Last updated: October 2, 2022
Carrington Falls is a beautiful plunge waterfall on the Kangaroo River in Budderoo National Park, located around 150 km south of Sydney.
A short and easy walking track with viewing platforms offers visitors panoramic views of the waterfall and the surrounding valley.
Nearby Nellies Glen, on the other side of the river, is also worth visiting, with a picnic area and various walking tracks with lookout points to explore.
| Carrington Falls Circuit Walk | |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 600 m (loop) |
| Duration: | 30 minutes |
| Grade: | Easy |
| Dogs: | Not allowed |
How to Get There
Travelling to Carrington Falls and Nellies Glen is a bit of an adventure in itself, driving on Jamberoo Mountain Rd with lots of twists and turns.
If you’re driving in from the Kiama and Shellharbour area, head towards Jamberoo on Jamberoo Rd, and turn into Jamberoo Mountain Rd.
After about 18 km, turn left into Cloonty Rd, followed by a right turn into Thomas Place Rd, which leads to the Carrington Falls picnic area.
If you’re driving via Robertson, turn into Jamberoo Mountain Rd at the Robertson Pie Shop and continue for 5 km to the Cloonty Rd intersection.
The above map shows two parking areas:
- P1: Car park at Carrington Falls picnic area (see map location)
- P2: Car park at Nellies Glen picnic area (see map location)
The car park at the Carrington Falls picnic area is quite small, but under normal circumstances, you should be able to score a parking spot. There is no entry fee to the national park when visiting Carrington Falls or Nellies Glen.
The official address of the Carrington Falls picnic area is:
Lookout Track, Carrington Falls, NSW 2577.
About Carrington Falls
Carrington Falls is a stunning waterfall on Kangaroo River, and is widely considered to be one of the most impressive waterfalls in and around Sydney.
The waterfall is located within Budderoo National Park, where the western escarpment of the Budderoo Plateau descends to the Kangaroo Valley.
A short, family-friendly walking track starts and ends at the Carrington Falls picnic area. The track loops around the edge of the escarpment, passing several lookouts and viewing platforms.
The views of the waterfall from the main viewing platform, the Falls View Lookout, are stunning, with the entire waterfall in view.
It’s possible to explore the top of the waterfall by walking across the river through a series of shallow pools.
On the other side of the river, you can find the access point to the walking trail that leads to Nellies Glen, but driving there might be a little easier.
About Nellies Glen
A visit to Nellies Glen is a must after exploring Carrington Falls, as it’s literally just around the corner.
From the picnic area, drive back to Cloonty Rd heading north, and turn left into the Nellies Glen picnic area after crossing Kangaroo River.
Nellies Glen has been a popular gathering place for locals since the 19th century, and it’s not difficult to see why.
The small waterfall and natural swimming hole, beautifully surrounded by a landscape of ferns and rocks, is a great spot for a swim and a picnic.
It’s only a short walk away from the car park and is on a flat but unpaved walking track.
Walking Tracks at Nellies Glen
Once you’ve finished exploring the Nellies Glen waterfall and pool, it’s highly recommended to do at least one of the two walking tracks that start from the picnic area:
- Warris Chair Lookout
- Missingham’s Lookouts
The 1 km return bushwalk to the spectacular lookout at Warris Chair is relatively easy and is suitable for children.
The valley views from Warris Chair are quite impressive.
The walking track to Missingham’s Lookouts is a bit longer (3.8 km) and slightly more challenging, but still very doable.
The panoramic views of Kangaroo Valley and the spectacular Carrington Falls Gorge make this bush walk very much worth the extra effort.
Nearby waterfalls:
