Devil’s Pool: Australia’s Haunted Heart and the Legend of Oolana’s Eternal Sorrow

The Spooky Past and Ghost Stories of Queensland's Devil's Pool

Hidden deep within Far North Queensland's dense rainforests, Devil's Pool at the Babinda Boulders is a location where nature is united with evil folklore and tragic history. Referred to as Australia's most haunted location, its beginning tale begins with an old Aboriginal myth and continues with a set of unexplained deaths.

The Legend of Oolana and Dyga

The Yidinji people's Dreamtime mythology is the source of the supernatural folklore of Devil's Pool. A lovely young woman named Oolana was engaged to Waroono, an older tribal elder. She loved Dyga, a warrior man from another tribe. Forbidden to be with each other, the two fled into the bush but were apprehended. Dyga was dragged away, and in desperation, Oolana leapt into the creek waters, crying for her dead lover. Her sorrow transformed tranquil creek into a spout of water that displaced rocks and created the fatal pool now known as Devil's Pool. Oolana's ghost is believed to haunt there, looking for Dyga forever and luring men to death in hope that one of them might be her love.

A History of Tragedy

At least 21 individuals have been claimed by Devil's Pool since the 1930s, the first being Mr. T. Winterbottom, who disappeared in 1933. The victims are surprisingly consistent: 17 of the 19 recorded victims since 1959 were men, and most of these were tourists or strangers. There are exceptions:

James Bennett (2008): Swimming in seemingly tranquil waters, Bennett was purported to have been swept back by an "invisible force" into a rotating rapid. The ordeal was described as out-of-this-world by friends, with Bennett disappearing after the branch that he was holding broke.

Madison Tam (2020): One of a meager two female victims, Tam was sucked into an underwater chute while swimming, her body discovered days later.

Shanon Hoffman (2020): A father swept away by deadly currents, his death reviving controversy surrounding the pool's curse.

Locals have nicknamed the deadly section of the creek the "Washing Machine" due to its churning undertows that swallow victims in submerged caverns or log-stranded crevices. Despite warning signs and fences, and its designation as a no-go area, thrill-seekers continue to tempt fate—often at the cost of their lives.

Ghostly Encounters and Paranormal Evidence

The Oolana legend is substantiated by paranormal accounts of ghostly happenings

Paranormal Encounters in the Water: Tourists and divers saw a woman's face underwater, that of Oolana. She was allegedly photographed in 2009 as a ghost. After the drowning to death of Patrick McGann in 1979, police photos at the site took his face underwater, still with cigarette attached—testimony given by witnesses.

Whispers from the Undergrowth: Some claim to hear Oolana's ethereal screams echoing through the rainforest, particularly at night.

Eerie Forces: Survivors who almost drowned describe being pulled under the water by an unseen force, similar to what happened to Bennett. Even individuals who don't have much regard for the place, such as a man who kicked over a memorial plaque, have met awful ends, as if cursed by the vengeance of Oolana's spirit.

Reasonable Answers vs. Endless Mystery

They attribute the deaths to natural mishaps: flash floods that strike abruptly, rock walls slick with algae, and a labyrinth of subterranean chutes that trap the unwary swimmers. The pool depth (an 8-meter limit) and turbulent flows make rescue operations dangerous, bodies wedged in crevices for weeks without hope of rescue. And yet, despite the lopsided male fatality ratio and the persistence of the curse legend, the myth shall not die. "Oolana's spirit protects the waters…her legend is a warning," replied Dennis Ah Kee, a tribal elder.

Conclusion

Devil's Pool remains a location of paradox—a breathtaking creation of nature shrouded in tragedy and danger. Whether the tragedies are the result of Oolana's deranged mind or the creek's murderous secrets, the location commands respect. As individuals approach its vistas, ghosts from the past whisper: the reminder that some legends are written in water and blood.