If you are heading south to Babinda for the Boulders and were counting on a lap of the town pool afterwards, read the hours first. This one catches people out constantly.
Babinda Pool reopened on Monday 7 September 2026 after its annual winter closure, according to a Cairns Regional Council media release. During the closure the Council carried out grounds maintenance, water treatment and balancing, servicing of the mechanical equipment, electrical works, pressure cleaning and painting.
The hours, and the bit that trips people up
Council lists the opening hours as:
- Monday to Friday: 6am to 11am, then 1pm to 6pm
- Weekends and public holidays: closed
So there are two traps here, and most visitors hit at least one of them. The first is the weekend, because Saturday is exactly when most people do the Babinda run and the pool will be locked. The second is the two hour break in the middle of the day, which lands right when you would have finished at the Boulders and fancied a swim.
Plan for a weekday, either side of lunch, and you are fine.
What is actually there
It is a proper 50 metre pool, with a covered grandstand seating up to 400 people and a barbecue area. For a town of Babinda’s size that is a serious facility, and on a hot afternoon it is a very civilised alternative to the creek.
If you are there on a weekend
Babinda Boulders is the obvious answer and it is free, but it comes with a hard rule attached: swim only in the designated area below the car park, and stay out of Devil’s Pool and the gorge downstream. That stretch of water has killed a lot of people and the warning signs are not decoration. Our swimming safety guide covers the detail.
Otherwise, Josephine Falls is a short drive further south and is one of the better freshwater swims in the region when it is open, and there is more in our Cairns south guide.
Source: Cairns Regional Council, 20 August 2026. Pool hours change seasonally, so confirm on the Council website or the Babinda Aquatic Centre Facebook page before you make a special trip.
