Williams Creek Falls - Trip Report
After years, Luen finally explored Williams Creek with Debbie and found the small falls he had long suspected were there. A fun off-track day of ridgeline walking, creek hopping, rainforest scenery, and a swim.
Date: Saturday 19 October 2024
Leader: Luen
Participants: 2
Some walks sit in the back of your mind for years, quietly waiting for the right day. Williams Creek was one of those. After studying maps and aerial imagery, Luen had suspected there might be a worthwhile set of falls tucked away in the area, and this trip was finally the excuse to go and find out. Although the walk was originally planned as an overnighter, only Debbie took up the offer. With just two of us, Debbie suggested we forget the overnight packs and tackle it as a day walk instead, which turned out to be a very good call.
We set off along the K Traverse before leaving the track and heading off-track down a ridgeline to reach the headwaters of Williams Creek. From there, the day became a pleasant mix of rock hopping, creek walking, and soaking up the lush Paluma rainforest scenery. The creek itself was a beauty - clear water, sculpted rock, ferns, palms, and all the little details that make these North Queensland creeks so rewarding to explore.
Eventually, we reached the pools and the small falls that had drawn Luen's curiosity for so long. Debbie was impressed, which was a satisfying moment after all the map-based speculation. A quick swim and a look around confirmed that the spot was well worth the effort. Strangely, there was no wine on this trip, which was notable given Debbie's usual reputation for bringing it along. However, Debbie did bring some lovely chocolate cream dates! Yummy!
After our dip, we continued downstream to Platypus Pool, then made our way back out via the track and along the K Traverse to return to the car. It was not a huge day in terms of distance, but it was a fun and rewarding one, with just enough off-track adventure to make it feel like a proper little mission.
The story did not end there. Later, when Luen told Wilfred about the falls, Wilfred was immediately keen to go back and see them for himself. The two of them returned on a later trip, this time approaching by walking ~1.5 km upstream from Platypus Pool rather than doing the longer downstream rock hop from higher up the creek.
A group of two both times, but a successful exploratory walk that turned years of curiosity into a very enjoyable day out.
- Luen
