Thrills, spills for all the family in Queensland

My 13-year-old daughter is lying headfirst on her back down a sharply sloping granite slab. Guide Marcio grips her ankles, grinning as he counts: “three, two, one . . . ’. He lets go and she rockets into a foaming torrent of white water. She goes under and is unseen for an agonising two seconds. Finally, her head bobs to the surface, wide grin spreading beneath a gobstopper helmet. I get to relive this heart-stopping moment again and again — with my 10-year-old daughter, then with my eight-year-old son, before it’s my turn. I’m confident the guides know what they’re doing, but seeing your offspring cast into raging rapids is confronting stuff. Just nine days earlier my children — inspired by a bunch of reckless youths — had pleaded with me to let them jump off a cliff at a waterfall in the Paluma Range near Townsville. “No way, not a chance”, was my retort. Yet, here we are, throwing caution to the wind and letting them — goading them — to indulge in risky behaviour. In water, with waterfalls, concealed rocks and no phone reception. Part of Wooroonooran National Park, Behana comprises a chain of waterfalls, rapids and granite pools, accessible from a private access road tracing Behana Creek. Tumbling down from the Great Diving Range, the gorge forms part of the World Heritage–listed Wet Tropics, a series of densely rainforested mountain ranges, extending 450km along the coastal spine of Far North Queensland. For adventurous families, the region — the wettest place in Australia — is one giant freshwater splash park. suppliedAt Clamshell Falls, you enter the water via a 6m cliff jump, straight down into a deep forest pool. Photo: Supplied Our adventure begins deep in the rainforest where the guides at Cairns Canyoning kit the five of us out in wetsuits, life jackets, harnesses and helmets. Soon we’re scrambling down the creek bank to the water, where we startle a huge python hanging in the branches and I can’t help but wonder if it’s a bad omen. There’s no such thing as a gentle initiation. Our first challenge is at Clamshell Falls, where we enter the water via a 6m cliff jump, straight down into a deep forest pool. Our first-born goes first, barely hesitating as she pin-drops into the water with a little scream. My scream is more animated. Not so my younger two children who follow me into the water like fearless lemmings, emerging with whoops and smiles. We haul ourselves out of the water, dripping feet finding purchase on slippery rocks, and conquer another two cliff jumps as we make our way downstream. Our “you can’t be seriou” moment comes when we arrive at a gushing waterfall and there are two choices: ride the rapids at the head of the cascades, or go behind the falls and be sucked under and spat out. All of us, except my husband, opt for the tamer ride, and are swept down a chute of churning white water — spluttering and gasping — into a calm eddy. It’s a natural jacuzzi. suppliedKids need to be at least eight years old and confident in the water to tackle this. Photo: Supplied The two hours go quickly, alternating between cliff jumps, rapids and waterfall plunges, with a dry abseil towards the end. Over 500m, we ping-pong through narrow cascades, hurtle down rockslides and ride chutes of white water in a human train. Three guides keep the group safe and energised — “backflip, easy peasy”, Marcio says. This is the same man who sends my family headfirst into a raging washing machine of angry water. And we love every minute of it. Hopefully your family will too. While you’re here If you have young children, or canyoning is too hair-raising for your family, try river tubing instead. Tubing is accessible to children as young as five and involves a gentle float down one of three rivers with small rapids. The journey has the same beautiful rainforest setting as canyoning in Behana Gorge, minus the heart-pounding drops and waterfall crossings. Operator Cairns Adventure Group (cairnsadventuregroup.com.au), owned by the same parent company as Cairns Canyoning, chooses the best river on the day according to the conditions. suppliedThis is an edited extract from Ultimate Family Holidays by Catherine Best published by Hardie Grant Explore. Giants of Mandurah near Perth, Alice Springs stargazing and canonying behana gorge near cairns The book: Ultimate Family Holidays: Australia by Catherine Best published by Hardie Grant Explore RRP:$50 DETAILS: Canyoning Behana Gorge, Cairns/Gimuy, Queensland Mallanbarra Yidi Country: Whitewater thrills and spills in the heart of the rainforest. Where: Behana Gorge is near Gordonvale, about a 35-minute drive south of Cairns/Gimuy. Tours depart from 8 Shields St, Cairns. When to go: Canyoning is more reliable in the dry season (May to November) but tours operate outside this period, conditions permitting. Check ahead for tour availability and conditions. Whose in charge: Cairns Canyoning is your tamer of waterfalls and guide to your canyoning adventure. Pre-book online and meet at the shop for a mini-bus transfer to the gorge. Why children love it: How many times have you snapped at your child not to jump into the water, stifling their fun in the pool, beach, river . . . ? Rules are there for good reason, but you can leave them on the creek bank on this canyoning jaunt, where rock jumping is not only allowed, it’s a core part of the adventure. Children who are confident water babies (they don’t need to be capable swimmers) will live their best aquatic lives doing all the daredevil jumps, slides and rapid riding you normally pooh-pooh. Are you brave enough, mums and dads? In the know: Behana Gorge is considered a canyoning spot because there are ‘‘softer’’ options for participants who lose their nerve and the guides can adjust the course according to ability. Your children will need to be at least eight years old and confident in the water to tackle this white-knuckle adventure. Older daredevils (aged 12-plus) might like to try the operator’s more extreme site at Crystal Creek. More info cairnscanyoning.com gettyBehana Gorge is considered a family-friendly canyoning spot because there are ‘softer’ options for participants who lose their nerve. Photo: Getty