Where
Located at Killarney, head to Beaudesert from Brisbane or the Gold Coast. Then head west along the (hwy90) Beaudesert-Boonah rd through Bromelton to Boonah and take a left at the roundabout in town and jump on the Boonah-Rathdowney road. (Are we there yet?) Look for Mt Alfred rd on your right about 8kms out of boonah. Stay on Mt Alfred road for about 18kms. When you go through the township of Mt Alfred look for a sharp left onto Dwyer ridges road. Now if you got this far, it's pretty easy from here. This road will take you to a T intersection. Turn right on to Carneys Creek road. After about 20km's the road turns right. (look for the Carneys creek road sign again) This road will eventually become Head road, and then Spring Creek road. This will take you to the intersection for the Condomine river track. Turn right onto the unsealed road. In about 8 kms you will see this sign.
Queen Mary Falls
Across the road from the Tourist park is the Queen Mary Falls. Take the family for a walk along the trails to the lookout above the waterfall. This is a bush walk so take care. There are tours available, we just followed the signs at a leisurely pace and were back at the car pack within half an hour. Depending on what season you come here will depend on how much water is about, especially over the falls. The trail is free, no permits or fees are required.
Queen Mary Falls / Condomine river track
Bookings
There is a few options in the area, try Queen Mary Falls tourist park. Ph 07 4664 7151
676 Spring creek road Killarney Qld.
Camping with a fire pit on your site. Powered sites are available and there are clean showers and toilets available. Bring your own split wood (no bush) or purchase 20kg bags from the cafe on site. It's really a covers all bases type of park from swags to cabins.
What to take
This trip is pretty easy and will suit beginners looking at getting to know there vehicle. A tyre guage for airing down on the Condomine river track is a bit of a must, likewise a compressor to air up when you get to camp. You can bring your own fire wood, so a shovel will also be handy around the fire.
You could come out to Killarney for a day trip as a bit of a scenic drive but there is an abundance of places to camp and make a weekend of it. Head home through the national parks and vist the Queen Mary falls.
It gets pretty cold in winter and very hot in summer so bring the appropriate clothing.
Stop in at Killarney or take a drive along the states border, there are many ways to get back to the east coast from here. National parks, unsealed roads and a very relaxed country feel. There are numerous property's with 4WD tracks and camping offered in this neck of the woods, so have a look around for a return trip in the future.
Looking at the surrounds it is hard to believe your only a couple of hours from a major city. So grab your camping gear and get cracking, take the family out to the country.
Yep, it is a bit of an effort to get here into the scenic rim. There is also many different ways to get here. Grab a "South East Queensland" Hema map from your camping store and you'll find what works best for you.
The Condomine river track takes you through farming land and private property so stick to the track. There is no camping permitted along the river. When you reach the start of the track, air down to about 25PSI. There is alot of rocky river crossings and hard tyres can cop a battering. Shift into 4WD "high", traction can be an issue so make the shift now. There are signs warning people with trailers. It is not suited to caravans, however we took the camper trailer with no problems.
Take it easy, take in the surrounds and enjoy the track. If there has been a fair amount of rain around in the days before you get here, the track may be impassiable due to high water levels.
The track is one lane so take it easy and be aware of oncoming traffic. There are 14 river crossings along the way, dont worry most of them are at best 1'foot deep in dry season.
