Cascades

There is a single car park with two routes to the same swimming area.

Both are graded Grade 4, moderate to difficult. Terrain can be steep, slippery, uneven and rocky, and much of it sits in full sun.

• Lower Cascades: 2.6 km return, about 1.5 hours. It follows the creek and is the quickest and shadiest route to the water.
• Upper Cascades: 3.3 km loop in the Dry Season, 3.6 km return in the Wet Season, about 2 hours. It climbs onto the Tabletop Plateau and passes several lookouts with sweeping views over the lowlands. This route is exposed and can be hot.

Expect layered rocky ledges, a low waterfall dropping into a clear dark pool, and dense monsoon woodland along the creek. Swimming, walking and picnicking are the listed activities. Most of the swimming area is in full sun, with some shade around the Curtain Falls plunge pool, so plan where you will sit before you settle in.

This is not a roadside swim or a marquee waterfall. The falls and pools are modest in scale, and you have to walk in and back out on rough ground. Choose it when you want room to spread out and a more rugged outing, and choose the park's larger falls when you want a short stroll to a big swimming hole.

Wear sturdy shoes, use sun protection, and carry water for the whole walk. Both tracks are steep and slippery in places, and there is little relief from the sun on the plateau route. Respect the closure of the lower creek track when water levels rise, since the flooding and crocodile risk are the reason it shuts.

Some visitors find the cascades underwhelming because the swimming holes are small, and the walk in and out is genuinely hard work in the heat. Families do complete these tracks, but the terrain stays moderate to difficult, so it suits those comfortable with rocky, uneven ground rather than anyone after a quick dip near the car.