Minyon Falls is one of the most spectacular - and most visited - waterfalls in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales. The Minyon Grass Trail is the quickest way to reach the base of Minyon Falls, at just over 2km each way. Doing what he loved: Russell Kiefel (pictured), the actor who played Roy O'Neale from 1993 to 1994, tragically died on November 20, 2016, after collapsing on stage in Darwin, Talented:He was also known for his stint on Neighbours as Russell Brennan throughout 2015. Ben Unwin (pictured) died on August 14, with NSW Police confirming his body was 'located' at Minyon Falls, near Byron Bay. When we finally got to the stream we found a girl about our age standing there waiting for her friends to return, Stacey meandering through the rocks I didnt manage to get any photos of the more insane points while the rain was coming down. And even then it is quite hard to miss and isnt exactly labelled, it is just an arrow. The lookout is just to the side of the waterfall and you get a great view of the water crashing over the edge of the cliff. I used the garden hose to flick off that one (and it really was stuck on there good) and then proceeded to have a shower and writhe in disgust for about an hour, horrified at the sense of violation knowing that two blood thirsty creatures had been making a buffet out of me and I was completely unaware. Read on to find out all you need to know, including the shortest route that hardly anybody ever does, as well as how to combat the difficult final 200 metre rock climb of the hike! [7] In wet weather conditions, visitors may be encounter leeches. Accommodation near Minyon Falls The national park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, a World Heritage listed area of subtropical rainforest. It was still impressive, but definitely not the best waterfall I have seen. Ben played 'bad boy' Jesse McGregor on the long-running Aussie soap from 1996 to 2000 and then again from 2002 to 2005. She was28. The falls can also be visited from the Gold Coast, which is a 2-hour journey via the Pacific Highway. I would say that if your primary interest is just in seeing the falls and going for a swim, then you should use the Minyon Grass Track both ways. There are also occasional alberts lyrebird, koala and pademelon sightings. Northern Illawarra: Sea Cliff Bridge Lookout. You can only see the top of the falls from here which is why youve made a good decision to head down to the bottom! If you want to cut the walk in half and just walk 4km instead of 8km, simply park your car at the car park on Minyon Grass Road as opposed to at the car park by Minyon Falls Lookout. Ben was an utterly lovely guy. Youll arrive at Minyon Grass picnic area which has a nice lookout across the rainforest to the falls. [5] Visitors are able to explore the bottom of the falls and the sub-tropical rainforest along designated walking trails, all of which involve steep hills, with some scrambling over wet rocks at the base of the falls. Unwin started his acting career aged 12, playing the lead role in the musical Seven Little Australians for a year at the Footbridge Theatre. The turning is right after this but there is no sign that directs you to the falls at this point. If you do visit when the pool is out of action, or you just fancy multiple swims, the cascades (250m before the falls) are a wonderful place for a dip. After 450m youll reach the forest floor and it continues to be unbelievably beautiful. If you dont have a car then you can join a tour to get to Minyon Falls. Rest in peace, mate,' he wrote on social media. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. On May 4, 2018, Cathy Godbold lost her decade-long fight with cancer. Police said in a brief statement that the discovery was. When we did begin the climb I was surprised that rather than the steep hike I was expecting, it was a very gentle incline on a series of switchbacks. From the junction to the base of Minyon Falls requires climbing over some rocks, well go into more detail in our trail notes below. She was 32. I did the ocean kayak a few years ago, and having wild dolphins swim right next to me as I kayaked was one of the most amazing experiences ever! Some summers it is completely dry and so it definitely wont look as impressive as it does after heavy rain. 'I haven't talked to him in months, I don't know how this happened,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Youll also climb less elevation than from the lookout, as the starting point for the Minyon Grass trail (the Minyon Grass Picnic area and car park) sits at a lower position than the lookout. If you dont have 3-4 hours to spare however, you can still see it in half the time see below! We were hiking up in the twilight and the sounds of the rainforest were amazing, its totally different to in the middle of the day. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi Im Catrina and welcome to 24 Hours Layover! Youll head straight into yet another patch of atmospheric rainforest and parts of the trail are boardwalked so you can avoid the worst of the mud. View our online Press Pack. The Minyon valley is a sub-tropical rainforest, vegetation includes: Bangalow palm, brushbox, strangler fig, stream lily, walking stick palm, rusty rose walnut, blue quandong, broad leaved palm lily, tree fern, red lilly pilly, white bark,[8] birds nest fern, stag horn fern, brushbox orchid and native wisteria vine. There are some red triangles on the trees, but if you are looking down at your footing (which you will be as youll need to climb over the boulders!) Hopefully you will visit when the water is a lot more powerful and you can get better pictures than I did! 'We're all sad but she is with her family now. She had spent three weeks in a critical condition at Sydney's St George Hospital after the Boxing Day smash on the NSW south coast that also killed her parents and younger sister. Shop the best selection of deals on Tools & Utensils now. After crossing the cascades, youll see where the lookout trail and the Minyon Grass Trail converge. The waterfall descends more than 100 metres (330 ft) over the huge rhyolite cliffs which were once part of the Tweed Volcano. Save up to 50% on Pets when you shop now. I had only ever made it to the falls once before and I canyoned in from the picnic area straight to the falls. They said: "Cast and crew from Home and Away are saddened to learn of the passing of former castmate, Ben Unwin. Distance: 2km (one way) I didnt bother showing Stacey the very large spider that I discovered on the way out again that was pressed against the interior of one of the boulders her head had just come inches from or even centimetres, had I been measuring. Braving death by blood suckers at Minyon Falls, https://carlywilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/29526562_10107730817711238_492993736_o.jpg, http://carlywilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cwlogo2.png. Distance: 8.5km (including the side trail to Condong Falls)Elevation: 400mDifficulty: ModerateThe entire loop and side trail for Minyon Falls took us just under three hours, but that was partly because we stopped for a lot of photos and took it slow around the stunning rainforest area! Unwin sold his four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Newcastle suburb of Valentine for $810,000 in October 2016. The top of the falls is surrounded by wet sclerophyll forest with some very tall blackbutt, tallowwood and flooded gum trees. I was worried that especially with how wet everything was it would be a bit of a slippery nightmare. While authorities have not disclosed any further details, Ben's death just one day before his 42nd birthday is the latest in a series of tragedies to befall the cast of the seminal Australian soap opera. You dont need a 4WD but it will get a bit bumpy in places. The three tips I can give you to ensure you dont miss the turning are: So whichever path you choose to take down, for the last 200 metres of the walk you will need to scramble over big boulders to reach the base of Minyon Falls. Nic White The Australian actor was nominated for Most Popular New Talent at the 1997 Logie Awards. From this point on, the walk to the bottom of the falls is all downhill and mainly on very gentle switchbacks. The walk starts from the Minyon Grass car park which is where the red pin is. If you want to skip the walking on Minyon Drive part out you can always just go down and back up the same path you took (ie: park at Minyon Grass and go up and down the same path, or park at Minyon Falls Lookout and take the same path down and back up). The first 650m are entirely flat and you begin to wonder when the climb is going to begin! There are toilets and a picnic area if you want to use the facilities before heading back. Do not sell or share my personal information. The water flow eroded the rocks to create the waterfall. I could see in his eye when we said that that despite the fact we were two women and a small child, we werent idiots and had made it this far in the past. Before his new career in law, he also worked in the music industry directing videos for Culture Club including single I Just Wanna Be Loved and Chumbawamba's smash hit Tubthumping. No swimming permitted as this creek is home to the endangered Fleay's Barred Frog. 0; I was done in less than 2 hours and so still had time to visit Nimbin before enjoying Byron Bay in the afternoon. All Rights Reserved. God. Look at the images below and youll see how easy it is to not even see the red triangles! Whilst on the right hand side map above the turning off to the base of the falls looks pretty obvious, believe me when I say it can be easy to miss! 'He was a super intelligent guy and loved a challenge, and was also very practical about the long term prospects for actors in Australia,' he said. The tops of the cliffs are forested with Australian eucalypts, like blackbutt and scribbly gum, and a beautiful pool at the base of the falls is an . Snorkelling with leopard sharks at Julian Rocks Byron Bay! OPEN TUESDAY - SUNDAY. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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