The Warrie Circuit Walking Track – A Gold Coast Highlight

Seventeen kilometers of beautiful sub-tropical rainforest track, seven waterfalls and amazing vistas make the Warrie Circuit walking track a highlight of any visit to the Gold Coast.  When some people think of the Gold Coast they immediately think of long stretches of beautiful beach, great surfing, boating and theme parks. What some people don’t realize is the Gold Coast contains some great hiking and biking tracks just a short drive from Surfers Paradise. In fact, it’s one of the reasons we moved here, not many other places give you such easy access to beautiful beaches and amazing mountain scenery.

A forty minute drive from our home in Surfers Paradise brought us to the Tallanbana Picnic Area where we started our adventure on the Warrie Circuit. The Aboriginal word Warrie means ‘rushing water’ and truly defines this walking track. Leaving our car we slowly descended into sub-tropical rainforest where we were treated to magnificent views up the vertical canyon walls. Following the well sign-posted trail we continued right bypassing the Twin Falls Trail (more about that on a future article). Goomoolahra Falls, the first falls visible on the track, quickly comes into view.  Several photos later we were on our way deeper into the rainforest.

The walking track zips further and further into the rainforest canopy where you’re soon surrounded by amazing examples of flora and fauna. Gigantic trees spring towards the sun and beautiful ferns line the single track. On the walk we saw several small wallabies and many different species of birds. What we didn’t see was many people, we did the trail on a Monday and came across three other hikers in the five hours plus on the trail. Due to the large amount of water in the area the trail can get a bit boggy in some parts. We did it on a very sunny day and still found areas of mud which require a bit more care to pass.

Two hours into the trek we came across the Ngarri-dhum falls where we had a break and took some photos before starting the trek across the canyon floor towards ‘Meeting of the Waters’, a beautiful spot where all the creeks of the canyon converge into one.  At the 10 kilometer mark, this is a great place to stop and eat some lunch with plenty of large rocks to sit on and enjoy the view. From ‘Meeting of the Waters’ you will start your ascent up from the canyon floor where you will come across views of Gooroolba Falls, Poonyahra Falls, Poondahrya Falls and Blackfellow Falls before reaching the rim at Canyon Lookout. This last seven kilometer stretch was the most difficult portion of the trek as it’s primarily all uphill. Don’t let this deter you though, the uphill really isn’t that steep and it’s definitely worth it for the amazing scenery.

The full loop took us a little over five hours and that’s stopping to take a lot of pictures. We would recommend someone with a moderate fitness level and ankle supported hiking shoes try the full Warrie Circuit in one day. Leave yourself five or six hours to follow the well sign-posted track. This should give you plenty of time to enjoy the views and take plenty of photos. Also keep in mind that the Springbrook area is nearly 1000 meters above sea-level and therefore can be much cooler than other areas of the Gold Coast. We packed plenty of water, rain jackets and trekking sweaters just in case. We went in late May and Pamela found it cold for just a t-shirt. She wore her trekking jumper the whole way where I went with a t-shirt most of the way.

If you are a hiker and have a spare day in the Gold Coast area then we would definitely recommend the Warrie Circuit. On a clear day you will be treated to magnificent views back to the coast and of the surrounding mountain regions.  Those looking for a little easier day will enjoy plenty of other shorter walking tracks and viewpoints in the Springbrook area so it’s definitely worth a trip. Stay tuned for future articles on other tracks and sights not to miss in the Springbrook area.

Below are some of the photos from our trek. Additional photos can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/117257906652666550268/WarriTrackSpringbrookNPGoldCoastQLD?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The trail passing through some large rocks

Control children is right

Standing behind the falls

Enjoying the falls

That's definitely not the trail. 

Pamela found a hiding spot in this massive tree.

Just one of the many great trees you'll see along the track

Photo spots are endless on this track

The track is very well maintained and sign-posted.

Meeting of the Waters

Waterfall lovers will never tire of this track

Standing on the edge is optional

Towards the end, this was the last falls of the day.

Cheers for Now –

Pamela and Dave