Fairy Falls is one of Cairns’ best-kept secrets. It’s humble and beautiful and well known to the locals as a great swimming hole. If you’re a visitor, then you might not have even heard of it until now.
Intrigued? Keep reading to find out the essential information about Fairy Falls – where it is, what you can expect, and how to find the hidden path to get there.
1. It’s hidden
Although Fairy Falls is well known to the locals, it is a little bit more of a secret to those who are just in town for a quick visit.
The trail to Fairy Falls starts in the carpark for Crystal Cascades. Head west out of Cairns and turn left onto Redlynch Intake Road and follow it until you get to the carpark. All up, the drive from Cairns to Fairy Falls takes about 25 minutes.
Once you’re in the carpark you can find the start of the Fairy Falls trail on the left-hand side of the carpark, at the opposite end to the Crystal Cascades entrance. There are some signs at the start of the trail warning about the stinging plants.
The important thing to note here is that the Fairy Falls trail is not managed or maintained by the Cairns Regional Council, meaning that you enter at your own risk. There is a sign at the start of the trail also warning you of this before you enter.
Are dogs allowed at Fairy Falls?
Although the trail is not in a National Park, the Cairns Regional Council does not permit dogs at Fairy Falls. Domestic animals disrupt the native wildlife and can spread disease to the environment – plan to leave all pets at home.
2. It’s a short, easy hike
The Fairy Falls walk trail is quite short, only about 800 metres return. It’ll take you about 15 minutes to get to Fairy Falls from the carpark.
Because the trail is not managed by the local government, it is not particularly well marked. There are a few bits of pink flagging tape in some of the trees to help you navigate, but the path itself is very well trodden. The trail tightly hugs the creek, so if you find yourself getting too far away from the creek, you will know you’ve gone the wrong way. There is a gentle uphill slope to get to the waterfall, and some rock-hopping required to get to the very top.
Do your best to stick to the tracks that are already there. Any time that you wander off into untouched bush you risk disrupting the fragile ecosystems that live there.
3. You’ll have to do some rock hopping to get to the final waterfall
The Fairy Falls trail follows a gentle uphill slope through the rainforest and near the end it opens out onto the creek. On the left-hand side, you will see a very steep uphill track with some pink flagging tape. At that point you will probably think to yourself ‘surely that’s not the way’… and you would be right – that is not the way!
Instead, head towards the creek. You could jump into one of the pools right there for a swim, or you could keep following the creek upstream to get to Fairy Falls. This will require a bit of coordination and climbing over some wet rocks. Take your time climbing over the rocks and check your footing – the wet and dark coloured rocks are slippery.
Keep climbing upwards over the rocks until you get to the final waterfall – then it’ll be time to sit down and relax. Find a rock to sit on, close your eyes, listen to the water pouring over the rocks downstream, and tune in as the rainforest echoes with life around you.
4. You can find your own swimming hole
Once you reach the top waterfall you will discover that the pool is not very big. There’s enough room for two or three people to enjoy a quick swim, but any more and it would be crowded. If it’s busy when you arrive, be patient. Wait for the people there to enjoy it at their leisure and climb up to the pool when they are done.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other little private pools you can swim in! Turn around and look downstream – you will see the water gently flowing through a series of swimming holes, with the lush rainforest reaching in from above.
Is it safe to swim at Fairy Falls?
It’s perfectly safe to swim in any of the water holes at Fairy Falls, provided that you know how to swim, and you bring your common sense with you. If you want to jump into any of the water holes, make sure that you test out the depth and check for any submerged rocks or sticks before you jump. Most of the water holes at Fairy Falls are quite shallow with uneven rocks below.
Don’t try to swim at Fairy Falls during the wet season or during heavy periods of rain – the water flow will be extremely fast and there will be a lot of floating debris. Swimming in rainforest creeks or rivers during the wet season is extremely dangerous.
5. Crystal Cascades is just 15 minutes away
If you’re looking for a more family-friendly and easily accessible place to swim, Crystal Cascades is the perfect spot.
Head to the other side of the carpark to find the Crystal Cascades Trail Head. From there you can wander up the sealed path that will take you past countless staired accessways to get to the Cascades Swimming Holes. Follow the trail to the end to get to the main pool, the Crystal Cascades walk trail is about 3km return.
The best thing about Crystal Cascades is that you don’t need to walk the entire trail to find a swimming hole!
If you want to see how far you’ve walked, map your walk of Cystal Cascades on AllTrails.
6. There’s stinging nettle
If you’ve ever visited tropical north Queensland you will have seen at least one of the signs warning you about the stinging trees (stinging nettle).
There is a big sign at the entrance to the Fairy Falls trail that warns you of these sneaky plants. Stinging nettle is a weed species in Australia, and they are covered in thousands of tiny silica hairs that will stick to your skin if you happen to brush past one.
The tiny hairs will inject neurotoxins into your skin causing extreme stinging and itching – the worst part is that there’s no way to get them out. The stinging can irritate your skin for days, weeks and even months, and some people have extreme reactions to them like intense swelling and trouble breathing.
The second time I visited Fairy Falls, my travel companion unknowingly brushed past one with his hand. It didn’t take long for the stinging to kick in. We had got to the top of the Falls and were about to go for a swim when he mentioned a funny feeling on the back of his hand. Being the worry-wort that I am, I immediately started to stress out, fearing that the reaction would get worse. So we decided it would be best to make our way back to the carpark just in case.
At the time we were uncertain if it was the stinging tree, but once we were back at the carpark it was clear it was. We sat and had lunch, tried to wash it with water (which was no help), and tried to see if we could actually find the tiny needles – no luck there either.
After some time and a bit of stress, the reaction luckily did not get worse, so we continued on with our day. The stinging and itching stuck around for WEEKS after, and there was literally nothing that we could do to heal it any faster or stop the initial reaction.
After my experience with this awful plant, my words of advice to avoid stinging nettle are:
- Try not to touch any plants – stick to the trails
- Wear long sleeves if you can
- If you’re climbing over rocks and need to hold onto something, make sure you don’t reach into any bushes – check your steps before you move and take your time
- Wear long pants, or boots and long socks, to avoid brushing past the nettle while you walk
- Always carry emergency communication with you (a mobile phone typically won’t be enough as there is limited phone reception)
- If you do notice an itching or stinging, or any other strange sensation on your skin – leave the area calmly, but as quickly as you can, so that if you do have a bad reaction you are closer to help.
- There’s nothing you can do to remedy a nettle sting – so do your best to avoid it in the first place
7. It’s so close to Cairns that you can visit in under half an hour
The drive from Cairns to Fairy Falls is only about 25 minutes. This means you can enjoy the best of both the busy city life and the quiet rainforest life.
There are thousands of restaurants, cafes and entertainment venues in Cairns, plus it’s at the doorstep of some other incredible attractions like the famous Kuranda Skyrail and the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest.
8. There’s a closed part of the trail you should avoid
I mentioned this earlier, but you will want to avoid the very steep, uphill scree slope near the end of the trail. The trail breaks off out to the creek and you will be able to look up to see Fairy Falls from that point. To the left you will see a steep and very sketchy-looking old trail. This is closed off and has some pink flagging tape around it.
You will be able to identify it because it is not in keeping with the easy path that you have walked so far. If you are questioning if that is the way – then you’ve found it! Do not go up this steep and loose section, instead head to the right and follow along the creek. From here you will need to follow the creek very closely, you’ll basically be walking over the rocks along the edge of the water.
If you’re unsure about any part of the trail, pause and look around. If you can’t see any way forward then it’s always best to just go back the way you came so that you don’t get lost. If there are people nearby, ask for help.
The Fairy Falls trail is an easy walk – so if you find yourself doing anything too sketchy then it’s likely you’re going the wrong way.
9. You can wear almost any shoes
The great thing about the Fairy Falls trail is how easy and short it is. This means that you won’t need heavy duty hiking boots to get to the falls. That said, enclosed shoes are always easier for walking over uneven ground and rocks, plus they have the added benefit of protecting your feet from the dreaded stinging nettle.
I saw lots of people walking in sandals, thongs and barefoot while I was there – it certainly can be done! I’d never recommend wearing thongs on any hike…but if you were going to get away with it anywhere, it would be at Fairy Falls!
Bonus Tip
If you’re visiting Fairy Falls to experience and admire the rainforest and spend some time in nature, then it’s your duty to look after it. If you make the effort to care for and respect the land and the environment, then those who come after you will be able to enjoy it too.
Make sure you leave no trace when you visit – this means:
- Take all your rubbish with you
- Pick up rubbish even when it’s not yours
- Stick to the paths
- Be respectful of other visitors
- Give people space and be considerate of others who came here to experience the quiet and listen to nature.
Why Visit Fairy Falls?
Fairy Falls is a stunning and quiet spot which allows you to really connect with the natural world around you. If you take your time, you can sit and listen to the rainforest come alive and use all of your senses to feel at home.
It’s perfect if you’re on a short trip to Cairns because you don’t have to travel far to get there. It is a great place to recharge and experience the magic of the oldest tropical rainforest on earth.
If you have any of your own stories about Fairy Falls or mishaps with stinging trees, I’d love to hear about them in the Comments!