Millaa Millaa Falls
“Beauty is an essential vitamin” in life is a quote I heard once. If this is the case Millaa Millaa is essential for the soul.
Depending on the day, we might decide to run the waterfalls tour in a number of ways. The favoured way for my tours is to head south of Cairns and begin with Babinda and Josephine Falls as spoken about in previous blogs. After visiting those sites we have progressed through the entree of our menu in beauty. To many people on this tour, Millaa Millaa is viewed as the main course. However the drive from Josephine to Millaa Millaa is definitely one to start the salivation, wetting your appetite.
Millaa Millaa Falls
The drive struts through the banana fields near Innisfail before turning up the Palmerston Highway towards Millaa Millaa. One of the reasons this drive is so picturesque is that you travel through the Wooroonooran National Park which includes the mighty North Johnston river and some of FNQ’s highest peaks. When many people come to Far North Queensland, all they think of is the Daintree National Park as one of the oldest rainforests in the world. However, Wooroonooran is of the same vintage, and in my belief more accessible than the Daintree. Wooroonooran has similar diversity of flora and fauna with just as much beauty and many places to venture. There are numerous possible stops through the park if time permits. If you had an endless amount of time you could venture into to Crawfords Lookout, Wallicher Falls and Henrietta Campgound to hike to Nandroya Falls. (Click on the links to exlpore blogs about these places.)
As the drive continues up the Palmerston highway and past Wooroonooran, it enters into the Misty Mountains. This is an aptly placed region for early in the morning there is generally a stunning misty fog covering the grassy hills. The vistas are truly stunning as you get closer to Millaa Millaa.
Driving into the car park you are met with this breath taking and most iconic waterfall. Everyday when Millaa Millaa Falls reveals her grandeur the sounds of ‘Awwww’ and ‘Uhhhh’ murmur through the bus. There is a lush circular swimming hole in front of the 18m high falls. At the top of the falls and in the garden in front of the falls are some graceful King Fern trees, and behind the cascading falls is a phenomenal pillar basalt rock (volcanic rock) that has formed some imposing columns. The columns have formed from lava pouring down and cooling slowly over time to form such a symmetrical hexagonal columnar jointing, an interesting remnant of history and extremely hypnotising behind the cascades of the falls. This is nature at it’s finest.
The King Ferns are one of the oldest trees and largest ferns in the region. They date back over 300 million years into evolution and have massive fronds that can grow over 6 metres in length. Not only is there a great example of one of these just next to the car park but you see them scattered all along the drive through Wooroonooran.
These waterfalls are generally the most favoured by the group. It’s a great opportunity to go for a swim, or even a walk behind the falls. Its is also a favoured spot for photos. Undoubtedly this has one of the most requested photo opportunities on the tour, the hair flick. Through the years, the falls have been used for shampoo and beer commercials, not to mention the Peter Andre ‘Mysterious Girl’ video clip shot here. It has made the hair flick photo in front of the falls an absolute favourite.
Millaa Millaa is heralded as one of the must see places in Far North Queensland and is definitely worth it. Some days we even do lunch here if the conditions are right, what better place to enjoy a meal than with a supplement of the most important vitamin, beauty.