Crystal Cascades, Cairns

There are few things I love doing more on my days off than chasing waterfalls, although I haven’t found as much time for it as I would like to recently. Conor and I visited the Crystal Cascades a few months ago when when we were looking to kill some time in Cairns. Not included in and guided tours, Crystal Cascades is only accessible by self-drive, followed by a short walk.

Despite the rainforest setting, Crystal Cascades are just a 20-minute drive from the Cairns centre, but you’ll feel a million miles away from city life. We parked up in the car park and thoroughly enjoyed the easy, scenic, 1.7KM walk to the falls. The walk is along a paved walkway with views of the creek and surrounding greenery. Once we arrived at the end, we found a lookout (picture above) with lovely views of the cascading waterfall. It is possible to swim here, as you can see from the photos, and I imagine it would be so refreshing in the summer, however we chose not to on this particular day. There are also natural rapids that would make for a fun time floating along.

Although this isn’t my favourite waterfall of Far North Queensland, it’s more of a locals spot, not often frequented by tourists. So it was quieter than other more popular falls like Millaa Millaa, which is beautiful but often crowded. This is a lovely place to spend some time enjoying a walk and a swim with beautiful scenery, just a short way away from the city.