A really gorgeous hike at Witches Falls today. The weather is so lovely right now. Crisp, clear days and cool nights, a bit of sun to warm you here and there. We learned today that Witches Falls was declared as the first National Park in Queensland in 1908. Someone was forethinking - I haven't found out who the precious soul/s was/were who thought to do this, but we all owe them a debt of thanks.
"Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops and waterfalls are a lasting legacy of volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago. Tamborine is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mount Warning (Wollumbin)."
Why Witches Falls? Imagine, night settles over the forest and nocturnal creatures start venturing out. In the darkness, twigs break with a sharp 'snap' and leaves rustle overhead - an eerie place for children. So the story tells us on the board at the falls. (Eerie? Heck I'd be terrified.)
Apparently Hilda Curtis as an 8 year old girl used to round up the cows after school. Sometimes the cows would wander down off the mountain and by the time she got them back up and along to the creek it would be dark.
And on a cloudy night pitch black. Like most children in those days, she was raised with Grimm's Fairy Tales. She was sure that the dark forest on the creek was haunted, sho she called them Witches Falls and the name has stuck.
This is an easy walk if you are used to walking on trails, we did the entire walk, and it took us about two hours with getting lost thrown in to the mix. I'm thinking of investing in walking poles, there were some narrow steep areas on this walk, and it would have been nice to have had the steadying influence of the poles.
Do take your water, let someone know where you are, there are some steep areas, and a bit of a climb, I hadn't done anything for a couple of weeks, so my heart rate got a bit of a workout.
Also I'd suggest using some insect repellent before you go, there were quite a few mozzies wanting to have a nibble.
After arriving at the Falls, we should have gone back to the circuit and followed that trail. But we took another path which lead us up to another road, far away from the carpark. So we decided to retrace our steps after chatting with a local who was going to send us even further off the track. About then, I was really regretting the choice to not take my heavy waterbottle with me.
The walk wouldn't have been an issue, had we taken our water and insect spray. The odd anxious feeling crept in when I realised we didn't have a clue where we were and I was getting hot and a bit discombobulated. After a few slow breaths I remembered seeing the circuit walk sign, and headed for that. Both of us enjoyed the walk anyway, and the views are stunning.
Photo of base of falls by Maxine Coquard @ Queensland Govt. I'm not at all sure of how you'd get to the base of the falls unless you know some of the trails.
We finished off the walk with a lunch at St Bernards Hotel - gorgeous views and we made lunchtime by only 2 minutes.
There are three of these beauties in the hotel, they are usually sleeping happily in their room off the hotel foyer, where you can take pictures.
