Davies Creek Falls – a short bushwalk to a stunning infinity pool

Summary: Davies Creek Falls is a picturesque waterfall in the Dinden National Park, about an hour from Cairns, Above the falls is a spectacular infinity pool or waterhole, perched above a sheer cliff.

How to get there: Signposted trail from Davies Creek Road
Walking distance to waterfall: 0.6km (return)
Duration: <1 hour
Grade: Easy
Type of Swim: River
Type of waterfall: Tiered or multi-step
Waterfall Rating: 3.5/5
Height of falls: 60m
Strong current
Topographic map/s: QTopo 8063-441 (1:10K) - Download

One of the highest waterfalls near Cairns, Davies Creek Falls is reached via the short 1.1km Davies Creek Falls circuit track. Despite the impressive waterfall and a spectacular swimming hole, it’s generally a bit less busy than many other similar spots, being about an hour’s drive from Cairns, and with the last 8km along an unsealed road.

The walking track takes you past two fenced lookouts, with the second one offering the best view over the top of Davies Creek Falls. (You can’t reach the bottom of the falls – so this is the best view you’ll get.)

Just above the second lookout, you can leave the track and clamber across a few large boulders to reach some small cascades and swimming holes, above the top of the falls.

AWAT8360 LR Davies Creek Falls - a short bushwalk to a stunning infinity pool

The most spectacular waterhole is a short distance downstream of the small cascades: the Davies Creek Falls infinity pool is a deep swimming hole, perched above the edge of the sheer cliff. There are many shaded rocks around this natural pool – but take care as the rocks are fairly slippery.

You can return the same way, or continue along thea walking track, which passes a picnic area and some more swimming holes, before returning to the carpark.

Getting to the Davies Creek Falls

The Davies Creek Falls circuit track is accessed via the mostly unsealed Davies Creek Road, which is 8.3km (15min) from the Kennedy Highway, and about an hour from Cairns (Davies Creek Road is suitable for 2WD vehicles). The signposted trail has a small parking area. The track is a 1.1km loop, or about 600m to the falls and infinity pool if you go back the same way.

Best time to visit

Davies Creek flows year-round, although the waterfall will be most impressive in the wet season (December to March) when the area gets the the most rainfall. It can be too dangerous to swim here during these months, although when I visited in January it was safe to swim.