Hiking Kondalilla Falls: Hidden Caves and Secret Swim Spots

With the gorgeous weather Queensland has been experiencing lately I've been taking the opportunity to explore some of the beautiful creek hikes and swimming holes around the state.

Life is always better with friends, and I love sharing my hiking addiction, especially with people who haven't experienced the pleasure that immersing themselves in nature can bring. As not everyone is up to a huge physical challenge, I'm always on the lookout for shorter, easier hikes that anyone can partake in.

Plus some days I just want a short hike in somewhere beautiful so that I can sit and meditate in nature! Kondalilla Falls ticks all these boxes and more with her own secret swimming hole, if you know where to look.

The Secret Swim Spot of Kondalilla Falls, Montville, QLD

After a week of sailing and beach time I was excited to be back amidst the giant Blackbutt trees and gentle rumble of the falls at Kondalilla.

The Adventure

From the carpark the walk into the first fall is fully pathed, making it a nice stroll for those friends in wheelchairs of with prams. The scenery is beautiful and despite the fact that’s its quite busy every time I’ve ventured there, it still has a peaceful ámbience and serenity.

Picnic and BBQ areas are abundant making it a perfect spot to organise a catch up with friends to eat, hike and swim.

Begin your hike along the traditional tourist track, taking your time to enjoy the incredible lushness of the surrounding rainforest, spotting mushrooms and birds as you meander along.

After only a short period you will begin to hear the rush of water and the first falls will come into sight, as you walk over the bridge and up", the track splits and if you walk to the right you will begin the easy journey down to the main tourist swimming hole of Kondalilla.

Just before reaching the main pool there are some steps leading down to the bottom of the falls. Depending on how energetic you are feeling and your plans for the day you can either split off here and walk down to the bottom of the falls and enjoy some rock play, or continue on to the swimming hole.

If you do decide to do the 4.7km loop track walk, once you reach the bottom of the falls look up, and on the left of the rockfall is a shallow cave which is accessible via climbing up the hillside and hosts a colony of bats. Don't try to swim down here though, the water is stagnant and much better options await you at the top!

As you continue past the falls and back up to the top you will eventually reach the main swimming hole which most likely will be teeming with people of all ages. To the left of the mini falls you will find a track leading upwards that people have made to jump off teh falls.

To get to my fave secret swim spot climb up this track and then continue to follow the creek along until you reach a large open swimming hole surrounded by lush grass and plenty of places to sit and have a picnic. I stumbled upon this by accident and despite visiting often, I've never came across another person

Happy Adventuring,

💕 Lia

“Lost is a state of mind, I prefer to think of it as exploring” - Lia Skye

What to Expect

A relatively well tread path to begin with, then a combination of easy rock scrambles with some more pathier areas mixed in.

How to get there

Put Kondalilla Falls Car Park into your GPS or click here for Google Maps

Equipment

Water – At least 2 Litres depending on how much you drink and the time of year you choose to hike in.

Snacks

This is one of the shorter hikes so a few basic snacks should suffice unless you're planning on having a picnic lunch which I highly recommend!

As always make sure to take all your rubbish and packaging with you!