Tanninaba Falls in Springbrook National Park is dry for most of the year, but is quite picturesque after rain when Little Nerang Creek plunges over the tall creek. The best view is from the bottom of the falls, along the Purling Brook Falls Circuit track. The waterfall gets its name for the Aboriginal word for “zamia”, a species of palm endemic to this area.
The walking track crosses Little Nerang Creek below a small pool formed at the base of the waterfall.
The track also crosses the creek above the waterfall – although you can only see the very top of the falls. (There is a fence along the top of the cliff near the waterfall, but take care – an elderly man slipped and fell to his death at Tanninaba Falls in September 2022.)
Getting to Tanninaba Falls
The best way to see the waterfall is by doing the 5km Purling Brook Falls Circuit bushwalk from the Gwongorella Picnic Ground, which passes the top and bottom of the waterfall. Even after heavy rain, it’s not really worth walking to bottom of the escarpment just to see this waterfall.
The Gwongorella Picnic Ground is at the end of Forestry Road (off Springbrook Road): there is a large carpark here (which can get full on holiday weekends) with picnic facilities and toilets. (You can also park at The Settlement Day Use Area and walk from here.) It’s about a 90-minute drive from Brisbane via the Nerang–Murwillumbah Road (State Route 97) and Springbook Road (State Road 99).
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