Blencoe Falls

About

The Blencoe Falls is a segmented waterfall on the Blencoe Creek, located in Kirrama, Tablelands Region, in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Blencoe Falls and the adjacent Blencoe Creek were named during an 1866 expedition from Cardwell across the Great Dividing Range. The features were named after expedition member Robert William Archdale Blencowe (1833–1866). Blencowe died shortly after the expedition from colonial fever in Ipswich on 1 November 1866.

The falls are situated in the Girringun National Park approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of a confluence with the Blencoe Creek and the Herbert River. From an elevation of 517 metres (1,696 ft) above sea level, the falls descend 320 metres (1,050 ft) in an initial drop of approximately 90 metres (300 ft) and then cascade for another 230 metres (750 ft) to the base of the gorge. The falls can be reached by unsealed road from Mount Garnet on the Kennedy Highway. The unsealed Kirrama Range Road from Kennedy on the Bruce Highway also provides access from the coast to the falls. Access should only be attempted in dry conditions. Flooding can occur in the wetter months of December to April. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended. Blencoe Falls lookout is approximately 62 kilometres (39 mi) west of Kennedy. The traditional custodians of the land surrounding the Blencoe Falls are the Indigenous Australian Warrongo people, some of whom were driven over the ridges above Blencoe Falls to drown in the gorge. The second season of Survivor was filmed in an area close to the falls.

"Blencoe Falls, Girringun National Park". Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. Government of Queensland. 4 July 2012. Blencoe Falls (PDF) (PDF map). Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Government of Queensland. June 2012.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.