Base of Carrington Falls - Budderoo National Park, NSW

Carrington Falls is a stunning waterfall located in the Budderoo National Park on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Plunging over 50 meters into the scenic Kangaroo Valley, the falls are a highlight of the Illawarra escarpment and a popular destination for nature lovers, hikers, and photographers. Surrounded by lush eucalypt forests and native wildlife, Carrington Falls offers a tranquil escape into nature, complete with well-maintained walking trails but also off-track walking and creek exploring adventures for experience hikers, number of scenic lookouts, and family friendly picnic spots that showcase the area's natural beauty and ecological diversity.

Trail Overview

This trail presents a moderate to hard challenge, with some steep sections during the descent into the valley. Bringing a hand line is advised for enhanced safety. The route involves primarily off-track walking, rock hopping, and navigating through the riverbed toward the main waterfall.

Trail Details

• Starting Point: Carrington Falls carpark - start of Stevo's Track

• Finishing Point: Same as above

• Total Distance Covered: 5 km

• Total Elevation Gain: 300 m

• Time Spent: 5+ hours

Trail Conditions

The track is not officially marked, but the path is surprisingly well worn and not that difficult to follow. Ensure you are prepared for the varying and steep terrain and bring appropriate gear for a safe hike. (personal firs aid kit, GPS maps, PLB or satellite communication device, no mobile reception in the valley) Avoid visiting during or after the rain, rocks in the creek and around are really slippery even on dry days.

Track notes:

Sunday morning, we're catching up with our hiking friends at Moonacres Kitchen in Robertson for a quick coffee and breakfast before we head out to the start of the trail. It's just a little over a 10-minute drive from coffee shop to Carrington Falls where we begin our walk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/XouB2Dihud8j4QBV7

Walk to the base of Carrington Falls

Our walk will start from the Carrington Falls carpark. The upper tracks are well-maintained and equipped with picnic tables and restroom facilities. Prior to descending into the valley, we will visit the lookouts at the top to enjoy views of the valley and Carrington Falls itself.

Head back to the carpark and find the start of Stevo's track. We'll stick with it for a short 300m, then take a right to get to Izzard's lookout. That's where we'll begin our descent into the valley.

From Izzard's lookout, a visible, though unofficial and sporadically marked path, which leads all the way down to the Kangaroo River. There is a steeper section where bringing a hand line or piece of rope is advisable for added safety.

Upon reaching the Kangaroo River, we will follow it upstream towards Carrington Fall. For most of the journey, we stay on the right side of the creek. You'll notice occasional markers like ribbons and spray paint along the path, but feel free to forge your own trail as long as you're heading in the right direction.

Halfway through, we'll need to cross into the midsection of the creek. The rocks can be quite slippery, often covered in moss and algae. Even on dry days, this area doesn't receive much sunlight, especially in winter (we did this walk in June), and the humidity keeps the rocks slippery. I strongly advise against visiting on a rainy day due to the risk of flash flooding or immediately after rain for the reason mentioned above.

From now on, we continued through the midsection, later favoring the left side of the creek. As we approached the waterfall, we encountered another stunning pool, perfect for a summer swim. From this point, the main waterfall is already visible in distance, but you can get even closer. Finally, cross over the large boulders to your right and walk the last 20 meters through the bush to reach the main pool and Carrington Fall. Exercise extra caution on the slippery rocks in front of the waterfall pool. Swimming here is optional and would be fantastic in the summer.

This is a one way track - so returned same way we came.

This walk took us about 5 hours.

Alltrails link: https://api-v5.alltrails.com/explore/recording/activity-june-22-2025-817c99c?unfurl=false&utm_campaign=memory&showMemory=true&sh=opzdyt

Carrington Fall - base of the waterfall with its main pool

Kangaroo River on the way to the bottom of Carrington Falls

Carrington Falls valley view from the top lookout

Pool on the way to base of Carrington Falls

Beautiful trees along the way to the base of Carrington Falls

Big bounders on the way to the base of Carrington Falls

Bottom of the Carrington Falls

Rock scrambling along Kangaroo River, Carrington Falls

Carrington Falls view from the top lookout

Crossing Kangaroo River on the way to the base of Carrington Falls

Rock scramble along the creek on the way to the base of Carrington Falls

Walls view from the valley on the way to the base of Carrington Falls

Big boulder to overcome along the way to the Carrington Falls

River view crossing part on the way to the bottom of Carrington Falls

Project Fit Trekker hiking group

Stevo's Track Carrington Falls

Brown Antechinus Carrington Falls Carpark

Carrington Falls view of the plunge pool from the top