In 2014 I did a working holiday in Australia and still miss this beautiful country.
When I arrived I bought an east coast package at the Ultimate OZ travel agency. This package had a lot of activities incl. the Whitsundays, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Tablelands Waterfalls Cairns and much more.
This tour was with Waterfalls Wanderers. They pick you up at your hostel and drop you off as well, which I love. Our tour guide was Joe and he did an amazing job!
Joe told us from the beginning that he had to do some changes because of safety reasons, this meant that we had to skip some places but we did get other ones in return.
We started with the Babinda Boulders and ended with searching for some Platypuses.
Babinda Boulders
Our first stop was at the Babinda Boulders where we did a 1,3km return walk to the Devil’s Pool.
The Devil’s Pool legend is about a woman who married an elder but ran away with a younger man. When they were captured she threw herself into the waters to escape, calling her lover to follow her.
The legend says that her spirit guards the boulders and you can still hear her call her lover.
It’s prohibited to swim here but some people do but that’s not a wise decision because since 1959 17 people have died here because of this legend. They also say that if you don’t respect the side karma will come your way.
Now the question is, do you believe in this?
Besides that the walk and view are still amazing.
Our group picture
Josephine Falls
To get to Josephine falls it is a bit of a walk but worth it because then it is time to take a dip and do some rock sliding! We spend some time here before heading to our next stop.
Crawford’s Lookout
We did a quick stop at Crawford’s lookout and it was beautiful.
Millaa Millaa Falls
We didn’t swim at Millaa Millaa falls and I can’t remember why but I think it was because of some safety reasons. It was still nice to look at.
After this it was time for lunch!
Malanda Pub
For our lunch we had dinner at the biggest timber pub in Australia called Malanda Pub. For some reason I didn’t take any pictures. Maybe I was too hungry 😉
The food however was really good.
Mount Hypipamee
Here we did two stops. Our first stop was at the crater, which is 61m in diameter. The viewing platform is 58m above the water. I tried to take a picture of it but it was difficult.
The second stop was the dinner falls. Normally they just visit the falls but we could take a swim if we wanted to but let me tell you the water was freezing!
Curtain Fig Tree
One of our last stops was the Curtain Fig Tree which looks pretty amazing. Nature can be very strange and beautiful.
Our tour guide Joe said we had to lay down to get the full effect of the tree. As you can see he demonstrated this for us, haha.
Platypus Viewing
On our last stop we went to find Platypuses but did not find them. Maybe next time!
Lake Eacham (Swim in a Volcanic Crater Lake)
We didn’t go to Lake Eacham because of safety reasons.
We did go to a different place to swim but of course I forgot the name. If anyone has been here, please let me know!
We did a couple of stops in between attractions and I just enjoyed the view along the way.
Conclusion:
I loved the food and our tour guide Joe but I have seen a lot of waterfalls in the past so I wasn’t blown away with this tour. I think that if it wasn’t in my package I wouldn’t have done it.
If you have seen waterfalls in the past and are in a rush or broke I would say skip this tour, do something else instead or do a self guided tour. For me the tour guide made this fun but if I had a dull guide I think I would have regretted.
I didn’t mind doing it but I am not so sure if I would do it again.
What I love about these kind of places are that you’re surrounded only by nature, which is great! Thanks for sharing this post, you’ve inspired me to travel here 🙂
Your photos are incredible! I’ve not yet been to Australia, but can imagine all these amazing places of natural beauty. I’d stick to the advice and not swim in the falls there; I believe in the legend!
I haven’t seen waterfalls in real life. I loved the picture of milla milla falls. You have given us a great tour in this post. I loved it.
Crawford Lookout looks like an amazing place. It is nice to go on a working holiday to a different country – great way to learn about their culture and experience new things
Great post with pictures, thanks for sharing
That looks so much fun! I love how you could go rock sliding. It’s funny isn’t it the more you travel that we can get a little picky as you said you have seen so many waterfalls before you would maybe give this a miss if it was not in your package. Do you think you could do this as a self-guided tour?
Babinda Boulders and Josephine Falls are my favorites. I would not mind the walk at all if we are to be rewarded with such natural wonders and serene atmosphere. Both the places look like ideal spots for a day out.
Breathtakingly beautiful! I just can’t get enough of these pictures. I love how deep-in-the-woods the whole place is for it provides such clean and fresh air to breathe. And since I love waterfalls too much, I’m in love with Josephine falls already. And the boulders are my favorite too…
Your photos are incredible. Australia is one of those places I will probably never go to due to a massive phobia of flying so I love it when people share there experiences.
I like the last two pictures. They look like Windows Wallpaper! We have a lot of waterfalls here in the Philippines, I guess I might skip the guided tour. I’d like to try the rock sliding!!!
You did all this on a day trip? That incredible! The fig tree is so impressive, but my favorite view is the Crawford’s Lookout – just majestic.
I love the raw beauty and ruggedness of those natural pools and waterfalls. I am interested to do rock sliding. It looks fun!
Wow this is so stunning. I love adventures to waterfalls etc! I am yet to swim in one though! Just beautiful nature ❤️
Looks like a great trip, we have a place called “Slide Rock State Park in Arizona and its an amazing natural water slide and swimming area like this. Maybe on my next trip I can check it out.
Instead of waterfalls , what would you recommend we opt for ? 🙂
We havent been there yet
Wow! The Tablelands Waterfalls Cairns are so mesmerizing, Marlies. I haven’t heard about them until now but I have to add them to my bucket list. You obviously had a spectacular time there!