Malanda Falls

During our short trip up to FNQ last November, we spent a number of hours in the town of Malanda on the Atherton Tableland. My last post was about the Malanda Dairy Museum and Café and this post will be about our stop at the Malanda Falls.

 It's another lovely peaceful spot. I took the next 2 photos standing on the lower level.

DH took the next photos from the upper level. As waterfalls go, the Malanda Falls are not very high or exceptionally wide, but nevertheless this place has got some very interesting history...

The carpark is on the upper level and as you walk from the car, this large picnic shelter shed is in front of you...

Did you notice that sign on the shed??? Yep, in the 1967 floods the water rose to that level! I tried to take photos that would give some idea of the distance from this upper level to the river (the Johnstone River); it's hard to really see but the steps go down in 2 stages and it's a fair way down.

Closer to the falls (and the road) is another set of stairs to access the lower level,  with a steep rise climb hidden by the shrubbery and trees in the photo.

In February 2015 the area received over 280 mm ( nearly 12 inches) of rain in a short space of time and the Johnstone River flooded. Reports suggested it was the worst flooding since 1967. The water again rose to the level of the rails on the bridge which features in my first 2 lots of photos...that's a lot of water. The area DH and I visited had been badly damaged by the 2015 flood but it was all pristine again after the local council had worked hard to restore it.