FREEDOM CAMP OF THE MONTH
The Devil ' s Pool Walk is a 1.3kmreturn stroll downstream from the picnic area. The rough bitumen track gently rises and dips through the rainforest to two viewing platforms.
From there, you ' ll see the creek tumble over a series of waterfalls, giant granite boulders and washpools. Gorgeous.
Several people have lost their lives here after ignoring warnings about the fast-flowing water and slippery boulders, especially near Devil ' s Pool and during the wet season.
Swim only in the designated swimming area, stay on the marked tracks, and enjoy Devil ' s Pool from the platforms.
BABINDA: A HANDY STOP
Babinda is a small sugar town sitting right on the Bruce Highway, about 60km south of Cairns.
It ' s an easy stop-off between Townsville and Cairns. Pull in for a night, or stay a couple of days and explore. We rate the second option. Plenty of travellers zip straight past, thinking it ' s just another north Queensland township. Their loss! It ' s a little hidden paradise.
Imagine over 4m of rain a year! No wonder Babinda keeps picking up the title of‘ Australia ' s Wettest Town’.
Josephine Falls( pic: Kate Gilmore).
All that rain is exactly why the area is packed with waterfalls, crystal clear creeks and rock pools. The name Babinda is even said to come from the Aboriginal word‘ binda ', meaning waterfall or rain. Fitting, right?
The town is tucked between the coastal Graham Range and the inland Bellenden Ker Range, surrounded by lush mountains and green farmland.
Queensland ' s two highest mountains, Mt Bartle Frere( 1622m) and Mt Bellenden Ker( 1593m), tower over Babinda. Both are part of the World Heritage-listed Wooroonooran National Park.
Tip: Our daughter and her boyfriend fuelled up at the Babinda Bakery with a cream bun, a vanilla slice and a steak and potato pie. Swimming is hungry work, after all. They highly recommend the stop.
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