"Adopt the pace of nature."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Queen Mary Falls circuit, is part of Main Range National Park, and is a circuit I highly recommend if you want to experience a little variety in regards to vegetation, birdlife, track variation and beautiful scenery, but want an easy, shortish walk.
Also, just the drive to get to Queen Mary Falls is just as beautiful as the falls itself. We went via Boonah, turning into Carneys Creek Road and then into The Head Road which takes you along the top of the range.
If you're just wanting to go for a nice drive and a picnic, and not so much walking, you can head straight to the lookout which is only a short walk from the parking and picnic area. You can watch Spring Creek cascade over the cliff top from two vantage points without having to walk down to the base of the falls.
However, I would highly recommend you do the full 2km circuit which takes approx. 40-45 mins. It takes me about double that time as I continually stop along the way to take everything in and photograph. And then I stop at the bottom of the falls, take more photos and take off my shoes and get into the water.
Why go all that way and not actually get into the water? And to have your bare feet touch the earth and immersed in the water is highly beneficial for your health. Because we live a lot of our lives with our feet in shoes, our bare feet hardly touch the earth. It's really important to ground your energy or 'earth'. Same thing goes if you go to the beach.
Unfortunately, because there hadn't been much rain, there was less volume of water in the falls. Usually, you get soaking wet at the bottom of the falls from the spray. But not this time.
There is quite a variety of birdlife that you will see on the circuit, even with the many people walking the track on the weekend. I made a mental note of the birds I saw along the track: Lewin's Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin, Blue Fairy Wren, Rufous Fantail, Eastern Whipbird, a variety of finches and one particular bird near the picnic area that I couldn't identify but looked like a type of pheasant. I didn't have my long lens, so missed out on bird close-ups (I was too lazy to pack an extra lens and camera). So I was lucky the Lewin's Honeyeater got close enough for me to get a shot on my wide lens.
As you meander up and down the trail, you will notice how much the vegetation and micro-climates change along the way...from dry eucalypt forest to lush rainforest plants and trees. I love trees and it always amazes me how majestic our Australian Native trees are. And the sight of tree trunks and incredible roots systems always have me in awe.
So if you haven't been to Queen Mary Falls or Main Range National Park, I would encourage you to get out there. The drive itself is worth it!
Kerry :)
*P.S. My next hike I write about is Twin Falls Circuit, Springbrook National Park.