Paddling in Girringun National Park

Girringun National Park sits in the wet tropics of North Queensland, roughly 200 kilometres south of Cairns, where steep escarpments and dense rainforest funnel rainfall into rivers that drop hard off the Atherton Tablelands toward the coastal lowlands.

The water here is shaped by that topography — big elevation changes, seasonal flooding, and the kind of flow that swings dramatically between the wet and dry.

The Herbert River is the park's central paddling water and one of Australia's classic extended river trips.

It runs through the park's rugged interior, and the character of the trip reflects the landscape: remote, committing, and dependent on the wet season rains that push it into runnable condition. This is not a day-trip river.

The surrounding country is wild, access is limited, and self-sufficiency matters. Wallaman Falls, at 268 metres the highest single-drop waterfall in Australia, drops off Stoney Creek within the park's Blencoe Falls section.

The falls themselves are not a paddling destination, but Stoney Creek is part of the watershed that feeds the larger system — worth knowing for anyone reading the hydrology of the area. Campfires, fishing, and kayaking are permitted within the park.

Check directly with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for current conditions, access points, and any permit requirements before committing to a trip — particularly for anything overnight on the river.

The wet season, roughly November through April, is when the Herbert runs. Outside that window, flows drop and the river can become impassable in sections. Timing a trip here means watching the weather upstream, not just at the put-in.

The park rewards paddlers who do that homework.