Hartley’s Creek Falls - No Crocs Here!!

Nov 5

It’s hard to get the concept of crocodiles out of your head as you swim in the inky black waterhole at the bottom of Hartley’s Creek Falls.

It doesn’t help that Hartley’s Creek Crocodile Farm is just down the road and it shares the same name as these falls. Despite that Rob and I wasted no time plunging into the pool that lay below Hartley’s Creek Falls after our hour-long trek to get to this spot.

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The good news is if this bigpool freaks you out too much there is a smaller, shallower pool to bathe inonly a half-hour trek in from the road called Flat Rock. It’s deep enough tosubmerge yourself in BUT shallow enough to keep your fears at bay.

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Flat Rock swimming hole

Hartley’s Creek Falls is a National Parks zone so no dogs or camping is allowed. The path is wide enough for two people to walk side by side and judging by the tracks it seems to get more Mountain bikes than hikers.

Ready to plunge in

My Happy Place

Glimpses of the Coral Sea

An oasis after an hour trek

Be prepared for some hill climbing along the way but it’s worth it as you get glimpses of the Coral Sea in the distance. The forest that you walk through is open dry woodland with plenty of grass trees, cycads and melaleucas along the creek. It’s worth noting that crocodiles may be present in the brackish water further down the Hartley's Creek, nearest to the Captain Cook Highway and swimming here is not recommended.

How to Get There

Hartley’s Creek is located only 15-minutes drive north of Palm cove.
The track starts behind the old crocodile farm, now made into a retreat – Google Hartley’s Creek Falls to find the exact location.
There’s some parking available to the left of the entrance to Hartley’s Creek Retreat.
On the left-hand side of the retreat there is a small track that runs along the fence to a locked gate.
Follow the track alongside the boundary fence and you’ll find the National Parks sign. The track is roughly 3.8kms one-way and you’ll find that the first 2kms is a slow incline through open woodland. Don’t forget to look behind you for glimpses out to the Coral Sea.
Just over half-way you’ll come to a large opening with a few nice swimming holes and some interesting rock formations – this is called Flat Rock.
From Flat Rock there is a signpost to Hartley’s Creek Falls saying 1.4km to the main falls. This track is again a series of ups and downs until you get to a creek bed. Walk 250m along the side of the creek to the falls.
Here you’ll find a rope swing and a deep pool to swim in at the base of Hartley’s Creek Falls.

ENJOY!!!!

Distance: 3.8km of undulating track.

Time: 1-hour to complete.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Good Things to Know:

The best time to do any hiking in Cairns is during the winter months (April – September)
During the wet season it is preferable to do any of the above activities early in the morning or early evening – ie. the cooler parts of the day.
Water and sensible walking shoes are recommended for any climb in the tropics.
Don’t forget to bring the insect repellent – March Flies, Mosquitoes and leeches LOVE the Tropics.

Have you heard of Hartley’s Creek Falls? Would you like to discover other great swim spots around Cairns?

If you’re keen to learn of other places to swim around Cairns then check out my post on Freshwater Swimming Holes around Cairns.