Ballunjui Falls (Lower Ballunjui Falls track)

Moderate

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A signposted 1.2km return side track branching off the Ships Stern circuit down to the base of Lower Ballunjui Falls with views over the Coomera Valley, described on multiple hiking guides referencing the Ships Stern circuit.

☰ Trail details

Hide panel — map only✕

Distance

1.74 km

Est. time

1 hr 4 min

Elevation gain

324 m

Route type

Out & back

✦ Plan route

Steepest stretch: +168m over ~300m (around the 0.4km mark)

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Lamington National Park, Binna Burra section. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

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In-depth guide

Lower Ballunjui Falls Track: How Long, How Hard, and What to Expect

Real terrain data for the Lower Ballunjui Falls side track off the Ships Stern circuit — a brutal short climb and rare Lamington wildlife.

Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Rainforest CassiaDocumented on this trail

Senna acclinis

Endangered — NSW: Endangered▾

Endangered — NSW: Endangered

Senna acclinis, commonly known as rainforest cassia or brush senna, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to near-coastal areas of eastern Australia. It is a shrub with pinnate leaves and bright golden yellow flowers in groups of two to five and long, narrow seed pods. It is similar to other species of Senna that are environmental weeds.

How to spot it

Senna acclinis is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 3 m (9.8 ft). Its leaves are pinnate, up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long on a petiole 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, with five to seven pairs of broadly elliptic leaflets up to 50 mm (2.0 in) long and 15 mm (0.59 in) wide. There is a gland between the lower one to four pairs of leaflets. From two to five bright golden yellow flowers are arranged on a peduncle 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, each flower with ten fertile stamens, the anthers usual

Family Fabaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Senna acclinis

Photo via iNaturalist Australia (CC-BY-ND 4.0 (Int)), collected by Reece Taverner

Mount Wagawn MyrtleDocumented on this trail

Uromyrtus lamingtonensis

Vulnerable — QLD: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — QLD: Vulnerable

Uromyrtus lamingtonensis is a rare Australian shrub growing around the state border of New South Wales and Queensland. Like the Peach Myrtle, it has attractive pink flowers.

How to spot it

A shrub or small tree up to 5 metres in height and 12 cm in stem diameter.

Family Myrtaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Uromyrtus lamingtonensis

Vincetoxicum woollsiiDocumented on this trail

Vincetoxicum woollsii

Endangered — AUS: Endangered, NSW: Endangered, QLD: Endangered▾

Endangered — AUS: Endangered, NSW: Endangered, QLD: Endangered

Vincetoxicum woollsii is a small vine in the family Apocynaceae, belonging to the genus Vincetoxicum. It is a rare plant found in New South Wales and Queensland. It was declared endangered by the Nature Conservation Act of 1992.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Lamington National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Apocynaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Vincetoxicum woollsii

Antarctic Beech

Nothofagus moorei

Ancient Gondwanan relict▾

Ancient Gondwanan relict

A living link to the Gondwana supercontinent — individual trees are estimated at 2,500–3,000 years old, with one root system measured at over 5,000 years old. Lamington is the most northerly location these forests survive.

How to spot it

Small, dark, toothed leaves with a glossy top surface. Gnarled, moss-covered multi-trunked crowns formed by trees re-sprouting from a single ancient root base. Found in cool temperate rainforest above roughly 900m — the Lamington Border Track and upper Springbrook are the places to look.

Family Nothofagaceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation; Wikipedia

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Southern Ochrosia

Ochrosia moorei

Critically Endangered▾

Critically Endangered

One of Australia's rarest rainforest trees — an estimated 20 or so mature individuals remain in the wild in Queensland. The Gondwana Rainforests, including Lamington and Springbrook, are thought to be its last stronghold.

How to spot it

Small tree with glossy, dark green, whorled leaves and clusters of small cream flowers. Extremely rare — most hikers will never knowingly see one, which is exactly why a confirmed sighting matters for conservation records.

Family Apocynaceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (Springbrook rare/threatened plants register)

Photo: Poyt448 Peter Woodard (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons

Richmond Birdwing Vine

Pararistolochia praevenosa

Near Threatened (Qld)▾

Near Threatened (Qld)

The sole native food plant for the caterpillars of the Vulnerable Richmond Birdwing Butterfly. Its own lowland rainforest habitat is listed as Critically Endangered, making this woody vine a keystone of the whole species' survival.

How to spot it

A thick, woody climbing vine with heart-shaped leaves, usually seen twining up rainforest trees below about 600m elevation. Look for it on the lower-altitude sections of trails rather than upland cool rainforest.

Family Aristolochiaceae · Source: Queensland Government threatened species pages; WildNet

Photo: Poyt448 Peter Woodard (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons

Ooray (Mullumbimby Native Tamarind)

Davidsonia johnsonii

Endangered▾

Endangered

A rare subtropical rainforest tree confirmed within Lamington National Park, bearing large, deeply-veined leaves and dark red edible fruit similar to its better-known relative, the Davidson's plum.

How to spot it

Large simple leaves with a pleated, veiny texture, often clustered near the trunk. Fruit is a dark reddish-purple drupe growing directly off the trunk or main branches (cauliflory).

Family Cunoniaceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (Lamington National Park Management Plan)

Photo: John Moss (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Strangler Fig

Ficus watkinsiana

Notable ancient-forest structure▾

Notable ancient-forest structure

Starts life as a seed dropped by a bird high in a host tree, then sends roots to the ground and slowly encases its host over decades. The host eventually rots away, leaving a hollow lattice-trunked giant.

How to spot it

Unmistakable once mature — a massive lattice or fluted trunk, sometimes hollow in the middle where the host tree once stood. Common at Mount Cougal, Natural Bridge and the Springbrook gorges.

Family Moraceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Photo: Poyt448 Peter Woodard (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Black Booyong

Argyrodendron actinophyllum

Notable ancient-forest giant▾

Notable ancient-forest giant

One of the true rainforest giants of the McPherson Range, with massive plank buttress roots that spread across the forest floor to anchor the tree in shallow, leaf-litter-rich soil.

How to spot it

Look for huge, thin plank buttresses radiating from the trunk base — some over 2m tall. Compound leaves with 5–7 leaflets. Best seen on Lamington's Booyong Walk near O'Reilly's.

Family Malvaceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Photo: Poyt448 Peter Woodard (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Piccabeen Palm

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Common but iconic — a good starter ID▾

Common but iconic — a good starter ID

The palm that defines SEQ rainforest creek lines — dense stands of these tall, slender palms mark permanent water and give the understorey its distinctive cathedral-like look.

How to spot it

Tall, smooth grey trunk with a bright green 'crownshaft' just below the fronds. Grows in dense clusters along creeks and gullies — an easy, confidence-building first plant ID for beginners.

Family Arecaceae · Source: Queensland Dept of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Photo: M. Fagg (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Olive Whistler

Pachycephala olivacea

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable

The olive whistler or olivaceous whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, the whistlers, that is native to southeastern Australia.

How to spot it

Adult birds are around 18–20 cm (7–8 in) long, and have an overall olive brown plumage with a streaked white throat. To an untrained eye, they can be mistaken for female golden whistlers. The male has a dark grey head, pale grey breast and red-tinged buff belly and rump. The female lacks the red tinge, and has brown underparts.

Family Pachycephalidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Olive Whistler

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

Ornithoptera richmondia

Vulnerable — QLD: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — QLD: Vulnerable

Ornithoptera richmondia, the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being Ornithoptera meridionalis.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Lamington National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 2021) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Papilionidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Richmond Birdwing Butterfly

Photo via iNaturalist Australia (CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int)), collected by Matteo Grilli

Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

IUCN Near Threatened▾

IUCN Near Threatened

The platypus is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia and the sole living member of its family, combining a duck-like bill, dense waterproof fur, and (in males) a venomous ankle spur. It hunts underwater using electroreception, detecting the tiny electrical fields of prey rather than relying on sight.

How to spot it

Best spotted at dawn or dusk on still freshwater streams, rivers, or lakes — look for a low, rippling wake and a dark, streamlined body about 40-50 cm long with a rubbery grey-brown bill and a flattened beaver-like tail. They dive briefly and repeatedly, surfacing to chew food at the surface; genuinely wild sightings require patience and quiet.

Family Ornithorhynchidae · Source: Wikipedia; IUCN Red List

Photo: Charles J. Sharp (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow-bellied glider

Petaurus australis

IUCN Vulnerable▾

IUCN Vulnerable

A large, highly vocal gliding possum of eastern Australian eucalypt forests, able to glide up to 150 metres between trees. It lives in small family groups and is best known for its far-carrying, gurgling shriek that can be heard up to 500m away at night.

How to spot it

Grey-brown above with an off-white to orange-yellow belly, large pointed ears, body about 30cm plus a bushy tail up to 48cm. Listen at dusk for its distinctive rolling shriek/gurgle call - often the first sign it's around before you spot it gliding between widely spaced tall eucalypts. Look for characteristic V-shaped incision marks on trunks where it has sap-fed.

Family Petauridae · Source: Wikipedia; IUCN Red List

Photo: Greg Schechter (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Powerful owl

Ninox strenua

Vulnerable (NSW & Vic); IUCN Least Concern▾

Vulnerable (NSW & Vic); IUCN Least Concern

The powerful owl is Australia's largest owl, an apex forest predator of south-eastern Australia that feeds mostly on tree-dwelling possums and gliders. Though secure globally, it's listed as vulnerable in New South Wales and Victoria because it depends on large, hollow-bearing old-growth trees for nesting, which logging and land clearing keep removing.

How to spot it

A big owl, 45-65cm long with a wingspan over a metre, dark grey-brown above with bold white V-shaped barring below and a hawk-like long-tailed silhouette in flight. Listen at dusk for the male's slow, far-carrying double hoot ('whoo-hooo'); by day it roosts quietly in tall forest trees, sometimes with the remains of a possum cached on a branch below.

Family Strigidae · Source: Wikipedia

Photo: JJ Harrison (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Lace monitor

Varanus varius

IUCN Least Concern — common eastern forest goanna▾

IUCN Least Concern — common eastern forest goanna

The lace monitor is one of Australia's largest and most familiar goannas, a highly arboreal predator and scavenger found throughout the forests of eastern Australia from Cape York to south-eastern South Australia.

How to spot it

A big goanna (up to 2m, occasionally more) — most commonly dark grey-black with cream spots and a banded tail, though some individuals ('Bell's phase') show broad yellow-and-black bands instead. Confident and inquisitive around campsites and picnic areas, where it will readily investigate food; often seen climbing tree trunks head-first when approached, active mainly between September and May.

Family Varanidae · Source: Wikipedia

Photo: Bidgee (CC BY-SA 3.0 Australia) via Wikimedia Commons