This walking track (18km), located in the Green Mountains Lamington National Park, is the best medium distanced track for waterfall hunting in my opinion. You could also add Box Forest track (10km) on top for some waterfalls, one of them being the famously photographed Elabana Fall. For people who has been on this track before, not sure whether you were keeping count of the number of waterfalls that you came across like I did, but soon you will find that there are just too many waterfalls to keep track of.
The track starts at the Border Track entrance between the information centre and the Treetop Walk. The track is mostly well defined except for a few creek crossings. If you have not been on this walk before, I would recommend to grab a map of the walk at the information centre, or download the track map onto your phone before hand. The creek crossings would be difficult to rock hop during or after recent heavy rainfalls, if you do not mind walking with wet feet, with extremy care, the waterfalls would be a great sight. If you find the creeks were very overflown, I strongly recommend that you change to other tracks to enjoy this national park.
Once you have started, follow the Border Track until you reach the Tooloona Creek Circuit sign-post. Branch off here and keep walking following the zig-zag track down into the rainforest valley. Soon, you will reach the first crossing, the Picnic Rock, the upstream of Elabana Falls. Keep following the track down until you reach a three split road. You will see a sign-post on the right, pointing towards the official start of the Tooloona Creek Circuit.
The track is pretty much covered by the rainforest canopy most of the way, which provides a refreshingly cool getaway from the Queensland's summer heat.
You will probably see most of the waterfalls as the track follows the Tooloona creek upstream, many of them unknown, but amazingly beautiful never the less. Out of so many waterfalls, the Chalahn Fall and Tooloona Fall are the two named ones, each has its own uniqueness. My favourate waterfall is Chalahn Fall. The outcrops are positioned in such a way on the cliff-face, the stream of Tooloona creek showering down, flowing through the grass roots, scattering into curtains of water droplets. I was at a total lost of words standing in silence observing this beauty every time that I have been there.
If you keep following the track uphill pass Tooloona Creek, once you reach the upstream creek, there is a side track that leads to the creek bed. If the water level is low, you can follow the creek bed for a few meters and you will reach the top of the Tooloona creek fall. If you are ok with heights, hold on to the tree branches and look down and watch the water glimmering with the sunlight.
The greatness of this track does not end here, once you have followed the uphill track out of the valley of waterfalls, you will find yourself walking amongst the Beechtree forest, which is magical on the sunny day but even better on a misty day.
As soon as you reach the end of the Tooloona Creek Circuit where the sign post is to your left, turn right and follow the Border Track to the Tooloona Lookout. This lookout offers an expansive view (if not a complete one) to the ancient Tweed Volcano, the Lamington Plateau where we stand on is the outer edge of this giant volcano on the Queensland side, the NSW side edge is along the Nightcap Range with Mount Warning being its volcanic plug.
Follow the Border Track all the way back to the O'Reilly's Resort. You will come across the Naturalist Cairn, it is a 200m side track off the Border Track, it marks where the group of Naturalists, has camped in December 1918, they have helped to draw public attention to the environmental importance and the protection of this National Park.
Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at the O'Reilly Cafe and finish off for the day!
