Somersby Falls

Fifteen minutes from Gosford is a peaceful hideaway, found on the eastern edge of Brisbane Water National Park. You’ll find brush turkeys wandering around the car park, where there are picnic tables and detailed signs about the waterfalls and short walking tracks at Somersby Falls. You can walk at the top, middle and bottom of this waterfall – which is a steady stream of water on our visit, filling up sinkholes and cracks in the rock. At the top, the surface is smooth and flat and people are walking their dogs over the mossy surface. At the middle, around ten minutes’ walk down a paved pathway, is a cascade of water that you can walk right up to and get as wet as you like. It’s 30 minutes to the bottom of the fall, where the path gets rocky and sandier under foot. You can dip your toes into the pools of water, but it’s not deep enough to swim in nor is the stagnant water all that appealing (even on a humid day). Instead, take a seat on the boulders or at the edge of the dry section of the fall and enjoy the treetop views (at the top) and tropical habitat (at the bottom).

Thanks to recent upgrades (completed in July 2024), you'll now find an accessible viewing platform looking out across a sublime view across the top of the falls, as well as accessible pathways connecting to the newly expanded carpark, upgraded wheelchair-friendly facilities and a landscaped picnic area with new BBQs and picnic shelters.

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