Curtis Falls, Mt Tamborine - Gold Coast's Hidden Gems

Forget everything you know about bush walking. Curtis falls is an easy walk, for one of the best waterfall views on the Gold Coast.

My first adventure was one I saw on a map in the Scenic Drives of Queensland & the Northern Territory book.

It was the closest natural attraction to where I live and after checking how long it would take in Google Maps, 35 minutes, I scheduled in time to go check it out in the hour before sunset to get the best light for my photos.

I arrived in 30 minutes as there was no traffic and the drive was incredibly easy. A short, steep and curvy road to get up Mt Tamborine, but after that, it was all smooth sailing.

I parked in the car park to the left on Dapsang Drive (google maps link).

As soon as you start the walk to get to Curtis Falls, you are immediately in the rainforest. There are some very old and tall trees along the walk and I paused at one stage to watch a bush turkey scratch some dirt and sticks from the path all the way back to his nest.

It had been raining recently, so the path was a little muddy. It was easy to navigate, clearly laid out and a few stairs along the way.

I reached a fork in the path after 5 minutes and took the path left, directly to Curtis Falls. There is a much longer path, 2.4km return, that takes you deeper into the rainforest along the river, but as the light was fading, I thought I had better save that path for another day.

From here you can actually hear the occasional traffic from cars, reminding you how close to the road you are. I found it odd that you could be so immersed in a rainforest and still hear traffic noise.

Only moments after the fork in the road, the traffic noise was replaced by the roar of the Curtis Falls waterfall.

I walked out onto a wooden deck, to view the waterfall and the pond it cascades into. There is a beautiful felled tree in the water collecting moss and the colour of the pond was a clear green colour.

The waterfall itself cascades over basalt rock, part of the scenic rim which is a range of forested mountains from prehistoric volcanic activity. At night you can find glow worms and if you know how to look for them, a trapdoor spider.

It was incredible to be standing in a rainforest, looking at such a beautiful waterfall and be only 30 minutes drive from my home.

This is definitely one of the Gold Coast’s hidden gems!