Isabella Falls, Cairns: Getting there, walk & swimming holes

Isabella Falls in the Cairns suburb of Edmonton offers small swimming holes and a short walk to a multi-tiered cascading waterfall.

What is Isabella Falls, Cairns?

Isabella Falls is a cascading waterfall in the southern suburbs of Cairns, Queensland. It is something of a local secret and not many tourists visit. However, you could easily make this Cairns waterfall a short detour off the Bruce Highway when driving from Innisfail to Cairns, or Cairns to Mission Beach.

Where is Isabella Falls?

Isabella Falls is in the Cairns suburb of Edmonton, about 20 minutes’ drive from the city centre. To get there from the city, take Mill Road off the Bruce Highway. Then turn left down Walker Road and right down Wiseman Road West. Follow this along to the Wiseman Road Reserve, then turn left down Rainforest Road.

You can park in a cul-de-sac called Waterfall Close, then follow the short trail to Isabella Falls from there.

Save time queuing – Book these Cairns attractions in advance

From the air: Outer Reef helicopter flight | Sunrise hot air balloon ride | Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
At night: Sunset dinner cruise | Pub and club tour | Aquarium by Twilight experience.
For wildlife: Birdworld Kuranda | Kuranda Koala Gardens | Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome | Cairns Aquarium | Rainforestation Nature Park
For culture: Cairns Museum tickets | Street art walking tour | City and surrounds highlights bus tour.
For thrills: AJ Hackett giant jungle swing | High speed jet boat tour | Barron Gorge white water rafting | Mulgrave River tubing.

Isabella Falls walk

The Isabella Falls walk is a short one – it’s a 800 metre return stroll alongside McKinnon Creek. The lower waterfall is easy to reach, but if you wish to reach the top falls, then some scrambling and pulling yourself up with a rope is required.

There are small swimming holes beneath each section of the Isabella Falls cascade, but none of them are big or deep enough for a proper swim. Think of them more as refreshing pools of water to sit in on a hot day.

Other natural attractions around Cairns include the Barron Gorge National Park, plus Fairy Falls, the Crystal Cascades and Copperlode Dam in the Lamb Range. A little further south of Cairns, you can tackle Walshs Pyramid and Behana Gorge.

Trip-booster! 8 great day trips from Cairns to power-up your holiday

Kuranda combo package – take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail cable car down.
Green Island tours with beach time, glass bottom boat and snorkelling. (Or pick a Fitzroy Island trip instead).
Moore Reef day tour – with underwater observatory, snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat & semi-submersible cruises.
Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with snorkelling stops at two excellent spots on the Reef.
Cape Tribulation rainforest day tour – with Mossman Gorge Aboriginal cultural experience and Daintree River crocodile-watching cruise.
Atherton Tableland waterfalls and rainforest tour – including wildlife-spotting and a swim in a volcanic lake.
Outback 4WD tour – visiting Chillagoe Caves, Aboriginal rock art and Granite Gorge.