Located near the western edge of Malanda, the Malanda Falls is one of several in the Atherton area. Unlike most of the falls, Malanda Falls is also a purpose-built swimming area. It is also one of the most accessible with the falls right next to the road.
From the road, the falls a viewed from the top with the swimming area below the falls. The falls are not particularly high at around 4 metres, although the 30-metre width of the falls is a beautiful backdrop while you take a refreshing dip.
The swimming area has a range of depths, including shallow sections and a beach for smaller kids, and anyone who doesn’t swim, to enjoy the water. The swimming area, immediately after the falls, is man-made with a retaining wall and diving board added in the 1920s. There is no diving board there anymore (not when we were there) but there are ladders on either side to climb in and out of the deeper parts.
The Malanda Falls are with the Malanda Falls Conservation Park. If you need more activities than picnics and swimming, there are a couple of easy walks through the park. Tulip Oak Walk is 1 kilometre through the rainforest, learning about the Ngadjon-Jii culture and lifestyle from signs along the track. The other walk is a longer 1.5-kilometre walk, following along the North Johnstone River before heading through the rainforest.
Malanda Falls is a known spot to find the threatened Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroos. We thought we spotted one sleeping in a tree but we were told it was more likely to have been a possum.
It was not the ideal day for us to visit with drizzly rain with us most of the day, and Malanda Falls closed for renovations. The falls are located near the Malanda Falls Visitor Information Centre, which we retreated to, to escape from the weather. We did manage to get a photo at the Tree-Kangaroo photo board.
