Finch Hatton Gorge

Awesome George with Waterfalls , Cascades Walking track through lush rainforest & Moss covered boulders.
Car park small though.
And 4 creek crossings to cross. Add to the adventure.

A place of tranquility or for adventure. However the Wheel of Fire Falls can be dangerous should one take no heed to the signage re risk associated with jumping or diving off the rock steep sides. Be mindful of the rescue procedure as teams need to walk for 40 minutes & return.

Sign said 2 hrs return to the top swimming area, under a pretty waterfall. Pretty easy gradient, wide gravel track. You need to cross a river at one point which is only dangerous because the rocks are slippery, you could easily break something.
We managed to do the return trip including a decent swim in under two hours. The water is cold, regardless of how sunny it is in the valley.
Driving to the car park crosses about 6 fords. The water was clear and obviously not very deep so we managed to take a normal sedan right to the start of the track. The car park is quite limited - mostly parking on the side of the road.
This track is quite popular too.

Amazing place.
Went there in late October during the week.
There are toilets at the start of the walk.
If you intend to go there while it’s raining, don’t. Wait a day or two.

Recommend good walking shoes if you intend to head to the top waterfall, “Wheel of fire”. (For those who take things literally, it’s not a wheel of fire 😂). The walk is challenging for those who feel stairs are their arc nemesis’.

Take some water, especially if it’s a hot day.

Take a towel. You will want to get in.

Wear a hat. Especially if you sizzle in the sun like I do.
Only take those who are willing to walk.

NOT recommended for princesses (all kinds), as the noise spoils it for the trees and they die (this has not been proven by any scientific studies).

Allow around 2-3hrs+ of enjoyment.

Finch Hatton Gorge is a natural wonder that exceeded all expectations! The crystal-clear waters, lush rainforest, and captivating waterfalls create a paradise for nature lovers. The walking trails are well-maintained, allowing you to immerse yourself in the beauty of the surroundings. A must-visit destination for those seeking a magical and rejuvenating experience. It's an experience you won't forget.

A easy and awesome little hike to a waterfall (two hikes we did the shorter one) we had luck and had the waterfall all to ourselves it is so beautiful up there a “bigger” waterfall then I expected - we’ll be back!

Such a beautiful walk and then even better swim! Disappointed to see so many idiots disregarding the safety of “do not jump
off rocks” signage though. Many people have been injured or died from doing stupid stunts like that. Especially if it happens right in front of everyone (including young kids) and then expect that everyone will run to their rescue. 🤬

It was a magnificent place to test stamina but was well worth the hard work. The first swimming area is quite easy and absolutely stunning, and even if you stop at this point, you can bathe in the beauty, for swimming under a small waterfall and have an amazing time. But if you are game, the walk continues to another swimming hole. This is a bit more taxing and does require some agility and fitness it is mostly uphill either by stairs or path. You have to cross a creek also with large rocks you will need to navigate. Good walking shoes will minimise ankle twists. If you hurt yourself it is a long way for help. I am not the fittest but did it all the same.
Be warned at either swimming hole the water was ice cold but i was there in September so may be not so bad throught hotter months.
A must must see and walk.

Such a beautiful walk through the rainforest. The path is well kept and an easy walk to the lower waterfall. The walk up to the Wheel of Fire is more challenging with a rock-hopping crossing and quite a lot of stairs. The walk up to the top is definitely worth it with stunning views of the gorge.

Beautiful. Great rock-hopping trek if you go right at the track intersection. The falls to the right are ok but not amazing. The trek to the left is easy only about 400m. The waterfall there is lovely.

Worth the drive. We did both the walks and had a little swim too.

We had a mother and daughter day and wow what an amazing day it was 😊 the climb up was definitely a challenge but as we were struggling climbing the 300 stairs a few small children walked passed us 😆 we were definitely laughing all the way to the top.
Challenge going up but the views were worth it going back was an easy down hill stroll.

What a find this was! For some reason we hadn't heard much about it but I just think we weren't listening right because this place was amazing. I am sure during summer it would be busy, but right now plenty of room for all.

Water is a little cold but you can't pass up the opportunity to swim in some of the nicest natural pools I have come across.

First section of the walk is gently sloping and easy and through to Callistome Crossing is much the same. After that it becomes a bit more stair oriented but worth the short climb to the final cascades.

This was a highlight on our visit! The walk is uphill most of the way there, but 100% worth the effort. We walk all the way to the 'wheel of fire' and Wow!

Wow. Great little walk, with great reward. And if you are game swim in the rock pool and swim over to the water fall. Very cool to freezing water. Awesome. Only downside is the parking. And it can get a bit crowded at the Falls.

We did an afternoon track of Wheel of Fire track at Finch Hatton Gorge, the week after New Years. Nope it is not an easy track up, up and up. But worth it. We left the car park around 1:30pm and by 2:30pm we had the area for ourselves. Advice take lots of water drink on the way, wear walking shoes not thongs and go in the afternoon, will be less people there. And not advisable for young kids to the Wheel of Fire.

Great hiking trail. Parking and toilet facilities at the start. Walking / hiking through the trees and hills. An evening well spent. Great drive from Mackay to Finch Hatton Gorge. Explored only Araluen Cascades 1.5 kms from parking. Need a whole day to explore both cascades Araluen and Wheel of fire. Rock pools for swimming.

Great weekend walk, about 3 km round trip to the first rock pool. If you take a track to the right of the information board, you will a lovely place to sit and enjoy the running cool water without having to to take the track, however the walk is a must and worth a swim.

What a place! Nice and easy drive to the car park and then the walks to the Cascades, River Crossing and Wheel of Fire were all relatively easy but require a certain level of fitness and ability to rock hop over the crossing. Go after rainfall and it’s spectacular. Go for a swim too it’s worth it!

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Truly gorgeous tropical forest with some of the most pristine waters for swimming. A gem that I hope will be preserved for the years to come.