At the beginning of June, I traveled to Port Douglas, Australia for a week. It was the perfect time to get out of the Sydney Winter that had crept on us so extremely quickly. While in Port Douglas, we explored a lot of areas around and outside of the area, like Cairns, which is located just about twenty minutes outside of Port Douglas.
With our love for hiking, we searched for popular trails around Port Douglas and stumbled upon Crystal Cascades, known as the “locals best-kept secret.” The cascades are described as a stunning secluded area of swimming holes surrounded by the rainforest and
local or not, the Crystal Cascades should not be missed by anyone.
Location
As I mentioned, Crystal Cascades is known to be a local favorite spot outside of Cairns, Australia. Cairns is located in Queensland at the top of Australia and is a popular travel destination due to its location to the Great Barrier Reef.
Crystal Cascades is a peaceful retreat located about an 18-minute drive from Cairns city center and with hardly any phone reception, it’s the perfect place to unplug and unwind for the day. Located on The Rocks Road in Redlynch, we just simply put in “Crystal Cascades” in our GPS and were able to find it no problem.
Entry Fee
There is no entrance or parking fee at the Crystal Cascades.
What to Expect
When you arrive at Crystal Cascades, you’re greeted with a small parking lot, some public restrooms, and a few picnic tables. Although being secluded, you’re able to still enjoy the comfort of restrooms and a few nice BBQ areas. The area is secluded and features multiple swimming holes in the rainforest. It’s truly a magical place and would be a lovely place for an afternoon picnic.
Since we visited the Crystal Cascades in the Winter, we didn’t go in the water and there were only a few families around at the time. The temperature outside was very pleasant and the walk around the swimming holes and taking in all the stunning waterfalls were great. I have no doubt that it’s an extremely popular destination in the Summer months and the perfect place for families and couples to spend the day.
We spent the afternoon walking around the path and enjoying all the views. The walk itself will only take you about 20 minutes and it’s well-paved so any age can easily walk and take in the cascades. You can make your visit to Crystal Cascades as short or as long as you would like with the countless swimming holes and perfect picnic spots, you can simply walk on the path and take in the rainforest and water views or you can spend the whole afternoon enjoying the day here.
This peaceful retreat is definitely recommended if you’re looking for a fabulous place for a picnic or to cool down from the hot weather that you usually find up in Queensland.
Tips
When it comes to traveling, we love not over planning our trip so that we have the flexibility to explore places like Cyrstal Cascades. I do always recommend doing a little bit of pre-planning or research before going to any area though. Pinterest is definitely my favorite resource when it comes to traveling and seeing other people’s go-to hidden gems around the area. Without that, we would have never found Crystal Cascades!
What’re your favorite ways to travel? Do you prefer doing popular “touristy” things or going a little bit off the plan and exploring the locals’ favorites? Let me know in the comments below!
