I’ve been feeling a bit unproductive lately when it comes to exploring the area, and it’s been making me anxious. Besides going to the beach and into the city, this was the first real adventure I’ve had in weeks.
My friends Tyra, Karoline, Cathrine and I made plans to take the UniLodge share car out for a few hours and head to Crystal Cascades, a local waterfall and swimming spot. We had heard about a ‘local secret’ waterfall at the Cascades called Fairy Falls, but we weren’t sure where to find it.
Tyra found this thin trail leading into the rainforest next to a sign saying beware of stinging trees. For those that don’t know, stinging trees are completely covered in toxic hairs that cause intense pain lasting several months. I’d rather face snakes and spiders than one of those.
Despite that small inconvenience, we prevailed and marched into the rainforest. The ground was worn from heavy foot traffic until we came to a dead end at the river. Our side of the bank sloped steeply upwards and the bank was blocked by a fallen tree. We pondered for a while if we had gone the wrong way, but decided to take the risk and continue upstream.
We trekked across the rushing river to the other side and made our way along the bank. We were quite literally climbing on roots and clinging to anything that would prevent us from slipping down the steep muddy slope.
It was a solid twenty minutes before we were confident we were going in the right direction. The river became steeper and up ahead we could see a tall waterfall peaking out of the rocks.
We scrambled across the river a few more times, switching sides whenever the banks became too steep to climb. Eventually, the waterfall came into full view, and I was in awe.
Of the waterfalls I’ve seen so far, I won’t call this one the most impressive, but it is definitely my favorite. It’s probably the fact that I had to work to see this one, and it was an adventure getting there.
The waterfalls have to be my favorite thing about Cairns. I’d choose the waterfalls over the beach any day of the week. The waterfalls have fresh cold water whereas the ocean is truthfully warmer and dirtier than my bathtub. It definitely gives me a better appreciation for my easy access to fresh water swimming locations.
We enjoyed swimming at the base of the falls while we waited for the large group of local teens to be done at the top. However, we were on a time crunch since we were only allowed to have the car for two hours. By the time the group left, we also needed to leave. I guess that just means we’ll have to come back.
We started our descent from the high falls down the rocky banks. As if to hurry us on our way, the clouds finally released the rain they had been holding off on while we enjoyed our swim. We were already soaked from swimming, but the rain drenched us completely.
Crossing back and forth across the river, we weaved our own path along the banks. The rain created large mud puddles on the path back to the car which we happily splashed in, as if we had another choice. A little magic at Fairy Falls was exactly what I needed this week.
kpctravels.com 