Cardwell Forest Drive

The Cardwell Forest Drive is a 26 km loop through state forest west of the town, passing several waterfalls and swimming holes accessible by short walks from the road. The road is sealed for most of its length and passable in a conventional vehicle in dry conditions, though the creek crossings require care after rain.

The main stops along the drive are Attie Creek Falls, Murray Falls (the most impressive, dropping into a series of pools in a rocky gorge), and the Spa Pool — a naturally formed rock pool filled by a clear freshwater creek. Murray Falls is also significant as a site of cultural importance to the Girramay people, the traditional owners of this country.

The forest itself is dense and layered tropical rainforest, dark and humid, with buttressed fig trees, giant tree ferns, and the constant sound of water. Platypus have been spotted in the quieter creek sections at dawn and dusk.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
The Cardwell Forest Drive passes through some of the most intact lowland tropical rainforest in Australia — the same forest type that once covered much of coastal north Queensland but has been almost entirely cleared for agriculture. Here it survives because the steep terrain made farming impractical, and you can walk through it to swimming holes that feel genuinely remote while the highway is only a few kilometres away.