Located in Red Gum Park in Bullaburra (in the mid Blue Mountains), Minnatonka Falls is not the most spectacular waterfall – but it’s in a picturesque location. The waterfall is surrounded by rainforest, with ferns and moss-covered Coachwood trees. (The waterfall’s claim to fame is that it’s the only named waterfall in Bullaburra – there is also Lawson Cave Falls on the northern side of the suburb, but these falls are not recognised by the Geographical Names Board!)
You’ll need a lot of rain for these falls to really flow, which also means you’ll probably get a few leeches and wet feet from crossing Minnatonka Creek, below the falls. The area around the waterfall is fairly boggy underfoot, so it’s not somewhere to linger too long – but it’s a pleasant walk down to the waterfall and would make a great adventure for younger kids.
Minnatonka Falls may have been named after Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota (USA), referenced in the song “From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water” (Bullaburra is an Aboriginal word meaning clear day)…
Getting to Minnatonka Falls
There are a couple of tracks through the Red Gum Reserve that get you to the waterfall, and the area is not too well-known, so there’s a good chance you won’t see anyone else! The shortest route is from Boronia Road, where the path follows the edge of a property before entering the bush.
After a short descent, the track crosses Minnatonka Creek just above the waterfall.
To reach the base of Minnatonka Falls, continue along the track for another hundred metres or so, and look for a faint trail that heads off to the left. It’s a bit overgrown in places, but is not too hard to follow.
Soon after crossing the creek for the second time, you’ll see the falls just upstream.
It’s a short bushwalk to the falls that you can easily do in half an hour; the track continues to the Red Gum Park Picnic Area if you want to extend the walk. You can also access the waterfall and picnic area from De Quency Road, Cottle Road and the very end of Boronia Road. A loop walk is also possible, but involves some road-walking to complete the loop (about 3.2km).
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