crystal cascades

When we have visitors to Cairns the first place we take them to is Crystal Cascades. Cameras come out the moment we arrive at the entrance. Even the walking track is suitable for people in wheelchairs to experience the glorious area. Swimming holes, spots are numerous. Take your bathers and a towel. Just be aware if there has been a lot of rain.

This is a great place to bring the family. We spent a few hours here climbing on the rocks and just sitting around enjoying the view to the thunder of the water cascading over the rocks... quite spectacular really. The site looks like it has been upgraded recently, with steel steps in a few locations leading down to the water/rocks, and a glass viewing platform at the top end where the big waterfall is located. There is a car park with toilet facilities at the entrance, and the track is well paved. It's a gentle slope to the top, but our young kids rode their bikes all the way, so not too difficult. Turtles can be seen swimming in the waters or bathing on the rocks.Bring a picnic lunch if you plan to stay for a while. Water is available from a drinking fountain near the entrance to the park

A beautiful set of waterfalls with clear, cool water. Be warned, there is a slight to heavy current depending on rainfall and the bottom of the pools are rocky and uneven. If you re not a strong swimmer or cannot swim at all, bring a life jacket or consider not swimming at all. I saved a drowning couple here last week because someone told them the bottom is flat. this is NOT true!

We had a great morning waking up to crystal cascades and then swimming in the waterhole. The water was a bit chilly to start with but beautiful once you got used to it. It was running a bit due to a high volume of rain but it was still okay as our group are all fairly strong swimmers. I will return next time I go to Cairns.

Free, Fun and Beautiful. We decided to come here on recommendation of several locals in Cairns as Mossman Gorge now charges for the privilege to swim.Crystal Cascades is a 30 minute drive from Cairns and well sign posted. The Crystal Cascade car park at the end of “Redlynch Intake Road” has toilet facilities and is well maintained with plenty of shade. It is an easy 1.2km walk to the Cascades up a gentle slope on a wide well made wide path. Well worth going all the way to the end as there is a viewing platform and a great swimming hole at the waterfall / cascades. There are many other spots along the way to stop as well. Take your bathers, towel, lunch and drinks and you will have a great few hours in the cool flowing water.

The 1.2km walk to the lookout is uphill but that means the return is down hill :) Total 2.4km return.At the end of the walk you get to a look out to a nice waterfall. We just went for a quick look and not for swimming.

Certainly worth the lovely walk.No major hills. Suitable for young kids, prams and wheel chairs.Plenty of flora and fauna to see. Loved seeing the fish and turtles so close up

This place was a gem.We were recommended this for a travel website and were so glad we went. It is a nice walk to the top and not very long maybe 1.5km. There are a few different swimming spots and its just a beautiful spot for a swim especially in stingers season.

Spent a couple of hours here. Originally drove to Mossman Gorge, but was not going to spend $8.50 each to swim. It's a nice short drive from cairns. There are many places along the river with small falls to swim in. The waters were beautiful and they run all year round (It looks like they have pumps installed). Perfect for all ages.

One of the most beautiful attraction in Cairns in my opinion and my family and friends too. Great for swim and surrounded by beautiful rainforest .

Provided you have your own transport, this quiet shady location is a great place for a family picnic with the option of swimming in the river as an added option. For those with less time to spend, there is the possibility of simply walking up to the attractive waterfall about a kilometre away. Despite being warned that this attraction had been allowed to deteriorate, we found it to be clean, well looked after and litter free. There is quite a large car park albeit with the usual warnings about leaving valuables in your car.

Crystal cascades is a great place to go for a refresher. If you go down the second set of stairs, there are rocks to jump off of and rocks that make a natural slide. Although only children can comfortable go down that slide, as it's a little narrow. As for jumping off the rocks, it's not super deep where you can dive in, but you can definitely cannon-ball it. About a 5-7 minute walk from the parking lot.

What a time we had, this is a must! What an experience. Swimming in clean, fresh water pools and the scenery is glorious. I would advise week days as it's quieter and you get a better experience, but there's water falls, and rocks, it's amazing. I will not forget it.

Great place for swimming the water is so clean you can drink it no problem , the waterholes are kid friendly as well, definitely worth a visit

A great easy path walk through bush with swimming holes and small waterfalls and picnic spots along the way. Look out at the top and look out for turtles in the pools. So peaceful.