Tully River
Also known as: Tully Gorge
World Heritage Wet Tropics rainforest gorge; Tully Gorge NP; riverside BBQ lunch opposite Ponytail Falls
Is there water?
Whether there is a river here on your dates, and what kind of water it is.
Hydro dam-release (Kareeya Hydro; Koombooloomba Dam + Tully Falls Weir upstream); reliable guaranteed daily flow, year-round
Daily, dependent on Kareeya hydro release; flow confirmed ~24 hr prior. Confirm.
Year-round (dam-release); wet season Dec-Apr adds natural volume
Warm tropical; wetsuit usually not needed. Confirm.
Wet Tropics high rainfall; wet-season floods can spike inflow above release, raising the grade. Confirm.
Grade & who can come
A river changes grade with its level. These grades describe a normal flow - in flood the same run is harder, and often a different run entirely. Check the gauge before you commit.
Grade III-IV (full-day); Grade II 'Sports rafting' lower option; crux rapids Grade IV
Commercial raft; expert kayak (upper gorge)
Full-day Grade III-IV vs half-day 'Sports Rafting' (Grade II) lower section
Min age 13; competent swimmer; must follow English instructions; not for young kids
The run
Named rapids - Alarm Clock (IV), The Theatre (IV, three in succession), Wet-n-Moisty (IV), Staircase
Guided lines; undercut rocks, strainers, pin/entrapment; 5 rafting deaths 2007-2009 prompted a 2012 inquest and per-rapid risk code
Tully Gorge full-day run (Kareeya/Cardstone weir down through the gorge)
Busy - Australia's most commercial raft river (since 1984), multiple daily operators
Access & shuttle
Commercial operators hold Wet Tropics/QPWS permits; fee bundled in tour price
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Put-in near Kareeya/Cardstone weir (road-side, below dam outlet); take-out at Tully Gorge day-use / Cochable Creek
Operator coach ex Cairns/Mission Beach; internal bus shuttle put-in to take-out
Tully Gorge camping & day-use area (Cardstone); day-trip so no in-run camps
Helmet, PFD, wetsuit-optional provided; limited/no mobile coverage in gorge. Confirm.
Cairns, Mission Beach, Tully township, Cardstone
Hazards & exits
Fatality history (see inquest); flow-timing critical; big-volume hydraulics
Gorge road parallels parts of the river; guided rescue crews; access limited mid-gorge
Licensed river guides mandatory on commercial trips; self-guided only for experts
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand river run report. Coordinates are approximate.