00:00A stunning natural attraction, the Babinda boulders in far north Queensland entices locals and tourists alike.
00:10It's a pretty special, magical place.
00:12But beneath the picturesque surface are hidden dangers.
00:16While some parts are safe to swim, others are near impossible to escape.
00:22There's certain areas there that if you slip, if you fall, if you go in there, you'll be a recovery, you won't be a rescue.
00:29More than 20 people have died in the waterhole since 1916.
00:34There was times when I was a child where I had nightmares about when you would hear the ambulance coming to do a body retrieval.
00:42The flow on affecting the trauma from an incident like that can't be understated.
00:47While fencing and new signage have been installed to try to keep swimmers from the danger zones, it doesn't deter everyone.
00:55Not on my own, but maybe with a few minutes I might jump in.
00:58Leanne Thompson grew up here and has researched the boulders' troubled history.
01:02She's campaigning for more to be done.
01:05They could tap into some of the fears like of being trapped underwater in a confined space.
01:11The Cairns Council says it's looking at providing new trails that lead to safer swimming areas
01:17and says it's open to incorporating messages from traditional owners to dissuade people from entering into danger zones.
01:24We don't go swimming in there.
01:26We respect it.
01:28And that's the whole point of just to respect the place.
01:31The way that they bring in there is a place where they are.
01:32A little bit of a hypocrisy for the rest of the body is going to be outside.
01:33There is also a little bit of a little bit of a place where they are.
01:34There is no place where they are.
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