If you love waterfalls and rainforest walks then the visiting the waterfalls near Byron Bay is a must!
The whole Byron Bay hinterland area is very pretty with scenic drives featuring green, rolling hills and macadamia farms. Watch out for the potholes though as the roads to all the falls are not great!
One important tip: Make sure you wear proper footwear! I was amazed at the number of people that wore thongs (flip-flops) or street sandals. And forget about wearing your white sneakers – they’ll be ruined. Rainforests are usually wet, muddy places so wear good walking shoes/boots or you’ll be slip-sliding all over the place.
All three waterfalls – Protester Falls, Killen Falls and Minyon Falls are wonderful but quite different and so very hard to pick a favourite. And of course they are at their best following good rain.
If you were going to try and do them all in one day, I would drive in the order below or in the reverse order. Start early and if you wanted to do the big walk at Minyon Falls then maybe split your visit to the three falls across two days.
So here they are in no particular order.
Protester Falls
Located about 1 hour 15 mins from Byron Bay, Protester Falls is in the Nightcap National Park. It got its name by the successful protests in the late 1970’s which saved the old growth rainforest around the falls. Thank goodness they were successful because the thought of this area being logged is awful. It’s also the home to a few endangered species of frogs which you do hear on the walking track. Because of these frogs, it is not permitted to swim in the creeks around the falls.
The rainforest walk to Protester Falls has to be the most beautiful rainforest walk I’ve ever done, and I’ve done quite a few! Huge towering old trees and massive strangler figs are a feature. It also has a unique atmosphere – it really feels quite ancient and special! See the feature pic right at the top of this post to get a bit of an idea what I’m talking about.
The walk is a 1.4 km return trip and is relatively easy but with quite a few steps and rocks and tree roots to navigate around. Obviously if there has been recent rain it will be very muddy. We went 4 or 5 days after the last heavy rainfall and I think that was a good time to go. The waterfall was in full flow and the track wasn’t too muddy. It was also the coolest of the three waterfall tracks we did. So if you go in winter, bring a jacket, even if the day seems warm.
The falls themselves have a drop of 30m (although it looks more) with palm trees embedded in the vertical cliff-face surrounding it.
There’s a lovely picnic area with toilet facilities right near the car park also.
Minyon Falls
Minyon Falls is also in the Nightcap National Park and is about 50 mins drive from Bryon Bay. These Falls are the biggest of the three waterfalls at 100m!
There is a lookout close to the carpark for those that are not up for much of a walk. It offers fabulous views of the falls, surrounding cliffs and forests.
If you want to take the walk to the pool at the bottom of the falls and have a swim, there is a 7.5 km loop walking track. We didn’t do this through lack of time and I had a cold and wasn’t well enough. But for those that are interested, it’s recommended as a 4 – 5 hour walk and fairly steep with some scrambling around rocks . But if reasonably fit you could do it in 3 – 4 hours I’ve heard. We did a little bit of the walk to try and get a view of the falls from the other side.
There is also a shorter 2 hour return walk to the Minyon grass picnic area.
And apparently it’s dry in some parts of the year but it had a fair bit of water when we were there due to quite a bit of rain in the weeks prior.
Killen Falls
Killen Falls is the closest to Byron Bay being about a half hour drive. Not the biggest waterfall but perhaps the prettiest with a large waterhole at the bottom. You can also walk behind the waterfall as the water runs over a cave. Definitely the best waterfall of the three for photography too!
It’s about a 1 km return walk. Starts off quite easy but gets a bit steep, rocky and slippery. They do have a handrail for the worst bit. Once down to the creek you will need to walk along the edge of the creek over rocks for a short distance which requires some care.
Booking.comWe went during school holidays in winter and there were several people at the water hole but I believe in summer in gets incredibly busy so perhaps go early if going in summer. The carpark is also quite small but does have toilet facilities.
There is a lookout of the falls just 5 mins along the track for those that have trouble with steep rocky terrain. And another few minutes walk behind the carpark takes you to a view of the spillway just up from the waterfall.
If you have time after visiting the waterfall, there is a lovely little village called Federal which would be a good spot to enjoy some lunch at a café.
So in summary: Yes, Byron Bay is known for its fabulous surf beaches but we really loved chasing waterfalls and this was probably the highlight of our time in Byron.
Please feel free to leave a comment or ask me questions you like on our experiences of the Byron Bay area.
And perhaps pay me a visit on Instagram and follow me if you like what you see.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this Travel Inspiration from an Empty Nester!
Useful Links
Nightcap National Park – for Protestor Falls and Minyon Falls
Great post Jenny. Like you, I love waterfalls, rain forests and just enjoying the environment generally, but sadly don’t seem to see enough. Your photos of Killen Falls are spectacular and I’ve added all three to our itinerary when next in the Byron Bay Area – hopefully this year.
Really appreciated the tips you’ve added as well – they seem so simple – but it’s the simple things we forget, eg leave the thongs at home!
Well done 🙂
Thanks so much Joycee! Good to hear it will be used as a bit of a guide for you. It was amusing, but amazing, the number of people wearing thongs and muddy feet slip sliding all over the place.
I’m a big waterfall lover! Next time I visit the Byron Bay Area I will plan a visit to all three waterfalls. We also enjoyed walks through rainforests. It’s hard to comprehend that this beautiful area was nearly logged. Three cheers for those that protested. They saved the stunning environment for all of us to enjoy. Love your beautiful pics of all the waterfalls Jenny. Thanks for the travel tips & inspiration 👌
Thanks Estelle, yes I’m sure you’ll love it too if you visit this area. It really hit home what was saved when we walked through the area around Protestor Falls. It was not your average rainforest walk at all! Happy to provide some inspiration too 🙂
Love waterfalls and rainforest walks and these at Byron Bay look spectacular. It is a shame that I live so far away but Australia is on my list – hopefully a year out exploring Australia will allow me time to visit this part of your world. This is a lovely post, Jenny and I enjoyed reading it. Have pinned it for reference too.
Thanks Georgina, glad you enjoyed this post! And always happy to provide some inspiration!
What a wonderful area for waterfalls – they sound so inviting and look beautiful in your photos. I really appreciate the tips on walking and level of difficulty/length of walk too – I’m compromised in how much I can manage after having a knee replacement, and greatly appreciated that information – I will certainly keep this for our next visit to see friends in Byron Bay!
Thanks Roz, yes I’ve had some times where I’ve not been so mobile myself so I do think of these things. Currently recovering from some foot issues but mostly recovered so on this occasion it didn’t really impact on what we did. So, yes perhaps keep in mind Minyon Falls for your next visit.