Little Mulgrave (not Barron) River
At the River, March 2022.
As you head towards Gillies Range from Gordonvale you pass a little stop on the side of the road with a National Park sign. That is the entrance to a lovely little swimming hole on Little Mulgrave River.
When I originally posted this I incorrectly referred to this place as “Little Barron River”. I spend so much time in Barron Gorge I have it on my brain.
Sugar Cane train line, January 2020.
As you walk from the highway down to the river you will cross a sugar cane train line that services the farms nearby.
At the River, March 2022.
At this section popular with swimmers you will treated to some spectacular trees. I used this beautiful spot on this day for a short break on my way to the Tablelands for work.
Swing at the river, March 2022.
Ropes are hung in several spots to allow people to swing out into the river stream.
March 2022.
In other sections there are attachments to fallen trees in the middle of the river to allow people to hang in the running water.
Looking back to the swimming hole, March 2020.
The far point of the river you can see in the above photo is the entrance to that swimming hole under the tree cover. You can see that from there on down stream the river wides greatly. I visited the spot I took this photo from quite a few times a couple of years ago trying to get a nice sunset photo. It never happened.
Look out into the widening river, March 2022.
This is the opposite view of looking from the swimming hole out into the widening river. This is a very pretty spot to escape a hot and humid day.
Big spider, March 2020.
If you do decide to explore along the river be prepared to come across quite a few large spiders as I did. Face planting one of these will not be pleasant.
Near the Mountain View Hotel, March 2020.
Another popular access point to Little Mulgrave River is at the Mountain View Hotel a bit further up the road towards the Gillies.
Next to the Mountain View Hotel, March 2019.
Next to the Mountain View Hotel is a spot that is also very popular with swimmers. The root system lining the banks is very unusual. I have not stopped there since 2019. There are always a lot of people there which I try to avoid (some camping) and my wife thinks the tree roots look like snakes :)