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The main swim
A deep plunge pool directly beneath the falls. Calm in the dry, busier with water in the wet. The water sits a few degrees cooler than the air — refreshing in summer, brisk in winter.
Airlie Beach · Free · Swimming · Day trip
Cedar CreekFalls
A short drive out of town drops you into one of the few freshwater swimming holes in tropical Queensland that's free, easy to access and genuinely scenic.
Free entryYear-round swimSealed road accessNo diving
- Distance
- 30 km from Airlie
- Drive time
- 30 minutes
- Road
- Fully sealed
- Cost
- Free
- Swimming
- Year-round
- Facilities
- Toilets, carpark
A waterfall that behaves differently each season.
Cedar Creek Falls is the Whitsundays' great freshwater retreat — a cascade dropping into a rainforest-rimmed plunge pool, about half an hour's drive south of Airlie Beach. The pool itself sits at the base of a sheer rock wall, ringed by strangler figs and paperbarks, and is one of the few places in tropical Queensland where you can swim in freshwater without watching the bank for crocs.
What it looks like depends entirely on the weather. After a heavy wet-season downpour, the falls are a thundering veil of water. In the dry, they're a thin trickle — sometimes barely a drip — but the plunge pool itself stays cool, clear, and large enough to swim across. Visitor reviews vary wildly for exactly this reason; the trick is knowing what you're walking into.
Access has been excellent since the road was sealed a few years back. You can get here in any rental car, the carpark sits right at the trailhead, and the walk to the water's edge takes about ten seconds. There's also a more recently-built amenities block with toilets, so a half-day visit is straightforward.
It does mean the falls can get busy. Weekends and school holidays will see the carpark full mid-morning. Get there before 9am and you'll often have the place close to yourself.
No diving or jumping from the rocks — they're slippery and the depth changes seasonally. The signs are there for a reason; people are hurt here every year.
What to expect
Plunge pool, rainforest, repeat.
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Smaller rock pools
Walk slightly downstream and you'll find shallower pools tucked between boulders. Nice spots if the main pool is busy.
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Year-round swimming
Even in the driest part of the year, the pool holds enough water for a proper swim. The waterfall itself may be reduced to a trickle, but the swimming hole stays usable.
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Picnic options
Limited shaded spots near the carpark, but most people lay a towel by the pool. Pack out what you pack in.
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Wildlife
Tropical bird life is good early morning — kingfishers and rainbow lorikeets are regulars. The mosquitoes are also regulars; bring repellent.
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Easy access
From carpark to water's edge is literally a 30-second walk. No hiking required. The amenities block has flushing toilets and an outdoor rinse shower.
Read this before you go.
Small things that make a big difference at Cedar Creek.
When to visit
Early morning is coolest and quietest. After a few days of rain, the falls are at their best — check local weather before driving out.
What to bring
Water shoes (rocks near the pool are slippery), towels, snacks, water, sunscreen and serious insect repellent.
Getting there
30 km south of Airlie Beach via the Bruce Highway and Conway Road. Fully sealed, signed. Any car will do. Parking is free but limited at weekends.
After-rain warning
When water levels are high, the current under the falls is strong. Stay away from directly under the cascade.
Pair it with
Make it a day out.
Adjacent area
Conway National Park
Cedar Creek sits just outside the park boundary — Mt Rooper or Coral Beach makes a natural pairing.
30 min backAirlie Beach Lagoon
Compare the saltwater lagoon experience with the freshwater pool you've just left.
30 min backCoral Sea Marina
Reward yourself with a long lunch on the marina once you've dried off.
When the falls actually run
Cedar Creek is rain-fed, and that governs everything about a visit. After good rain the falls run properly and the plunge pool fills and flows. Through a dry stretch — which in this region means much of the winter — the flow drops to a trickle and what remains is a series of still pools among the rock.
Both versions are worth the drive, but they are different experiences and it is worth knowing which you are heading towards. The wet season from roughly November to April is when the falls are at their most dramatic.
The trade-off is the usual one: the rain that makes the falls run also makes the rock slippery and the access track harder. This is a genuine choice rather than a free win.
Safety at the falls
Waterfalls in tropical Queensland account for a steady number of serious injuries every year, and the causes are consistent.
Do not jump or dive. Water depth changes with the season and submerged rock moves after floods — what was deep last summer may not be now. Enter feet first and check depth yourself.
Treat wet rock as slippery even when it does not look it. The rock around the pools stays damp and is smooth. Most injuries here come from confident movement in unsuitable footwear.
Watch the weather upstream. Flash flooding is possible after heavy rain kilometres away, even when it is not raining where you are standing. If the water is rising or turning brown, get out.
Stay behind barriers and on the marked track. There is no lifeguard and mobile coverage in the gully is patchy.
Crocodiles: what is true and what is not
Estuarine crocodiles do live in this region, and visitors are right to ask. The important distinction is where.
Crocodiles inhabit the mainland rivers, creeks and estuaries of the Whitsunday coast, including the Proserpine River system. They are a genuine consideration around tidal waterways, mangrove creeks and river mouths.
Freshwater upland swimming holes like Cedar Creek Falls, and the offshore islands and reefs, are a different proposition entirely. Follow any signage at the site — if a warning sign is present, it is there for a reason and it overrides anything written here.
The general rule on the mainland: do not swim in or near tidal rivers and estuaries, stay away from the water's edge when fishing, and never clean fish at a boat ramp.
What to bring
Closed shoes with grip matter more than anything else on this list. Water, because there is none at the falls. Insect repellent for the rainforest sections, and sun protection for the open ground on the walk in.
Leave valuables in the car out of sight, or better, at your accommodation. The rock is hard on phones and cameras.
Making a day of it
Cedar Creek Falls on its own is an hour or two including the drive. It works best combined with something else on the same run.
Conway National Park is the natural pairing — rainforest walking tracks and lookouts over the Whitsunday Passage, closer to town. The Airlie Beach Lagoon and the Bicentennial Boardwalk make an easy afternoon afterwards if you would rather finish on the foreshore.
Further afield, Bowen is about an hour north and has the beaches — Horseshoe Bay in particular — that Airlie Beach itself does not.
See also our guide to other day trips from Airlie Beach.