Natural swimming pools and caves you need to know about

Cool down this summer with a trip to these must-visit natural swimming pools and caves around Australia.

A waterfall lit with sunlight as it pours into a cave over rocks and into a dark pool of green, surrounded by mottled red, brown and yellow cave walls.

Photo: NRMA

Could a little-known rock-cut pool in the Blue Mountains be Australia’s best inland swimming spot? Or is it a stunning cave embedded in the limestone cliffs of the Eyre Peninsula?

We’ve done the research, so you get to make the call. Here are Australia’s best natural swimming pools and caves in Australia to fall in love with.

New South Wales

1. Nellie’s Glen, Budderoo National Park

Encircled by a craggy outcrop with a stunning mini-waterfall cascading into its depths, Nellie’s Glen in Budderoo National Park has to be one of the most idyllic natural pools in New South Wales. Edge behind the waterfall and revel in its refreshing mist on the ledge, relaxing in the shade of the surrounding eucalypt forest between swims. Delve a little further into the park where you’ll find a collection of swimming holes peppered throughout Kangaroo Valley.

2. Scouts Falls, Coffs Harbour

Scouts Falls is not your park-the-car-and-dive-in kind of swimming hole. Concealed by dense bushland, you have a hefty 1.1km trek through Sherwood Nature Reserve before you can even dip a toe in. For what it lacks in ease of access it more than makes up for in serene seclusion. Your first inkling of Scouts Falls will be a small rock pool just downstream. Resist the urge to cool off here in favour of the deeper pool that lies in wait. With a pretty 10-metre-high waterfall tumbling into an iridescent blue pool, it’s the reprieve your aching muscles and sweat-coated body have been waiting to plunge into. Float away the afternoon and revel in the solitude – you deserve it.

3. Pool of Siloam, Blue Mountains

Underrated and unspoilt by the masses, Pool of Siloam is like a slice of secluded paradise in an often crowded national park. Take the track from Carleton Road and enjoy the Blue Mountains' characteristic blue hues across the treetops, glimpsing the famed Three Sisters along the way. After a short walk you’ll be greeted by a tranquil sight: an emerald pool tucked into moss-covered sandstone, with a waterfall trickling down its edges.

Queensland

4. 5 Mile Swimming Hole, Cardwell

Cardwell has become a favourite stop for ardent lovers of wild swimming, with the spectacular Cardwell Spa Pools drawing visitors from all over. But rather than join the hoards of swimmers floating there, saunter a little further south to 5 Mile Swimming Hole and you’ll be rewarded with solitude amid a picturesque setting. This freshwater hole is crisp and clear with dense bush lining its shores. Spread a picnic rug on the grassy patch next to the water and while away the afternoon.

5. Serenity Falls, Sunshine Coast, QLD

The Sunshine Coast is home to plenty of spots to take the edge off the heat but the pool at the base of Serenity Falls in Buderim offers a truly serene setting to take a dip. After a short walk through lush rainforest punctuated by a bit of rock hopping, you’ll arrive at a postcard-perfect scene. Ensconced by greenery with a stunning slow-flowing waterfall tumbling to its centre, the location is like something out of the movies. A charming green bridge arches over the pool, awarding a lovely view to take it all in.

Tasmania

6. Mole Creek Caves, Mayberry, TAS

Sitting at a chilly 9℃ irrespective of the season, Mole Creek Caves are the perfect way to escape Australia’s beating summer sun. Choose from Marakoopa Cave and King Solomons Cave or indulge in both; you’ll have a chance to spot glow worms, marvel at the sparkling crystals that decorate the chambers, see the rare Tasmanian cave spiders who’ve adapted to no-sunlight living, and witness underground rivers carving their mark along the caverns’ floors.

The interior of a cave lit yellow from a single light source, illuminating a cave ceiling full of stalagmites hanging down, while the cave floor is sandy and relatively smooth.

Mole Creek Caves. Credit: Tourism Australia

Northern Territory

7. Bitter Springs, Elsey National Park, NT

The Northern Territory can get steamy in summer. Luckily, the Top End is filled with glorious natural pools just waiting to steal away the discomfort of the summer sun. Just outside Darwin, Bitter Springs offers a glorious reprieve in the heart of Elsey National Park. A sliver of turquoise water carved into the bush, it’s wild swimming at its best. Bitter Springs is a thermal pool but unlike the others in the park, this one is a tad more refreshing. Don your mask and snorkel to spot the tiny fish that call this oasis home.

An underwater scene of a woman in a one piece white bathing suit swimming gently through turquoise water, past a submerged branch, as shafts of sunlight dance over her body.

Bitter Springs. Credit: Tourism Australia

South Australia

8. Woolshed Cave, Talia, Eyre Peninsula, SA

Sculpted by the ocean, Woolshed Cave is nestled into the dramatic granite cliffs that grace the water’s edge at Talia on the Eyre Peninsula. Wooden steps lead down the cliffside to a ledge overlooking cerulean seas that rush into the pockmarked cavern. It’s the kind of location that lends itself to awe with breathtaking views spanning out to sea and a refreshing sea mist that sprays you with each crash of the waves.

3. The mouth of a large ocean rock cave framing the sea, as seen from inside on an overcast day. Its entrance towers about 15 metres over three teens standing at the base of the cave.

Woolshed Cave. Credit: Tourism Australia

9. Little Blue Lake - Limestone Coast, SA

Startlingly blue and impressively round, Little Blue Lake is a sinkhole sitting pretty in a field of green in the Kanawinka volcanic area of South Australia’s Limestone Coast. Two dormant volcanoes, Mount Schank and Mount Gambier, juxtapose the sinkhole making for a pretty, idyllic setting to plunge into its depths – which dive to a staggering 47 metres. A pontoon has been built into the limestone wall that surrounds the lake, making for a smoother entry into its icy waters.

Disclaimer: This is not listed in order of preference.

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