A tour of the Dundundra Falls waterfall and the Larool Trail, located in Terrey Hills on the Sydney Northern Beaches. The short length of the trail, along with the proximity to suburbia, means that this can be potentially a quick last-minute afternoon adventure.
Our entry point to the track is Aumuna Road, Terrey Hills, near where it intersects with Larool Road. The houses located in this area are mainly acreages, so finding a car parking spot on the street is not a problem at all. This is a short walk from Terrey Hills Tavern, literally just a couple of blocks down the road, if you would prefer to park there or care for a post-hike beverage and meal.
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The Larool Trail is 800 metres in length, end-to-end. The Larool Trail is a classic fire trail, the width of a car and only slight undulations. We then venture off the main fire trail onto a couple of different side trails which lead to the waterfalls. The main side trail to Dundundra Falls is approximately 400 metres in length and quite steep in sections.
It was difficult to get a good photo of the Dundundra Falls themselves. There are many fallen trees and rocks around the falls area, making it a challenge to get a good angle. There had not been any significant rain before I visited, and the falls were still flowing. After a strong downpour there may be better success. Although the water didn’t look particularly dirty, I wouldn’t recommend trying to swim in the water.
A small second waterfall can be found 30 seconds from Larool Trail, this small waterfall is also shown in the video. Although there is a photo board next to the fire trail showing the waterfall location, the trail itself to get to the falls is not marked at all. On the day that I went the grasses had grown significantly, the area felt very “snakey” and it was a case of bush-bashing and listening for water to determine the direction. If you are pressed for time then I would skip this section and focus on making it to the main Dundundra Falls.
On this walk I stumbled across a massive goanna (lace monitor), relaxing on a tree. He was a solid 2 metres in length. His size doesn’t really show up on the camera, but you can be assured that he looked scary. His paws were larger than my hands. I’m just glad that I didn’t accidentally scare him, or worse yet, trip over him on the trail, as it could have been nasty. I’m sure that there are more of these around, and if you leave them alone then they should leave you alone too. Just stay aware on the trail.
Dundundra Falls – Other Adventures Nearby
Once you have finished this walk you may wish to drive 10 minutes east (in the direction of Monavale) and have a look at the Chiltern Trail in Ingleside, a feeder to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Or head the other direction towards St Ives and check out the Mueller Trail, a 3km bushland trail hidden inside the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens.
Dundundra Falls – Getting There
Public transport should be able to get you as far as the Terrey Hills Tavern, located on Mona Vale Road. From there it is an easy walk along the road to the start of the trail. If traveling by car then free street parking is in abundance.
View our big list of walks, to check out our other adventure options.
Gear used:
- Camera: https://amzn.to/2YU36Zu
- Awesome value camera mount kits: https://amzn.to/2LFJF34
