Blackdown Tableland National Park: Stunning waterfall drawing in travellers in Queensland

An oasis in your backyard: How you can swim in spectacular turquoise pools beneath a waterfall in the middle of the Outback

  • ‘Van lifers’ on the road to escape the cold are travelling to a remote waterhole  
  • The stunning oasis is tucked away in Blackdown Tableland National Park, QLD
  • But you won’t find it marked on a map – the pools sit 240 steps below a waterfall

Australian ‘van lifers’ exploring the country to escape the cold weather are travelling to a spectacular oasis hidden in the Queensland highlands.

The stunning waterhole that looks like a natural swimming pool is tucked away in Blackdown Tableland National Park, 814km north-west of Brisbane – but you won’t find it marked on a map.

The twin pools sit 240 steps below Rainbow Falls and can only be reached by walking down a steep path hewn into the forest by footsteps.

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly, who together run Instagram page Let’s Get Outta Here, learned about the swimming spot online and said they were blown away by its unspoiled beauty.

Australian ‘van lifers’ driving the length and breadth of the country to escape the cold are travelling to a spectacular oasis (pictured) hidden in the Queensland highlands

The twin pools (pictured) sit 240 steps below Rainbow Falls in Blackdown Tableland National Park and can only be reached by walking down a steep path hewn into the forest by footsteps

The twin pools (pictured) sit 240 steps below Rainbow Falls in Blackdown Tableland National Park and can only be reached by walking down a steep path hewn into the forest by footsteps

The swimming spot sits in the heart of Blackdown Tableland National Park, 814km north-west of Brisbane

The swimming spot sits in the heart of Blackdown Tableland National Park, 814km north-west of Brisbane

‘It was one of the most unique waterholes we have visited,’ Carly told Daily Mail Australia.

Others agreed, with one woman who recently visited the spot insisting photos don’t do it justice.  

‘What a place! When we drove out here on a long corrugated road to the middle of nowhere we weren’t sure what to expect,’ she wrote on Instagram.

‘We were so surprised to find that this place looked exactly like (if not better than) the photos.’

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly, who run Instagram page Let's Get Outta Here, learned about the swimming spot on Wikipedia and said they were blown away by its unspoiled beauty

Carly called it one of the most unique waterholes she has ever visited

Travelling couple Kurt and Carly, who run Instagram page Let’s Get Outta Here, learned about the swimming spot on Wikipedia and said they were blown away by its unspoiled beauty

How to reach the swimming ‘oasis’ in Blackdown Tableland 

1. Walk to Rainbow Falls (Gudda Gumoo), following signposts all the way.

2. Once you get to a sign that says ‘240 steps down to the falls’, take a right and follow the path that has been created by footsteps.

3. Follow it until you reach the pools. Travellers advise heading first thing in the morning to avoid crowds.

Source: Let’s Get Outta Here

Rising above a sea of sand dunes and dry desert landscape, Blackdown Tableland National Park is a lush oasis brimming with colourful animals, thundering waterfalls and spectacular views.

The park can be explored by taking a scenic loop around almost a dozen breathtaking lookouts, but it’s only suitable for 4WD or specialised off-road vehicles.

Photos of the park and its enchanting swimming spots have drawn stunned responses on social media, racking up thousands of ‘likes’ and hundreds of comments from travellers eager to visit.

‘This looks amazing,’ one woman wrote. 

‘So keen to get here,’ said a second, while a third added: ‘What a place!’ 



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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk