Malanda Falls Swimming Pool, Heritage swimming pool at Malanda Falls, Queensland.
Malanda Falls Swimming Pool is a heritage-listed pool on the North Johnstone River in Malanda Falls Park, on the Atherton Tableland. The river drops over basalt ledges into a natural pool that was adapted for swimming from 1906 onward, with a retaining wall, a turning platform and cleared underwater logs. Lawns, paths and terraced gardens line the banks.
The pool was surveyed in 1906, when the site was described as partly covered with water lilies and jungle reaching the pool edge. In 1911 hydraulic rams were installed to supply water to the Malanda Hotel and steam trains, and in 1918 the community cleared underwater logs. By 1920 the Eacham Shire Council had built a wooden diving platform, and in 1925 a retaining wall and turning platform went up as Malanda's first swimming club formed.
From the 1920s the falls were promoted in organised tourism: photographs appeared in tourism literature as early as 1920, and by 1925 they were part of a car day trip from Herberton or Ravenshoe that also took in Lake Barrine, Lake Eacham and Millaa Millaa Falls. The local hire-car firm Whitecars, run by Les Battle and Norm Graham, offered two tours to the falls around 1926, one of them combining them with the Malanda Butter Factory and The Jungle attraction, which featured Aboriginal culture and the rainforest.
The site is easily accessible on foot, with well-maintained paths running through the grounds that suit various mobility levels. Picnic areas with tables and barbecue facilities are available, allowing visitors to spend extended time on the grounds.
The pool's fame spread through tourism before most of its facilities existed: photographs of Malanda Falls appeared in tourism literature as early as 1920, and by 1925 the falls were part of a car day trip from Herberton or Ravenshoe that also took in Lake Barrine, Lake Eacham and Millaa Millaa Falls.
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