At the foot of three streams that cross the Babinda Rocks is located the Pool of the Devil. At least that's how the locals coming to the place and the tourists have called. The pool, more precisely, is located 58 kilometers south of Cairns, in Queensland, Australia, in the small town of Babinda.
Apart from one of the most beautiful places in the country, the Devil's Pool, on the other hand, is also one of the most dangerous. Many people have died in the place. Some people even believe the area is cursed. Stories of ghosts, among other supernatural beings, give the place a special charm and is also one of the reasons that take hundreds of tourists there.
The Devil's Pool
The natural pool is located amid the tropical flower of Queensland. It is considered a highly dangerous place. The strong current can lead and drown even the most experienced swimmer. Apparently, it is not possible to float in the water since it is highly oxygenated. In addition to Devil's Pool, the place already received another nickname caring: washing machine.
The city that houses the natural pool, Babinda, is one of the rainiest places in Australia. The average annual rainfall exceeds 4 thousand millimeters. However, even in times when the rains are scarcer, the waters of Devil's Pool continue to pose dangers. About 17 people have been drowning since 1959.
The most recent death at the scene occurred in 2008, when a 23-year-old sailor named James Bennett and three other friends decided to visit the place. Ignoring the safety warnings, they went into the water. Benett was swimming as he was pulled by the current. He tried to cling to a branch, but his efforts were futile. His friends tried to rescue him, but his body disappeared in a matter of seconds.
His body was found after 3 days. Most of the bodies that were found there were trapped under rocks and logs. 16 of the 17 victims that the Devil's Pool did were male.
The legends
Legends about Devil's Pool began long before drowning occurred. Natives tell stories of a beautiful girl named Oolana, who soon after getting married, fell in love with a man named Dyga. They would have fled their tribes to live their forbidden love. They were chased and would have jumped in the waters of the Babinda Rocks to escape.
However, this was the last time they were together. The waters separated them and the cries of pain and suffering of Oolana were so strong that they got to turn the still waters of the rocks in a great flood. Great rocks scattered over the stream and Oolana disappeared between them forever.
The place was once considered one of the most haunted in all of Australia. Some people even claim they've heard a woman murmuring in the middle of the night. Others believe that the spirit of Oolana would be responsible for the deaths of so many men on the spot. According to some reports, drowned people seem to have been pulled and kept underwater. As if someone held them, preventing them from returning to the surface.
Since 2008, there have been no more drownings in the Devil's Pool since it was declared a forbidden zone. However, many people risk their lives in the place, even knowing of all the tragic accidents that have occurred there and completely ignoring the warning given in the place.
