More Walks at Blackdown Tablelands National Park, QLD.

View from Yaddamen Dhina Lookout

Yaddamen Dhina Lookout, or Horseshoe Lookout is an easy 200m return walk. We visited this lookout in the afternoon and we loved it so much that we returned and had breakfast in the Day Use Area the day we left Blackdown Tablelands so that we could go to the lookout again.

Yaddamen Dhina Day Use Area has tables, BBQs, an amenities block and is the only place in the national park that has taps (non-potable water). There is an emergency phone at the entry shelter across the road. Both the Lookout and Goodela Walk leave from here. It is a further 8 km from here on an unsealed road to Munall Camping Area.

Breakfast at the Yaddamen Dhina Day Use Area 

Goodela Walk: 3.6 km return, moderate grade. The Goodela walk also leaves from the Day Use car park. The walk along the escarpment in a eucalyptus forest offers similar views to those that can be seen from the Yaddamen Dhina Lookout. 

Goodela Walk

Gudda Gumoo, Rainbow Falls Walk: 3.6 km return, moderate, to the lookout or 4 km return, difficult, into the gorge to see the falls.

The trail-head for the Gudda Gumoo or Rainbow Falls Walk is about 8 km past Munall Campground by unsealed road. At the trail-head there is a car park and bush toilet but no picnic area. The walk descends gently to the lookout, however, there is no view of the falls. To see the falls, it is necessary to descend to the base of the falls. The last section descends steeply via 240 steps. 

View from the lookout on the Gudda Gumoo walk.

240 steps down to Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Falls

We enjoyed the walk and saw many birds along the trail.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater.

Blackdown Tableland National Park: Mook Mook and Goon Goon Dhina Walks.

Mimosa Creek in the afternoon.

The Goon Goon Dhina trail-head is located between campsites 12 and 13. The Mook Mook walk starts opposite the campground entrance. However, it is possible to join the two walks together by walking alongside Mimosa Creek and through the campground. 

Mook Mook: 2.4 km return, moderate grade. 
Cross Mimosa Creek and past interesting rock formations to a lookout. We were lucky to see the Blackdown Tablelands Fan Palms in flower.

Close up of a Blackdown Tablelands Fan Palm, Livistona fulva, in flower.

Rugged landscape on the Mook Mook walk.

Approaching the Lookout, Mook Mook.

Excellent views from the edge of an escarpment.

Goon Goon Dhina circuit, 2.5 km, moderate grade. There are excellent information signs along the walk.

Remnants of an old fence.

This walk follows Mimosa Creek upstream and we heard many frogs, possibly Scarlet Sided Pobblebonks, even during the daytime.

Crossing Memosa Creek

The walk is wanders past many interesting rock formations and a Ghungalu art site.

Gungalu art site, Mook Mook.

Detail of at the Ghungalu art site.

We enjoyed this walk a lot and as an added bonus we saw lots of birds.

White-eared Honeyeaters.

Blackdown Tablelands National Park, QLD.

Mimosa Creek near Munall Camping Area, Blackdown Tablelands National Park, QLD.

Blackdown Tablelands is on a plateau high above the surrounding countryside. The drive in is windy, narrow and steep. After reaching the park entry it is eight kilometers of unsealed road to the campground. There is a sign just after the turn-off from the highway that clearly states the road is not suitable for caravans. 

"Road is unsuitable for caravans."

The first thing we noticed about the campground was that sections of the figure eight driveway are covered in slats. We arrived during a very dry season but the slats indicate that at times it can get very wet in the campground.

Slats on the road near a compost toilet block.

As there is no phone reception at the campground we booked before arriving. As the sites are numbered it is necessary to choose a site number and it can be hard to know which one to choose but there is a map of the campground  online that is helpful. We also read all the comments on WikiCamps before making our decision. Some sites are tent only and  some are multi-use. When we arrived there was someone set up on the site we had booked. They also had a booking and when they showed me their booking email I was able to show them which number they had booked and they moved.

Our site was huge and had its own driveway with one section for camping and another section with a fireplace and log seating. 

Site 11, Munall Camping Area.

There are Kookaburras and large numbers of Pied Currawongs in the campground. Every time we prepared food we were mobbed by about twenty Currawongs intent on pinching food. They are quite brazen and one even entered our service body and tried to steal some cake we had stored in our drop down kitchen.

Laughing Kookaburra.

We met a fellow camper from James Cook University who was studying macropods. She had set out small live mammal traps but the traps were destroyed when Currawongs removed the pins holding them together. Although we found Blackdown Tablelands National Park to be an excellent birding location we were disappointed in the lack of animal sightings. However, we could hear frogs near every waterway, even during the day. Beautiful Mimosa Creek was only a few meters walk from our campsite and was the source of a delightful frog chorus every evening. 

Pied Currawongs

There are four walks in Blackdown Tablelands National Park. Two walks lead from the campground. It is necessary to drive to the trail-heads of the other two walks. There is also a popular 4WD track in the park. We did all the walks and I will cover them in separate blog posts.

Wildlife List: Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Lace Monitor, frogs (possibly Scarlet Sided Pobblebonks and Stripped Marsh Frogs).
Birds: Wedge-tailed Eagle, Grey Butcherbird, Sulphur-crested Coackatoo, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike, Pied Currawong, Torresian Crow, Australian Raven, Red-backed Fairy-wren, Grey Fantail, Leaden Flycatcher, Noisy Friarbird, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Laughing Kookaburra, Rainbow Lorikeet, Australian Magpie, Magpie-lark, Noisy Miner, Australian King Parrot, Eastern Yellow Robin, Pale-headed Rosella, Rainbow Bee-eater, Little Shrike-thrush, Weebill, Rufous Whistler. We saw Emu along Charlevue Road. We heard Tawny Frogmouth and Southern Boobook.

Details for Munall Camping Area, Blackdown Tablelands National Park:

Where: 190 km west of Rockhampton, QLD.

Access: Not suitable for big rigs. Not suitable for towing anything bigger than a small camper trailer. The sign on Charlevue Road states that the road into the national park is "unsuitable for caravans". The sealed section of road is winding and climbs very steeply. The unsealed section past the entry shelter is windy; corrugated when we visited in September 2017 and slippery when wet. Nearest fuel is at Dingo.

Campsites: 8 km past the entry shelter. 16 numbered dirt sites. Some are multi-use and some are tent only. Tip: Site 6 is listed as a multi-use site but it is not level and didn't seem suitable for most rigs. 

Booking and Fees: No self registration. Book online or by phone before arriving. Gets booked out at times. Standard National Park QLD camping fees. $6.30 pp. Family rates.

Facilities: 2 amenities blocks with composting toilets, individual fire rings with log seats (BYO wood). No water. No phone reception at campground, some available at Yaddamen Dhina Lookout. Emergency phone at entrance shelter 8 km from campground. Walks. Nearby 4WD loop.

Prohibitions: No pets. No generators.

Tip: If you have a caravan or large camper trailer it is possible to camp at Dingo or Bluff and do a day trip to the national park.