On a rock above a glistening Far North Queensland creek, a group of young friends pose for a picture bound for social media.
"If they slipped and fell, there's no coming back," said Brett Moller, a Cairns regional councillor.
Babinda Boulders, 60 kilometres south of Cairns, is a popular swimming hole in a region where many beaches and creeks come with the risk of stingers or crocodiles.
A short walk away The Chute and Devil's Pool are dangerous — yet picturesque — sections of water on Babinda Creek, with cavities, holes, siphons and deadly undertows.
According to the Cairns Regional Council, 21 people have drowned in the area since 1916.
A council-commissioned safety review of Babinda Boulders, made public this week, found men aged 18 to 34 were most likely to die there.
The review, triggered by the most recent death of a 19-year-old woman in December 2021, also found the site's risks were poorly understood.
'Lackadaisical' attitudes
Barriers, "danger" signs, and a lack of designated pathways attempt to restrict visitors from accessing the more dangerous areas at Babinda Boulders — but for some, the lure of the ideal social media post is too tempting.
Cr Moller said that during a site visit, SES members and a council officer asked four people why they had crossed into the "no-go zone" to pose on a rock near The Chute.
"The comments back from the group were, 'Well, there's danger signs everywhere. We see them, that's just part and parcel of being in North Queensland near waterholes — you don't particularly take any notice'," he said.
Cr Moller said after the dangers were explained, the two women said they would not have entered the restricted area, had they known.
"The two young males were still lackadaisical about it," he said.
"We've got to understand … or try to understand, why they're intentionally going in."
What's the deterrent?
With almost 8 metres of average annual rainfall, Babinda Creek's catchment area is one of Australia's wettest.
The dangers of this part of Babinda Creek have been known since ancient times.
Traditional owners speak of the legend of Oolana, a Yidinji woman who threw herself into the Devil's Pool after being forcibly separated from the man she loved.
Her spirit is believed to still haunt the water.
Oliver Fearman, the risk management consultant who led the safety review of Babinda Boulders, said its findings were relevant for natural tourist sites across the country.
For example, signage at a site could comply with legal requirements, but not effectively communicate the risks to those most likely to drown, he said.
"A lot of folks have put some beautiful images [online] of behaviours where they may not have realised how close to not getting home safely on the day they were," he said.
Mr Fearman said signage detailing true stories of tragedies may be more likely to deter thrill-seekers from entering no-go zones.
"We've got to be very respectful of the families and friends of people who've been involved in those sorts of events," he said.
"But the more personal and real we can make the messaging, the more effective it typically is at helping other people grasp the realities of the risk."
State Emergency Service area controller Manfred Richter said there was a need to constantly reinforce safety messaging.
"You will never get the right answer [on why people enter no-go zones] but I think a lot of it is about challenges," Mr Richter said.
"It's social media and the need to get the proper photo for the proper place, or people are just unaware how dangerous those spots are."
Education to ramp up
The Cairns Regional Council, which this week formally endorsed the report, intends to install surveillance equipment at Babinda, increase enforcement and run an educational campaign with interactive messaging.
In the meantime, emergency services have pleaded with people to heed warnings at waterholes and creeks.
Earlier this month, a two-week search was unable to recover the body of a 54-year-old woman who disappeared in waters at Mossman Gorge, north of Cairns.
At Babinda Boulders, statistics show deaths have occurred throughout the year, not just in the wet season.
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service inspector Brad Fleming said crews were called to about 10 to 20 rescues a year at far northern waterways.
"Areas may look calm on top of the water but underneath they're quite violent, quite strong and can get you trapped quickly without realising," he said.
