SWEPT downstream by a raging torrent, Angus Walton owes his life to his quick thinking and school swimming lessons.

Washed 50m down the creek at Josephine Falls, the Stratford 12-year-old grabbed hold of a log before climbing on to a rock, from which he was rescued three hours later.

Angus and his family were among almost 20 people enjoying the popular swimming hole on Saturday afternoon when they were suddenly hit by a wall of water.

While other swimmers crawled up the far bank and were rescued later by a Queensland Fire and Rescue Service swift water crew, emergency services had feared the worst for Angus.

"It happened too quick to think," an exhausted Angus told The Cairns Post when he was back on firm ground.

"I sort of grabbed on to a log and then climbed up to a rock."

A team of police, SES volunteers and locals eventually found Angus after a long search.

It was a traumatic time for Angus’ parents.

Mum Louise Walton thanked all the rescue workers who came to her son’s aid.

"It was a harrowing wait," she said.

"But he sat on the rock and waited and we’ve always said to him, ‘Don’t try and wander, someone will come and get you’.

"He did the right thing."

Mrs Walton said the fright would probably not stop Angus swimming there again.

"You’d have to ask him that, he’s quite a water boy," she said.

"He is a strong swimmer."

Cairns Police Acting Insp Dan Erbacher said Angus had been trained in what to do when caught in a flooded creek.

"From what I understand he’d received some good advice from his school (St Andrew’s) about what to do and he followed them to the letter and contributed to his rescue," he said. Brisbane tourists Keith Adam and girlfriend Kirsty Thompson were also caught in the torrent.

"A surge of water just came towards us, giving us no time to get out," Mr Adam said.

"I think we were just trying to save our own lives, that’s all we could do.

"The water probably came up to about our waists but it was the power I remember. I’d never seen anything like it before."

Acting Insp Erbacher said there was no way of predicting the water surge.

"Reports are that within seconds, what was described as being about 1-2m has come down Josephine Falls and completely covered the main rock face … and engulfed the main swimming hole," he said.

"It’s something that no one could have or would have known about, there being virtually no rainfall in this area at the time.

"There must have been a significant deluge in the upper area of the mountain that was not visible to those down here."

Share this article