The best swimming holes in Tropical North Queensland

So all your friends are doing summer in Europe and you can’t bear to look at your Insta feed?

Same.

But there’s a just-as-good (ahem, and much cheaper) destination that’ll make your Insta pics look like that of a travel blogger "influencer" - and it’s in your backyard.

The secret waterholes of TNQ! And I should know, I grew up there - in the tropical sugar cane farm town of Innisfail.

Before Netflix and Snapchat, we had to pinch our parents' cars and take off to the icey waterfalls in the moutains for a cool-down.

Here are my favourite non-crocodile infested places to explore… you might even snap your new profile pic here!

Harvey Creek – 47-minute drive from Cairns

Crystal clear water with a sandy bottom for lounging in the shallows? Yes please. The family picnic favourite is on a small country road off the Bruce Highway and comes with a rickety bridge for jumping off – or a tall train bridge for the bigger kids. Go up stream a little and float down the rapids on a blow up tyre ring. You’ll cop a lot of bruises to the knee but it’s totally worth it.

Nyleta – two-hour drive from Cairns

This little piece of paradise boasts beautiful sandy banks and turquoise water. It's accessed through the small town of Silkwood, just off the Bruce Highway and is surrounded by rainforest but still gets lots of sun for those keen to sunbake.

The Boulders - 30-minute drive from Cairns

Everyone knows The Boulders – the main pool and picnic area is popular with tourists, the Contiki bus even stops there! But there is so much more to this oasis than jumping off that swing bridge into the deep mini lake below (the birdge has since been removed). The location is a place of spiritual significance for Aboriginal people, the nearby township name of Babinda literally means "water flowing over rocks."

The sacred ground is the site of the tragic dreamtime legend of a beautiful young Indigenous princess Oolana.

The ancient tale goes that Oolana, who was married to renowned tribal elder Waroonoo, falls in love with a young handsome man named Dyga from a visiting tribe. As their crush turns to romance, they can’t help themselves and run away together to the Babinda Boulders. It’s not long before their respective tribes find them and Oolana is carted off back to her husband.

Knowing she’ll never be happy, she ended her own life by flinging herself into the natural rock formation known as the Washing Machine at The Boulder’s Devil’s Pool. Legend has it, she is still looking for her Dyga and lures young men to their deaths into the cursed Devil’s Pool.

But don’t let this get you down - the Devil’s Pool walk is a lovely stroll, as long as you stay away from the very dangerous 'Washing Machine.' Locals jumps off the massive rock formations into the pool below but there are clear government signs prohibiting going anywhere near it, so stay away.

Emerald Creek Falls – one-hour and 16-minute drive from Cairns

This waterhole is slightly different to the rainforest-heavy spots. It’s on the Atherton Tablelands so think bottlebrush trees, eucalypt woodland and granite boulders. The placid pool at the bottom of the falls is beautiful or if you’re really keen, hike to the summit where there’s an infinity-type pool looking over the whole landscape.

Josephine Falls - one-hour and seven-minute drive from Cairns

Another swimming spot cascading directly off the summit of Mount Bartle Frere. It's freezing but locals come to take advantage of the smooth natural rock slide in the falls. So much fun.

Nandroya Falls circuit – one-hour drive from Cairns

About the only place I have ever seen a platypus in the wild. Nandroya Falls is part of a circuit of swimming spots in the Palmerston area of Wooroonooran National Park. If you drive another 20 minutes on the Palmerston Highway towards Millaa Millaa, you'll come to the picturesque Millaa Millaa Falls which is 18-meters high.

The Golden Hole

I know this sounds like a club on Sydney's Oxford Street but it's actually a family picnic favourite amongst locals up in TNQ. It used to be good for swimming although several crocodile sightings have caused the local council to put up warning signs so best head to the nearby Babinda Creek for a safer spot to swim.

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