This remote location is situated along the Old Telegraph Track on the Cape York peninsula, QLD. It’s a very popular and picturesque spot for travellers exploring the cape and in the dry season is a great camping and swimming spot for those wishing to take a break as they head north or south.
Northern Cape York peninsula is a predominant sandstone landscape of low ridges and slopes, intersected by innumerable watercourses. More than 130 million years ago this area was a shallow sea. Sand and mud were washed down rivers and consolidated under great pressure to form beds of sandstone rock. These beds were later uplifted. Millions of years later, weathering and erosion has shaped these relatively flat or gently inclined layers of rock to create today's landscape. The continual flow of water in this area is largely due to the shallow sandstone bedrock below the ground's surface. This porous rock acts like a sponge, restricting water loss and storing large volumes of water. The water is slowly released, via springs through the ground which feed the numerous streams and rivers. The high annual rainfall (over 1500mm) also contributes to the Jardine River’s ecosystem’s continual flow.
A number of tracks and boardwalks link Eliot and Twin Falls together. Alternatively, go to Saucepan falls where you can jump in the water, floating down to Eliot Falls, there you can jump off the falls and float further downstream till Canal Creek joins on the left. From here you can walk up to the picturesque Twin Falls, returning to camp via the boardwalk.
Eliot Falls is located on Eliot Creek, its a distinct “V” shaped incision into the riverbed. The nearby Twin Falls on Canal Creek is a series of cascading rock pools.
To claim a find on this earthcache: You will need to visit the 3 waypoints, make some observations and answer the following questions. Submit your answers via messenger or email. Go ahead and log your find on the cache, if there are any discrepancies in your answers I will contact you.
Eliot Falls – posted coordinates
Q1. In your own words describe why Eliot Falls has formed to the shape it is?
Q2. Has a rock fault or erosion created the falls?
Q3. 50-100m downstream of the falls, the riverbed tells a story, does it confirm or contradict your answer in Q2. Why?
Twin Falls – waypoint 1
Q1. Why are these falls shaped differently to Eliot Falls?
Q2. Standing at waypoint 1, why does upstream formation look so different to downstream formation?
Notice Board – waypoint 2
Q1. Upload a photo/s of you and/or gps in front of the notice board.
Hope you enjoy Eliot Falls as much as we did.