Davies Creek

Why Visit Davies Creek Falls?

Davies Creek Falls is a beautiful and often underrated waterfall in the Wet Tropics rainforest west of Cairns, accessible via a short drive and an easy walk through the Davies Creek National Park near Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands. The falls drop 50 metres into the valley below and are seen from two lookouts on a short circuit track. The swimming is a separate place from the falls themselves: a sandy creek-side picnic and swimming area further along the same track.  It is calm and clear, surrounded by the shady granite boulders that characterise this unique dry-wet transition landscape.

The setting at Davies Creek is unlike the more dramatically forested waterfalls of the southern Tablelands. The granite outcrops here are substantial, massive weathered boulders that have been shaped by millions of years of water and heat, and the vegetation reflects the slightly drier, more open nature of the northern Tablelands. The creek runs through a landscape that feels open and ancient rather than enclosed and fern-draped, giving Davies Creek a character distinct from Millaa Millaa or Josephine Falls.

Swimming at Davies Creek

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service describes a sandy creek-side picnic and swimming area reached from the Davies Creek Falls circuit track, where platypus may be seen, and the water is typically clear in the dry season. It is not at the foot of the falls. The falls plunge 50 metres into the valley below and are seen from two lookouts, and QPWS asks visitors to remain behind the barriers at all times because deaths have occurred at this site. Granite shelves and boulders along the creek provide places to sit and dry off. This is a natural freshwater environment, so check current conditions and signage before visiting, particularly in the wet season when water levels and currents can change significantly.

Getting There

Davies Creek Falls is located in Davies Creek National Park, reached from Davies Creek Road, which leaves the Kennedy Highway. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service puts the site 53 km from Cairns via the Kuranda Range, and does not publish a drive time. The falls are a natural addition to an Atherton Tablelands self-drive itinerary, sitting conveniently between Cairns, Mareeba and the deeper Tablelands destinations.

Planning a Self-Drive Visit to Davies Creek

These are the details visitors ask us about most, and that this page has never carried. Every figure below is what Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service publishes, attached to the specific part of the park it actually applies to. Where QPWS publishes nothing, we say so rather than estimate.

At the lookouts. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service asks visitors to enjoy the views from the lookouts but to remain behind the barriers at all times, because deaths have occurred at this site. Source: Visiting safely, Davies Creek, Dinden and Bare Hill parks.

Sources for this section, all checked 5 September 2026: park overview, things to do and walking tracks, Lower Davies Creek camping area, Upper Davies Creek camping area and visiting safely. Conditions change constantly. Current park alerts and the signs in front of you override this page.

Swimming and Picnicking at Davies Creek

The sandy creek-side picnic and swimming area on the Davies Creek Falls circuit track is one of the most pleasant spots in the Cairns region — a calm, clear stretch of creek framed by granite, where platypus may be seen. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service provides a picnic area 200 metres before the Lower Davies Creek camping area, and picnic tables with wheelchair-accessible toilets at the camping area itself. QPWS does not list barbecues at these sites and open fires are not allowed at Lower Davies Creek, so bring food that does not need cooking. The area is popular on weekends during the dry season; arriving early is recommended to secure a good picnic spot and to experience the falls in the cool of the morning when the light is particularly beautiful.

Walking Tracks at Davies Creek National Park

Beyond the falls lookout and swimming hole, Davies Creek National Park offers walking tracks through eucalypt woodland and granite boulder country that feels very different from the more commonly visited tropical rainforest environments near Cairns. The park sits on the Atherton Tablelands, and the landscape here has a drier, more ancient character, huge granite outcrops, pandanus palms and scattered eucalypts create a distinctive aesthetic. Birdwatching is excellent throughout the park, with species typical of drier woodland environments including various cockatoos, lorikeets and raptors that are less commonly seen in the rainforest parks.

A Hot Getaways destination. Where Care is Our Compass.

Honest Suitability: Is Davies Creek Right For You?

We would rather help you choose well than persuade you to go. Here is our honest assessment.

Time-Aware and Season-Aware Planning

• Half a day including the drive from Cairns or Mareeba.
• A full day combined with Emerald Creek Falls, which sits on the same side of the Tablelands.
• Season: This is drier country than the rainforest sites, and flow falls away noticeably late in the dry.

Verified Safety Information

Safety comes before everything else on this page. Every point below is drawn from an official source, and we link to those sources so you can check the current position yourself.

• At the falls lookouts: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service asks visitors to enjoy the views from the lookouts but remain behind the barriers at all times, because deaths have occurred at this site. Source: Visiting safely, Davies Creek, Dinden and Bare Hill parks.
• QPWS states that roads in these parks may be closed in the wet season, December to April, because of flooding, or after heavy rain for maintenance, and that water levels in the creeks can change rapidly and without warning.
• QPWS lists mobile phone coverage as not available at the Lower and Upper Davies Creek camping areas. Do not plan on being able to call for help from the creek.
• Granite creek beds are slippery and the pools are shallower than they look. Never jump in.
• This is open country with less shade than the rainforest falls. Water, a hat and sunscreen matter more here.
• Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, which manages these sites, states the position plainly: rivers, creeks and lakes in Queensland’s parks and forests may contain hidden dangers, are not patrolled by lifesavers, and are not the same as a swimming pool — you enter the water at your own risk. Read and follow the on-site signs, never dive or jump into any waterway because the water may be shallow or hold submerged objects, and stay out of the water during and after heavy rain, when creeks can rise quickly and run with strong currents. Source: Water safety, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• Never dive or jump in. Water depth in a natural pool changes after every flood and submerged rock is not visible from above.
• Queensland Government advice is unambiguous: within the natural range of the estuarine crocodile, which runs from around Gladstone north to the Torres Strait, no waterway can be considered crocodile free. Being Crocwise starts with three steps — keep out of the water, stay more than five metres back from the water’s edge, and keep a sturdy object between yourself and the water. Source: Be Crocwise top tips, Queensland Government.
• Crocodiles are highly mobile, particularly after heavy rain and flooding, and can travel hundreds of kilometres. Queensland Government also states that crocodile interactions can occur at any time of the year, so seasonal reasoning is not a substitute for reading the signage in front of you.
• This is cassowary country. Queensland Government advice is to never approach an adult cassowary, never approach a chick or get between a chick and its father, and never feed a cassowary — feeding is illegal, dangerous, and has resulted in cassowary deaths. Give them space and observe from a distance. Source: Southern cassowary, Queensland Government.
• Check Queensland park alerts and warnings for the Tropical North Queensland region before you leave home, together with current weather and road conditions.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service puts it plainly: parks and forests are wild places with hidden dangers for the unwary visitor. Before you leave home, check Queensland park alerts and warnings for the Tropical North Queensland region, along with current weather and road conditions, and pay close attention to warning signs when you arrive.

Every source above was checked and found current on 3 August 2026. Conditions, track access and closures change constantly. Queensland Parks alerts are the current source, and ranger signage on site overrides everything, including this page.

Local Knowledge

The points below are local knowledge and editorial judgement rather than operational facts. They are the things we would tell a friend. Conditions change, so treat them as a starting point and always follow official signage and advice.

• Pair it with Emerald Creek Falls and Mareeba for a good half day on the drier side of the range.
• Rock wallabies are often seen in granite country like this at dawn and dusk. No promises, but keep your eyes on the boulders rather than the water.
• The light on granite in the late afternoon here is quite different from the green half-light of the rainforest falls. It is worth seeing both kinds of country on one trip.

Helping Look After This Place

Part of the pleasure of a place like this is knowing it will still be here, just as beautiful, for the people who come after you. A few small choices make a real difference.

• Take everything out that you brought in, including fruit peel and tissues, which do not break down as quickly as people expect in the rainforest.
• Stay on the formed tracks. It protects fragile root systems and stops new informal paths forming, and it is also the single simplest way to stay safe.
• Give wildlife room and resist the urge to feed anything. Queensland Government advice is that feeding cassowaries is illegal, dangerous and has resulted in cassowary deaths.
• Support the small local businesses you pass. A coffee in a village bakery or an entry fee at a family-run attraction is what keeps these communities able to look after the places you have come to see.
• Sunscreen, insect repellent and soap all end up in the water when you swim. Rinsing off before you get in, and swimming without them where you can, is a small kindness to a small creek.
• The Wet Tropics Management Authority acknowledges Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Wet Tropics. Where a site has a traditional name or story, using it is a quiet way of recognising a connection that long predates tourism.

Common Questions About Davies Creek

Which national park is Davies Creek in?

Tourism Tropical North Queensland lists Davies Creek within Davies Creek National Park and Dinden National Park, on the Mareeba side of the Atherton Tablelands.

Do you need a four wheel drive to reach Davies Creek?

No, not for the main sites. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service describes the Lower Davies Creek camping area, 6.2 km in from the Kennedy Highway, as reachable by conventional vehicle, and the car park for the falls circuit track is 2 km further along the same road. For the Upper Davies Creek camping area, 10 km in, QPWS recommends four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicles. The road is not suitable for caravans or large motorhomes, and QPWS states that roads in these parks may be closed in the wet season, December to April. QPWS does not publish a road surface description, so check park alerts and the signage at the turn-off after rain.

Can you swim at Davies Creek?

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service describes a sandy creek-side picnic and swimming area reached from the Davies Creek Falls circuit track, where platypus may be seen. It is not at the foot of the falls: the falls plunge 50 m into the valley below and are seen from two lookouts, which QPWS asks visitors to stay behind at all times because deaths have occurred at this site. Flow reduces noticeably in the late dry season in this drier part of the region, and the granite is slippery in all seasons.

Where To Go Next

If this one is not quite right for your day, these are the closest alternatives.

• Emerald Creek Falls — The natural pairing, in Dinden West Forest Reserve.
• Mareeba — The nearest town, with coffee and tropical fruit.
• Crystal Cascades — If you would rather stay close to Cairns.
• All Waterfalls Near Cairns — Compare every waterfall in the region on one page, including which ones are officially listed as accessible.
• Swimming Holes Near Cairns — If a swim matters more than the drop.
• Rainforest and Waterfalls — The wider decision hub, including guided options and rainforest walks.
• Atherton Tablelands — Towns, produce, crater lakes and the cooler country above Cairns.
• The Waterfall Circuit Drive — The classic Tablelands waterfall drive, turn by turn.