If you’re looking for things to do in Gold Coast and looking to find a hidden waterfall, you might like to check out Gorge Falls in Tallebudgera Valley, on the Tallebudgera Creek Road. This Gold Coast waterfall is home to a fantastic swimming hole, perfect for cooling off in the summer heat.
In this guide, I’m sharing everything I learnt about how to get there, what you need to bring, and realistically how long it actually takes to walk there.
1. Understanding the Trail

Before embarking on your hike to Gorge Falls in Upper Tallebudgera, it’s crucial to understand the trail because we didn’t think it would be that difficult. The path to the falls follows part of the Cream Track and is known for its natural beauty, but can be challenging for beginner hikers because it is an unmarked trail.
It’s a moderately difficult track, winding through dense rainforests and rocky terrains which can be quite tiring as you’ll be rock hopping a fair bit, as well as walking through a lot of river creek crossings.
2. How to find the start of the trail to Gorge Falls Tallebudgera

I was a little worried about finding the start of the Gorge Falls trail because I couldn’t find that much information on it. All you need to do is follow the Tallebudgera Creek Road until the very end of it. When you reach the end, you’ll know because you’ll see a small car park on the right hand side of the road, probably with a few cars parked there.

The road actually continues on for about 100 metres, but you’ll realise straight away to turn back because there’s a big sign post saying private properties. Park up, and walk up towards the sign, which is where the track starts. There is another sign here with a map talking about the Cream Track.
3. How to find the waterfall

As you start the walk, you’ll walk along a path for a minute or two before you come to the first river creek crossing. We actually went straight off track as we saw some other hikers veer to the right. Before we knew it, we were wondering where we were going. But, all you need to do is continue straight. So you’ll need to walk over the very shallow crossing to continue the track.

All you need to do is continue walking up the river, until just after the third crossing, you’ll need to know this important information. We were a little stuck and luckily came across some hikers who guided us the right way. So, after the third crossing, you’ll walk up the hill for a minute until you come to a fork in the road. There will be three paths to choose from.
- One is a staircase with an arrow sign to continue the Cream Track on your right hand side.
- The track in front of you in the middle will say ‘Private Property’.
- And the third track on the left is a smaller path, this is the one you need to take.
This was the only other time we felt a little lost. But if you follow these directions, you should be fine. As you continue up the river, the track will have sections of a walking path, as well as rock hopping as well. It isn’t a steep track, just tiring because it’s not a straightforward path. You’ll also pass by a private property so please respect it and don’t walk into the land it is located on.
4. The waterfall isn’t that easy to see

When you reach Gorge Falls, you might be quite surprised because you can’t see the beautiful waterfall unless you swim into it or climb over some branches to a few rocks. At the time of visiting, we met another hiker who had vistied the swimming hole about 10 times. She told us that she hadn’t seen the water level so low before. It was raining at the time and the water was a bit murky for us to swim in, but I can totally see how much fun it would be on a beautiful day.

Usually people sit up on the rocks and slide into the water. There is a rope swing where people apparently climb up to the tier above the falls. I would be super careful here because the pool isn’t that deep. You’re also at least a 40 minute walk out of the track and you’d be waiting a fair while for emergency services to arrive if anything were to happen.
5. How long the track actually takes to walk

I swear I read that the walk would only take 20 minutes to get there, but it doesn’t. Even though it’s only a 4km return walk, you’ll spend a lot of time trying to not get your feet wet in the many river crossings.
There’s also a lot of rock hopping to do as well, so it actually took us 1h10m to walk there, and 40 minutes back. I suppose it took us a short distance to walk back because we knew the track by then.
6. Things to know before you go

Be prepared for leeches
We met some kiwi girls who turned back because they were so scared of leeches on this trail. It was wet and they were wearing a crop top and shorts so I don’t blame them.
Wear hiking boots
I swear by my SCARPA hiking boots and definitely recommend you wear some too. If you are looking to buy some hiking boots, always by half a size up because you’ll need proper hiking socks to wear with them. Trust me, I didn’t do this and suffered big time years ago when buying my first pair. You’ll need hiking boots to give you a decent grip when rock hopping, plus they stop your feet from getting wet.
More Gold Coast waterfalls to check out!

Looking for more swimming holes and waterfalls to visit in Gold Coast? Here’s some of our favourites you can read about in our following popular travel guides. Check out our full list on our Queensland Guides page.
- 7 Tips For Cedar Creek Falls In Tamborine Mountain Gold Coast
- 15 Tips For Box Forest Circuit, Lamington National Park
- 15 Tips For Visiting Toolona Creek Circuit, Lamington National Park
- 13 Tips For Purling Brook Falls Walk, Springbrook National Park
- 10 Tips For The Amazing Natural Bridge In Springbrook National Park
- 7 Places To Stop On The Falls Drive, Main Range National Park QLD
6 Tips For Visiting Gorge Falls in Gold Coast
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