Where and How to Get There
Far North Queensland, roughly 45 minutes south of Cooktown.
From the Mulligan Highway (40), take Shiptons Flat Road, past the Lions Den Hotel, and continue on the same road (now Bloomfield Road), until you reach the town of Rossvale. Here you will take a left onto Homerule Road (gravel, but 2WD is perfectly fine) which you will follow until the end. This is now the private property Homerule Rainforest Lodge and Camping. They allow day visitors to park at the hiking track entrance (behind the dams), and also guests who have stayed. You’ll see the hiking sign (see reception for a map), and it is as simple as following the water pipe the whole way to the falls.
What to Expect
Hiking, swimming, rough slope trails, rock hopping, diving
Extras: If you have what it takes, you can climb the falls to reach another swimming hole at the top, enjoying the multiple tiered falls on the way.
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We decided to stay at the Homerule Falls Campground as it was a beauiful place. There is Wallaby Creek that surrounds the property, which is perfect for a swim, birdwatching and also the chance to see a platypus. The camping spots are very spacious – so much so, that we wouldnt even throw a rock to the next campers!
Early in the morning, we started walking around the dam and followed the blue markers to the start of the walk. Here we were met with the information sign. It was pretty straightforward! Follow the water pipe all the way to the falls.
There is barely any change in gradient, but walking there is generally a slight uphill.
One of the challenges that did face us on the walk was sloppy mud in sections. The water pipe has quite a few leaks, and therefore leaving sections of the path a bit muddy! Slight detours around this and some fallen trees is enough to solve those problems.
We couldn’t believe how awesome this place was!
After reaching the falls and soaking in the absolute beauty of this hidden gem, we proceeded to explore the area to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Slightly downstream you’ll find a mini gorge, rock hopping and a couple of swimming spots. Upstream trekking is a little more challenging! We climbed the falls and disocvered a mini waterfall emerging from the forest, with another shallow swimming hole – how awesome!
Once we’d had a swim, jumped from some of the rocks and enojyed some sun, it was time for the 30 minute hike back.
Whatever you do – don’t miss this one if you’re in the area! It’s accessible enough if you’ve come from the south via the Bloomfield Track, and easily accessible if you’ve come from Cooktown or visited the Lions Den.
Score: 9 / 10
So you know, we score the waterfalls based on many factors that are important to us. How fun/enjoyable/challenging is the hike to get there, how impressive is it, can we swim safely, does anything man made around it actually detract, and other factors like the amount of tourists.
Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments – we’d love to know how it was for you!
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