The Devil’s Pool, Queensland, Australia

Apr 26

Often we hear about legends, myths, or curses born from anger or hate, where a spirit is out for revenge on those who cross its path. But sometimes spirits are born out of loss, the loss of a loved one, a sacrifice of a lover that creates a spirit in search of what it’s lost. And sometimes that search ends with the deaths of innocent travelers.

Today we’re looking at a location given an ominous name because of the deaths that surround its history but the legends tell of a forbidden love that led to a curse, today we’re looking at the Devil’s Pool in Queensland, Australia.

PART 1 - Lovers and Legends

“The course of true love never did run smooth”

William Shakespeare from A Midsummer’s Night Dream

The Yidinji are a group of aboriginal Australian people living in Far North Queensland. Where once they were one of the largest tribes in the country, today they are nearly extinct living on the fringes of the coastal areas.

What has lived on throughout the thousands of years is their deep culture and spiritual beliefs describing their existence, often referred to as Dreamtime, a place where their Ancestral Spirits built and created the world around them. The stories told of Dreamtime are meant to pass on knowledge, traditions, and laws to future generations.

Oolana and Dyga

One story tells of a beautiful young woman named Oolana and her forbidden love. When Oolana was born, her hand in marriage was promised to a highly respected tribal elder name Waroono.

The day of their marriage was meant to be a joyous occasion where the tribe would dance in celebration of the newlyweds. Though it started off that way, a passing tribe would bring a handsome young warrior named Dyga into their lives.

Oolana and Dyga fell in love at first sight but they both knew it was forbidden. Oolana was now married to Waroono and the love she had for Dyga could only exist as a crime. Yet, they carried on with the affair deciding to risk their entire livelihood for each other. Their only option was to flee their tribes and promise to start anew, out in the wilderness.

It didn’t take long for Waroono to notice his wife missing. As an elder in the tribe, he held tremendous power and ordered much of the tribe to track down the two lovers. With everyone on their tail, it didn’t take long for them to be found.

The two were grabbed and Oolana watched the group drag Dyga away to an uncertain fate. Tormented by what may happen to him she broke free of her captors and ran off, coming to the edge of what is now known as the Babinda Boulders.

She could hear the group approaching, looking down at the pool of water below the rocks, she thought about a life without Dyga, a life without her one true love, a life she wouldn’t want to live.

Oolana jumped, crying out for Dyga to follow her down into the watery depths. Her powerful cries shook the land. The once-still waters became a rushing torrent, huge boulders came tumbling down from the mountains scattering around the creek.

When the sounds of the crashing boulders and shaking lands ceased so did Oolana’s cries. Her body was never found. For years after any of the men from the Yidinji tribe would become sick or die if they ventured near the waters. Many claimed to see the spirit of Oolana in the water and even witness her hands reach up and pull others down into the water.

Her spirit is said to guard the waters at the Babinda Boulders, known by many as the Devil’s Pool, looking and waiting for Dyga to join her in the watery depths below.

PART 2 - The Curse

“There is a ghost here. A lonely, heartbroken spirit. The ghost of everything that could’ve been and never was.”

Jennifer Donnelly from The Tea rose

Today the place where Oolana met her end is located in a perilous portion of Babinda Creek in the Boulders Scenic Reserve. The beauty of the reserve makes it a popular public recreation spot where many come to enjoy the scenery and take a swim in the waters.

But, straying away from the main swimming hole will lead you down a narrow creek channel filled with massive boulders and, some say, the spirit of Oolana.

Many claim to be able to still hear Oolana’s cries for Dygna if you just listen close enough while others claim to catch brief glimpses of a woman under the surface of the water before she disappears.

But when people, specifically men began dying at the creek, it gained a new name, the Devil’s pool.

First Deaths at Devil’s Pool

Many articles or news reports state that many deaths have occurred since 1959 but it appears the deaths began prior to that. An article from Saturday, June 10th, 1933 reported on the search for a “Mr. T. Winterbottom” who had been swept into the waters a week prior.

Those leading the search believed his body may not be found for some time as it may have been lodged in a crevice or in one of the caves that are beneath the water.

The article refers to the creek as the Devil’s pool telling us it has already built a reputation for death. And it would be one that wouldn’t go away. Several years later on November 18th, 1940 an article reports an 8-year-old boy’s body had been found in the devil’s pool.

The curse at Devil’s Pool seems to target only men but also those that disrespect the area. In one story after a plaque had been placed at the creek commemorating those who had died, a male traveler kicked the wet plaque, slipped, and fell into the waters, drowning.

Is it truly possible the spirit of Oolana is watching over the land and takes men believing them to be her long-lost love Dygna? In another tragic event, a couple stood together on a rocky platform taking in the beautiful view surrounding the devil’s pool, when a witness states, the waters suddenly rose sweeping the couple into the water.

After a struggle with the rushing currents, the girlfriend survived but her boyfriend was lost to the pool. Legend says anyone who Oolana takes, has their spirit trapped in the water as her’s is.

Oolana is Sighted

In one article from the Brisbane Times, the father of a victim reports having taken pictures of the location where his son’s body was found previously.

After having them developed, his son’s face could supposedly be seen just below the surface of the water, a local police officer attested to seeing the face in the picture. Another report from November of 2009 supposedly shows the face of what appears to be an aboriginal woman just below the surface of the water. Many believe this is Oolana.

I should note that although I found the original links to the articles both appear to be dead links and no amount of searching led me to the actual pictures.

In another death at the devil’s pool, on November 30th, 2008, James Andrew Bennett and three of his friends spotted several unaccompanied children swimming around Devil’s pool. Believing this meant the water was safe, the four climbed over the safety railings, ignoring the sign telling them ‘many have died’ and walked along the granite rocks near the water.

One of James' friends claimed it looked like something tugged at James from behind, then pulled him backward into the water. As James fell backward, he reached out, grabbing a tree branch that snapped almost immediately.

His friends attempted to reach out but only his hand was visible for a short time before he disappeared into the waters. His body was found three days later.

After the death of James Andrew Bennett, the local authorities decided to declare the area a no-go zone preventing all from swimming in the treacherous waters. But unfortunately, this has not stopped the deaths. In April 2020, 18-year-old Madison Tam drowned after being sucked into the water. Then in October 2020, 37-year-old Shanon Hoffman drowned in the water, his body was found several days later.

Madison Tam was only the second woman to ever drown in the devil’s pool. Since 1933 there have been at least 21 deaths but many who don’t believe in the ancient legend believe there’s a logical explanation for them.

PART 3 - The Real Dangers

“Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time.”

H.P Lovecraft

It’s not news for anyone to say that the ocean can be a dangerous place. No matter how entrancing the surrounding landscape may be or how tranquil the water may appear beneath the surface you might find dangers and not the spirit type.

Other Devil Pools

All around the world, there are deceptively dangerous flowing rivers, creeks, and ponds. In fact, some even share the name with the devil’s pool in Australia. In Southern Africa, you’ll find Victoria Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Near the edge of the waterfall, during low currents, you are able to reach an area nicknamed “The Devil’s Pool”.

Here the rocks have formed a sort of lip under the water and create a natural infinity pool. People are allowed to swim over to the edge and look down the waterfall without fear of the currents forcing them 108 meters or 355 feet down to the bottom.

Surprisingly there have been only two recorded deaths since the tours to the devil’s pool began. Both of which did not occur during an official tour. One man was an unapproved guide while the other was a tourist who slipped on the rocks while taking pictures.

In Pennsylvania, another Devil’s Pool exists although this one has had a lot less death than that of Australia. The Devil’s Pool in Pennsylvania seems to have not even experienced any accidental deaths, an infamous case in 2013 where a father and son drowned was reported to have occurred in Devil’s Pool but actually occurred in another area near the pool.

Archivists believe the name was given to the area in Cresheim Creek due to an old urban legend of a Native American tribe who considered the pool to be an interface between good and evil. Today the devil’s pool faces a bigger problem, littering. As more and more people flock to the area, more and more people are leaving behind garbage and filth.

The difference between these pools and the devil's pool in Australia appears to be what’s beneath the water and I don’t mean the ancient spirit of a heartbroken member of the Yidiny tribe.

A Rational Explanation

As mentioned before, below the surface of the devil’s pool in Australia you’ll find water chutes, multiple caves, and most importantly, rushing water. Many are deceived by the serene view but currents have proven to be dangerous time and time again.

The water levels at devil’s pool have been known to rise dramatically and suddenly, catching tourists and locals off guard, due to storms from miles up rushing water into the creek below.

Some locals even refer to the devil’s pool or pieces of it as the washing machine because of how the water and currents toss you around once it has its grip on you. Some areas of the pool reach depths of 8 meters or 26 feet and when the currents have their hold on you they can force you down and possibly wedge you between rocks.

In one of the 21 deaths, a man’s body could not be located for 6 weeks because of the currents and in another, a man’s leg had to be amputated to release his body from the wedge where the water had pinned him.

And it’s not just the water that is dangerous; the rocks rubbed smooth from the years of flowing water are slippery and cause many accidents. Many if not most of the deaths at the devil’s pool are attributed first to slipping on the rocks and falling backward into the water.

In the end regardless if you believe the spirit of Oolana is waiting and searching for more victims to bring to the watery depths below or if you recognize the geographical dangers that exist below the water, don’t swim in the devil’s pool.

Those that did risked the lives of the rescue teams that were then sent to search for them. Designated swimming areas in the creek exist and should be used or else you’ll end up as another victim in the Devil’s pool.