Killarney Glen’s famous heart shaped waterhole is one of the most beautiful natural pools I have seen. Situated on land owned by the Commonwealth Government and used by the Australian Defence Department, the Killarney Glen National Park is often closed to the public for few days out of the month. Currently the park remains closed for indefinite time, until the Australian government reviews and implements better safety procedures.
When we visited Gold Coast last year, we stayed with a pretty cool AirBnB host and got some great insights to finding some of the most unique and less known places. Armed with our mobile internet and the name of the place we were going, we head off to Nerang. It took us few hours to find the right way to the waterfall, but finally we reached the eastern side of the Beechmont- Canungra Road, standing in front the park entrance.
There was a notice on the side of the parking, that there have been cases of cars that were broken into, but this wasn’t going to stop me from hiking to the waterfall. After all the most valuable thing we had in the car, was a pair of slippers and a Kit Kat.
The road to the waterfall is quite steep, but all the sweat and blisters were worth it. Some of the slopes can contain loose dirt and rocks and can become very slippery. We opted to take the track to the left instead of the 4wd road. The second path is steeper, more challenging even for the fit and can become muddy during the rainy season.
After a 20 minute trek through the forest we arrived to the heart shaped waterfall to find the buzzling rhythm of this beautiful place. There was a big group of teenagers challenging one another to take the daring leap into the heart of Killarney Glen. We managed to take few photos of the waterhole, before continuing further downstream, where everything was a little quieter and gentle.
When this beautiful natural place is open for visitors again, follow these simple tips:
- try to visit Killarney Glen during the week, outside major holidays
- get plenty of water and comfortable shoes, as the trek, down to the waterfall and back up, can be quite challenging even for the fit
- don’t jump from the edge, but walk downstream for few minutes, where you will find a safer entry to the natural pool
- enjoy the park responsibly and don’t leave any trash behind
