Free things to do in Townsville! Go swimming at "Crystal Creek" water hole. Take a picnic lunch and make a day of it!

Crystal Creek is a Beautiful creek that runs for approximately 18 km, beginning at Paluma, just north of Townsville, Queensland, flowing through Mutarnee and finishing in the Sea. this is part of the Paluma Range National Park and is known  Little Crystal Creek and Big Crystal Creek.

 Paluma is the township of around 25 permanent residents at the summit of Mount Spec ranges which are heritage-listed Wet Tropics. Paluma began as a mining and forestry epicenter.At the very top of the range you will see a large Eucalyptus forest with beautiful old growth trees.

Paluma Range and the township of Paluma are named after a Queensland colonial government survey ship that worked along the North Queensland coast in the 1880s and 1890s—the HMS Paluma.
The township of Paluma—once known as Cloudy Clearing.

 The first people into the area were tin prospectors in the 1870s after large amounts of tin were found in the in the mountains. The area was isolated until a road was built up the range during the depression in the 1930s. This tin industry lasted for years until local land owners managed to shut down the industry due to contaminates washing into and down the creeks for washing the tin. as well as rising costs of transport and being such a remote location. Remnants of the tin era can be seen on both the Paluma rainforest walking tracks.

















The Little Crystal Creek Bridge is a stone-faced arch bridge and is the only arch road bridge that remains in service in Queensland it was built in 1933. Crystal clear water flows into the deep pools of Little Crystal Creek, making it a great natural swimming hole. Mount Spec National Park and the Township of Paluma are wonderful places for tourists and visitors. There are BBQ and picnic tables here as well as tiolets.













How to get there:
Drive north from Townsville and the turnoff is located about halfway between  Townsville and  Ingham. You will turn left off the Bruce Highway to Paluma and Crystal Creek which is clearly marked.





At the bottom of the range can be found Big Crystal Creek Rock-slides can be found, which is another popular swimming destination known for its natural water-slide formed by mossy rocks. The track to the rock-slides is short, with a steep grade at times. It takes about 10 minutes from the gate to reach this fun destination. There are plenty of smooth rocks for catching some sun along side this natural water-slide. A series of short slides over slick mossy rocks shoot you down into lustrous pools. Excellent for cooling off on a hot summer day, the rock-slides offer hours of amusement and relaxation. You will need to obtain a permit to camp overnight at Paradise Waterhole. Facilities here include a wheelchair accessible picnic area, barbecues and toilets.

There are more free or cheap ideas of what to do in Townsville on the Reef Lodge Backpackers 

 blogs as well as our face book.