Cannabullen Falls Hike – Complete Waterfalls Guide

Cannabullen Falls Hike – Complete Waterfalls Guide

Cannabullen Falls is an epic 70 meter waterfall deep in the Misty Mountains of Wooroonooran National Park in Far North Queensland. In this guide you'll find everything you need to know about hiking Cannabullen Falls overflow and some photos to inspire you for your hike!

Cannabullen Falls is an example of how harsh and underrated the Cairns and Far North region really is. The wide, secluded trail to Cannabullen Falls is a step back in time, with no more sounds than the echoing calls of prehistoric birds and your own muddy footprints as you trek through the oldest surviving rainforest on earth.

I'm certainly not alone when I say that a hike with a reward at the end is so much nicer, more rewarding. And the rewards don't come much better than this. The end point of the hike opens onto an incredible natural theater.

Waterfalls and cascading streams flow around you in a narrow clearing with rocks and tropical vines on all sides. At the very end of the river is the main event, the 70 meter long Cannabullen Falls spillway, which plunges triumphantly into the depths of the rainforest valley below.

Cannabullen cases

After exploring so many epic waterfalls near Cairns and the tropical north, Cannabullen Falls might be up there with some of the most impressive.

The 70-meter giant is a perfectionist waterfall. Its stream cascades perfectly down the vertical rock face at the end of a beautiful tropical rainforest valley.

Unfortunately, the hike to Cannabullen Falls does not allow a direct view of the extent of the waterfall. Instead, you will be led to the spillway where you can watch the river from above.

Either way, I was pretty happy with it and honestly pretty excited to be able to see this incredible waterfall from its source. The view from the top of the waterfall is absolutely incredible and although similar to that of Windin Falls, it might just trump it in its epicness.
alt=“LOOKING AT CANNABULLEN FALLS IN THE FAR NORTH OF QUEENSLAND”>

How to get to the Cannabullen Falls Trailhead

Cannabullen Falls is located in the Misty Mountains of Wooroonooran National Park, approximately 2 hours from Cairns. You will need a car to get to the trailhead and I would recommend taking a 4WD as the final stretch gets a bit bumpy on a dirt road.

From Cairns you need to start the long mission up Gillies Range Road and turn south towards Millaa Millaa. From here, take Misty Mountains Tourist Drive before turning left onto Maalan Road. Continue for approximately 2 miles before turning onto Sutties Gap Road. This road is narrow and, after a minefield of cow dung, turns into a fairly bumpy 4WD track as you enter the gates of the national park. Continue on Sutties Gap Road for about 5 miles until you reach a clearing with a prominent signpost (at the GPS coordinates below).

Below I have pinned the exact location of the starting point of the Cannabullen Falls hike to help you navigate.

GPS coordinates: 17°39’23.4″S 145°38’27.0″E

See also: The ultimate packing list for Cairns

The Cannabullen Falls hike

Hiking distance: 13.8 km there and back
Duration: 4 hours there and back
Height: 436 m total altitude (wavy)
Difficulty level: Medium

The hike from Sutties Gap Road to Cannabullen follows one of many hikes in the Misty Mountains. While this out-and-back trail is easy to follow, there are some sections where you might take a wrong turn. There is also no phone reception anywhere along the trail, so I would suggest carrying a GPS map (you can use the GPS map below if you save this blog to your offline pages).
alt=“CANNABULLEN FALLS HIKE”>
The trail is also very wide and gently undulating, with only a few short, leg-burning climbs. There are also two stream crossings that you must make, so be prepared to take off your shoes or deal with a soaked boot.

alt=“RIVER CROSSING ON THE CANNABULLEN FALLS TRACK”>
alt=“MISTY MOUNTAIN TRAILS RIVER CROSSING HIGH IN NORTH QUEENSLAND”>
While most of the hike to Cannabullen Falls is a breeze, the final section is a bit hairy. When you get there you will already hear the waterfall and will be greeted by a short but steep descent on a slippery and muddy path. Solid tree roots help you climb down.
old=““>
Although there is a bit of tree fall in some parts of the trail, you shouldn't have any problems finding your way to the falls. Just make sure to follow the direction of the orange and pink tree markers and turn where the signs point to Cannabullen Falls (and remember the way back at these turns).

GPX file: Download (do not use for primary navigation)

My Strava: Visit

The Cannabullen Creek Falls

After the 2-hour walk through the mystical Misty Mountains, you can relax and admire the beauty of Cannabullen Creek waterfalls.
alt=“UPPER LEVEL OF CANNABULLEN FALLS NEAR CAIRNS”>
When you jump out to the stream clearing, you can turn right and walk upstream along the bank to reach a beautiful amphitheater with waterfalls where there are deep pools where you can swim. Before I started the hike I had no idea that these higher waterfalls had steps so this was a treat for me.
alt=“UPPER LEVEL OF CANNABULLEN FALLS NEAR CAIRNS”>
Further downstream is the Cannabullen Falls spillway. You can't really get to the cliff edge on the left side of the stream (the side you jump out on), so don't try. Since there hadn't been much rain and the creek was relatively gentle, I decided to cross Cannabullen Creek further upstream near Stepping Falls. This allowed me to carefully walk around the right bank to get to the edge of the cliff. If you don't handle heights well or if the stream is flowing heavily, don't attempt this. Also remember that this blog is an account of my journey and you should not blindly copy what you read online.

Use common sense and respect the remoteness of this waterfall.
alt=“CANNABULLEN FALLS WATERFALL”>

Extra: Cairns waterfall tours

Photos from the Cannabullen Falls

Unfortunately I had crashed my drone the week before and it was repaired. When I arrived at the waterfall my heart immediately broke because it meant I couldn't capture the scale of Cannabullen Falls in all its glory.

However, here are some more photos of the waterfalls at Cannabullen Creek that I hope will inspire you to visit this iconic gem in tropical north Queensland!
alt=“UPPER LEVEL OF CANNABULLEN FALLS NEAR CAIRNS”>
alt=“LOOKING AT CANNABULLEN FALLS IN THE FAR NORTH OF QUEENSLAND”>
UPDATE: Tom from Wandering.The.Sky read this guide and sent me the following aerial photo of Cannabullen to share with my readers. Impressive shot! You can see more of his work on his Instagram.
alt=“Cannabullen Falls aerial photo “>

More waterfalls and hikes in the far north

I hope you enjoyed this detailed guide to hiking Cannabullen Falls in Wooroonooran National Park. If you have any questions or trail updates, please help me and other travelers by leaving a comment below.

Otherwise, if you're up for more adventures in the tropical north, be sure to check out some of my other hiking and waterfall guides below. Find the best things to do in this Cairns adventure guide!

MY CAMERA AND PHOTO EQUIPMENT

• Spiegellose Kamera: Canon R5
• Drohne: DJI Mavic Pro 2
• 360-Grad-Action-Kamera: Insta360 One X2
• Landschaftsobjektiv: Canon RF 15-35 mm f/2.8L
• Allround-Objektiv: Canon RF 24–105 mm f/4L
• Teleobjektiv: Canon RF 100–500 mm f/f/4,5–7,1 L
• Lange Aktionsstange: Insta360 Invisible Pole (BulletTime)
• Landschaftslinsenfilter: Hoya Circular Polarizer
• Kamerarucksack: F-Stop Tilopa
• Lieblingsfotozubehör: Peak Design Capture Clip

For a list of my recommended photography gear (including what I use and why), check out my Travel Camera Gear Guide.

If you would like to use any of the photos on this website, please visit my licensing page to find out how. I also sell professional art prints, visit my Print Store or contact me directly for customs deductions of images on We Seek Travel.
.