of the Killarney area with the Leslies, came to a halt on the emerald green hill overlooking the lakes and the valley. Gazing over the panorama of water, valleys and mountains, he exclaimed, 'This reminds me of old Killarney in Ireland, where I've come from'. To us we were certainly reminded of Ireland it is just so green everywhere you look. If you enjoy delving into history, the Killarney and District Historical Society has recently compiled and published the book, Memories of Killarney and District. This is available from the Killarney Newsagency in town or from The Secretary, Historical Society, P.O. Box 1, Killarney. Q. 4373. We found it to be a lovely and friendly little town. A number of nice little parks with more just out of town ideal for picnics, and would you believe a Heritage Centre with public computer facilities for all those wishing to send emails back home. It is truly wonderful how the Internet is popping up in out of the way places and it would be great if all parks started showing an interest in this up to the minute form of communication.

Dagg's Falls on the way in

Novel bird feeder!

We instantly fell in love with the quaint village of Yangan with its beautifully restored School of Arts building dating back to 1897. We were very impressed with the pride taken in maintaining properties in this area - it truly was a pleasure to visit. If you are interested in old country churches the whole area is stepped in history. You truly could spend weeks discovering this delightful region.

The road out of Yangan - lovely country

School of Arts 1897 at Yangan

Next we travelled back down off the Great Dividing Range using the Boonah Road. First a word of warning DO NOT tow your van up or down this road as it is very, very steep, 1 in 8 and extremely narrow and very windy in places. Don't let this put you off doing it solo as the scenery is absolute magic. The road is a mix of gravel and tar. They put the bitumen down on the hairy bits only! The first stop is Carr's Lookout. This is all brand new and the views are spectacular. A sign board includes a sketch of the mountains you are viewing and also tells the story of a plane crash in 1995 into Mt Superbus - emergency flight when aircraft staff, nurse and sick child were all killed. Some wreckage is still there. A sundial indicates the position of various mountains and towns, so you can get your bearings. Moving on another couple of k's gets you to another couple of walks. White Swamp goes to the right. The track to the left leads to Moss Gardens a lookout where all the trees are covered in moss and lichen. Doing this walk you will notice a very substantial strange fence. This is in fact the 100 year old rabbit proof fence and this section goes for 11 kms. Believe it or not this is "patrolled" by a local Keith on horseback! Wonderful stuff in these days of motorised everything. The views here are very special. This walk is very steep and rocky, but the view at the end is quite spectacular. Anyone with mobility problems should not attempt this walk.

The Head is the next spot. This is not named, but you know you are there if you can see a telephone shack with a huge microwave dish. You can turn left here if you wish and go back to Killarney via a very hairy, but scenic 4WD road. The Head is the name given to the head of the Condamine River, which is also known as The Condamine River Gorge. It is a truly magical area and we have never seen the area any colour other than emerald green. It is covered in a carpet of grass that must be at least 15 centimetres thick. We always marvel at one of the farm houses which has a roof of thick green grass. There is also an excellent view of Wilson's Peak across a carpet of emerald green grass.

The view from Carr's Lookout

Don't attempt to tow up or down!

If you keep heading to Boonah you will reach Main Range National Park and Teviot Falls. This is one lane bitumen and very steep and windy. You would have to be totally daft to attempt towing up this way! Those into 4WD can retrace their steps to the Swamp Road turnoff and pop down to Boonah that way. A four wheel drive is absolutely necessary for this road as it gets very muddy and boggy in the lightest of rains. There is actually a patch of corduroy as it gets so bad at times. It will take you about an hour to drive from one end to the other. Only the last half heading into Boonah is low range material, and in the wet would probably be almost impassable. There are only about two crossings. The first half of the trip is relatively easy and extremely scenic, so unless you are a true adventurer you could turn round and head back to Queen Mary Falls. Don't forget your camera. If you do the trip from the Head up to Killarney the road crosses the Condamine river 13 times. There are numerous spots where you can stop and have a very pleasant picnic or a sleep under the trees. There is a bush cabin retreat in the hills here called Adjin Billy, which we understand to be very out of the way and very good for a relaxing weekend. Their phone number is 07 4664 1599 if you get sick of caravanning! So in summing up, whether you enjoy 2WD or 4WD, there is plenty to keep you occupied driving wise for days in the Queen Mary Falls area.

Lush vegetation

Beautiful Mount Lindsay

Returning to Brisbane we opted for the scenic route via Legume and Woodenbong. This was very pretty in the late afternoon sun and well worth the effort. The road is all bitumen, but very rough in parts - you will find your steps popping out on their own etc.! You must return a ways towards Killarney until you come to the Woodenbong/Legume turnoff on the left. Just follow your nose as there are few turn offs. Just on the outside of Woodenbong is a new initiative by the Forestry Service in a small camp with showers if required. You simply pick up the key from either service station. There is a slight flaw in this system in that both were closed on the Sunday we visited, but toilets were open. There is a peaceful off road rest area called Bellbirds Rest Area about 8 kms out of Woodenbong. Not a lot of room if you have a long van, BUT if you adore Bell Birds this is paradise! We used the excellent RACQ map Gold Coast and Northern Rivers - don't attempt to use the RACQ South East map as the scale is too small for this area.

The tiny overnight area

Bellbirds Rest Area near the border

The camp kitchen at Woodenbong

Church near Woodenbong

There were very few things we didn't like about Queen Mary Falls Caravan Park, as overall this is a well run establishment. Just no screened area to "hide" all the everyday bits and bobs needed to run a camp, no fireplaces for individual camps, no undercover BBQ's, and amenity floors need tiles.

You can obtain the RACQ map and lots of tourist info on the Boonah Shire from the BP Service Station at Aratula as you come up the range from Brisbane. There is a good story on the park in the Great South East Archives and also in Martin Bowerman's book Camping in Southern and Central Queensland ($10.95) on page 112 - Condamine Ways - available in most Brisbane camping stores. For more information give the owners Graeme and Karen Brown a call at the Tourist Park on (07) 4664 7151 or fax. (07) 4664 7151. You can write to them - great brochure - PO Box 102, Killarney, Queensland 4373. They are on the net with Q Parks, but as yet do not have an email address, which is a shame as this park could attract far more overseas visitors than what it does at present, if "net" visitors could contact them more easily.

Cost for a powered site in July 2001 was a reasonable $17.50, but the extra person was a bit steep at $7.00 and un-powered $15.50 and extra body $7.00. Cabins range from $55 to $95. We absolutely recommend this park to fellow caravanners as there is something here to please everyone.

Bob and Chrissy Eustace

Click on the compass for a map of the local area