Kondalilla Falls Sunshine Coast – Your Guide For 2024

//

Kondalilla Falls is one of the best and most popular waterfalls on the Sunshine Coast.

Located near the small village of Montville, this awe-inspiring natural attraction is not to be missed when visiting Kondalilla National Park.

There are not just one but two epic waterfalls that can be explored via a moderate walking trail known as the Kondalilla Falls Circuit. The circuit trail is a 4.8km return hike that takes the average person approximately 1½ – 2 hours to complete.

I have put together this ultimate guide on how to get to Kondalilla National Park, the best time to visit, and what to expect on the circuit trail.

kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls

WHERE IS KONDALILLA FALLS?

Kondalilla Waterfalls is located in Kondalilla National Park just 35 – 40 minutes’ drive inland from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.

→ Click here to see the location on Google Maps.

kondalilla falls map

HOW TO GET TO KONDALILLA FALLS

There are no public transport options available to reach Kondalilla National Park so you will need to have your own vehicle to visit.

Car Rental – Search, Compare & Save!

discover cars

Discover Cars are one of the world’s largest online car rental platforms with vehicles in 10,000+ locations.

Find the right car, in the right place, for the best price guaranteed!

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time to visit is between 8 am and 12 pm for the best lighting from the sun.

If you’re not a morning person, you can still visit the falls at any time during the day, make sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the Kondalilla Falls walk before dark which takes 1½ – 2 hours.

Kondalilla Waterfalls is a very popular tourist attraction, and it can get quite busy on the weekends. If you can time your visit for a weekday, you’ll most likely get to enjoy it with fewer people.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT KONDALILLA NATIONAL PARK

When you arrive at Kondalilla National Park, you’ll find a large parking lot with plenty of free parking spaces available, conveniently located at the entrance to the Kondalilla Falls Circuit.

There are also toilet amenities and picnic areas near the parking lot that you can make use of before and after your adventure.

kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The parking lot
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The trailhead to the falls

Pssst! Check out this EPIC Hiking Backpack!

Osprey Hiking

Perfect for shorter day hikes, the Osprey Stratos 24L is a tough pack made from sustainable materials.

With great internal organization, this is all you need for your next adventure, no matter the weather!

KONDALILLA FALLS CIRCUIT TRAIL

The Kondalilla Falls Circuit trail is clearly signposted with a number of viewpoints along the way that offer spectacular views of Kondalilla National Park.

The circuit is a 4.8km moderate hike that leads right down to the base of the main falls and back up again, taking around 1½ – 2 hours to complete.

If you don’t want to do the entire 4.8km circuit, there are shorter trails available such as the Picnic Creek Circuit, 2.4km return (45 minutes) and the Rock Pools Walk, 3.2km return (1 hour).

Kondalilla Falls Circuit is a combination of concrete steps and dirt trails that will lead you through the lush sub-tropical rainforest in Kondalilla National Park.

There are some fun obstacles on the way down to the falls that you will encounter such as hanging tree vines, flowing streams, and small bridge crossings, all of which add to the exciting experience!

RELATED ARTICLE → BUDERIM FALLS SUNSHINE COAST

kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Kondalilla Waterfall Circuit information
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Kondalilla Falls walk
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Clear signposts
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Creek crossings
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Kondalilla National Park Lookout
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The trail down to the falls

Have you got travel insurance for your trip?!

hey mondo 1

We all know accidents can happen and having Heymondo Insurance will save you thousands of dollars if something goes wrong.

Heymondo offers low-cost Travel Insurance to keep you covered on all your adventures.

THE ROCK POOLS

The first spot you’ll come to on the walk is a large natural rock pool and swimming area. It’s the perfect opportunity to take a rest, rehydrate and go for a refreshing dip. 

At the top end of the rock pool is a small waterfall that can be explored and the discharge of water is not too powerful so you can swim directly beneath it which makes for the perfect outdoor shower.

For this reason, taking a quick-dry travel towel is a must.

This set of falls sometimes gets mistaken for Kondalilla Falls, but this is just the halfway mark of the circuit.

Please note that the natural swimming hole is quite shallow so I wouldn’t recommend doing any rock jumping at this particular spot.

There’s also an epic viewpoint here that overlooks a fair chunk of Kondalilla National Park so be sure to get your camera out for some happy snaps.

kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The rock pools and waterfall 
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The freshwater swimming hole
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The view of Kondalilla National Park

THE MAIN FALLS

Once you’ve enjoyed some time at the rock pools, continue along the circuit trail for another 20 minutes or so until you reach the base of the main falls.

Kondalilla Waterfall stands tall at 80 meters and the flow of water from the above stream gushes down a slate rock face and into a shallow basin below.

The aboriginal meaning of Kondalilla is in fact ‘rushing water’.

It’s not recommended to go swimming here but you can spend a moment marveling at the falls and hear the calming sounds of the forest around you. 

The hike back up the ridge takes around 20 minutes to reach the rock pools again (you may want to take another dip to cool off) and from here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit trail leads back to the parking lot which completes this epic adventure!

Don’t make the same mistake as me and make sure to bring comfortable shoes.

kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Falls lookout
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Deep in the rainforest
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
Signposts in Kondalilla National Park
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The main falls
kondalilla falls, kondalilla falls circuit, kondalilla falls walk, kondalilla falls swimming hole, kondalilla national park, kondalilla falls map, kondalilla falls montville, kondalilla falls national park, kondalilla waterfall, kondalilla falls sunshine coast, where is kondalilla falls, kondalilla waterfalls
The circuit trail

WHERE TO STAY ON SUNSHINE COAST

The Sunshine Coast is a popular tourist hub meaning there is no shortage of accommodation options.

It’s first in, best-dressed, especially in the peak holiday season which is between December and February.

I have narrowed it down to a few of the best places to stay on the Sunshine Coast to fit the needs of budget backpackers, luxury travelers, and everyone in between.

See the list of accommodations below that I personally recommend:

LUXURY: BREEZE MOOLOOLABA

c2714c51ecf90e12489931aafc87129c

MID RANGE: NIGHTCAP AT GOLDEN BEACH TAVERN

7a4491e87215f80b05746a15df41ab63

BUDGET: BEACH HOSTEL MOOLOOLABA

276244 19042511270073978214

FOR MORE OPTIONS ON SUNSHINE COAST, SEARCH ON BOOKING.COM

WHEN TO VISIT SUNSHINE COAST

The Sunshine Coast is one of the only places on the East Coast of Australia that sees glorious sunshine almost all year round.

If you want the best of the best conditions weatherwise, I recommend visiting the Sunshine Coast between May and October (Autumn – Spring) which is ideal for beach bumming, nature walks, and water sports. 

Summer on the Sunshine Coast is between December and February which sees hot temperatures and a lot of rainfall.

BEST SUNSHINE COAST TOURS

 

WHAT TO PACK FOR SUNSHINE COAST

When visiting Sunshine Coast, here is a list of items I highly recommend bringing with you:

Must-Have Travel Essentials

Hidden Money Wallet

anti theft money belt

Keep your cash and other valuables safe with this anti-theft hidden money wallet!


Reusable Water Bottle

grayl geopress

The GRAYL GeoPress is the best reusable bottle that allows you to purify water from anywhere!


Travel Backpack

Nomatic 20L Bag

The Nomatic Travel Backpack has 20+ innovative features, perfect for everyday use!


Quick-Dry Travel Towel

travel towel

The most compact, lightweight, and quick-dry towel for traveling!


Portable PowerBank

anker powerbank

Keep your phone, laptop, and accessories charged while you’re on the go with the Anker PowerBank!

More Australia Travel Guides

things to do in esperance, what to do in esperance, esperance things to do, esperance attractions, beaches in esperance

Click the button below to view all articles related to Australia!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON KONDALILLA WATERFALL

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and if you have any questions about Kondalilla Falls, please leave a comment below this post and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

For a quicker response, be sure to join Jonny Melon’s Travel Tribe on Facebook and post your questions or recommendations to our awesome community.

Fb Community Image

TRAVEL RESOURCES FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or it’s your first trip overseas, here are some useful travel resources to help you kick-start your next adventure!

bookingcom

Search and book accommodation worldwide.


logos 3

Compare and book cheap flights to anywhere.


logos 7

Find tickets, tours, and experiences around the world.


logos 14

Book buses, trains, and transfers online in advance.


discover cars

Search all rental cars in your next destination.


hey mondo

Need travel insurance for your next trip?

THANKS FOR READING

Hey friend, thanks for reading this guide!

Please know this post may contain affiliate links. When making a purchase through one of my links, I earn a small kickback at no extra cost to you and it’s a big help to keep the site up and running. Rest assured, I only promote products and services that I personally use and recommend.

Click here to find out how you can support the site organically.

Many thanks!

Leave a comment