Discover The Millaa Millaa Falls

Travel to Northern Tropical Cairns to come face to face with the incredible Millaa Millaa Falls.

Often at the top of the must-see list on most traveller’s itineraries is the beautiful Millaa Millaa falls – a waterfall made famous by a Timotei shampoo advert and Peter Andre.

Nestled in the heart of beautiful tropical Cairns, Millaa Millaa is easily accessible and is the centre of the famous waterfall circuit of the Atherton Tablelands. It’s certainly worth a look providing not only picture postcard views but a great opportunity to cool off in its icy depths.

Swimming is a must, not only for the opportunity to whip your hair around like the dirty haired girl in advert but simply because in the tropical climate your pale faced Brit swelters. During summer months the humidity can reach 90%. It makes freezing cold water seem a very attractive option indeed.

As you can imagine, Millaa Millaa is an Aboriginal name which translates usefully into the phrase: ‘plenty water’.

As a backpacker you often find that the reality doesn’t exactly match up to the expectation. Millaa Milla Falls is a notable exception. If you think it looks great on the numerous postcard images, just wait till you see it for yourself. Engulfed by tropical vegetation, the water cascades from a dark rock canopy, thrashing down onto the pool below, a short swim from the shore soon has you underneath its surprisingly powerful jets. It’s an amazing feeling and even freezing watery temperatures and a biting Catfish aren’t enough to take the gloss off it.

By Andrew Nagy