Trifter

The Barron Falls are located in the Barron Gorge National Park in Queensland, Australia. The falls are formed where the Barron River makes its descent from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain.

Image by certified su via Flickr

The Barron Falls are some 900 feet wide and 825 feet high. The area the falls are located in is mainly rainforest.

In 1935, the Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Plant was built near the falls and today the plant siphons off much of the water from the Barron River before it goes over the falls. The only time Barron Falls sees substantial water flow is during the rainy or wet season.

Image by certified su via Flickr

The rest of the year the falls are just a trickle.

(Barron Falls most of the year. Notice train to left)

Around the Barron Falls can be found Cassowaries, which are the second largest bird in Australia at about five and a half feet tall. They are flightless birds which have blue skinned necks and heads and a crest at the top of their heads and are well known for their bad temperament. They will attack people and are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most dangerous bird in the world.

Also around the falls are the Gympie-gympie tree, also known as the Stinging Tree. The leaves of this plant can sting you like those of the Nettle plant and cause a red, swollen mass that stings for days or even months. One human has died from the sting.

There are three ways to visit Barron Falls. One can drive to them through the park, one can take the Kuranda Scenic Railway which makes a stop right at a falls overlook,

Image by Sweet One via Flickr (View from railway station)

or one can take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway which also has a stop at the falls.

Image via Wikipedia

The trail at Barron Falls Station leads through the rainforest to three separate lookouts providing spectacular views of the Gorge and Falls.

For more see Amazing Waterfalls, Lovely Carbet Falls and Great Rivers of Planet Earth.