Tips for visiting the spectacular Ladies Well swimming holes

There’s no two ways about it, swimming beneath the waterfalls and cascades of Ladies Well is idyllic. The water is crystal clear and shimmers blue green in the sunshine. The rock walls and dense forest give it a wild feel despite its close proximity to the road.

Spots like this are the kind we often walk hours to reach, yet this one is just 60 seconds from the road! Though there are many swimming holes along the Allyn River, the pools at Ladies Well really are on another level.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit.

Things to know before visiting Ladies Well

The access road

We normally start our guides with details on the walking track, but as there is basically no walk at all (though we will break down access to each of the pools) we thought we’d start with the road.

There are a couple of different routes to get to Ladies Well, but all routes require at least some driving on unsealed roads. The most common route and the one we used is via Upper Allyn, which has 17km of gravel road (the alternative is to go through north Salisbury and past the Williams River Picnic Area).

The road was in excellent condition on our visit and suitable for any vehicle in dry conditions. It’s well graded and generally smooth sailing. There are four ford crossings, but despite the fact it had rained recently, only one had more than a dribble of water on our visit.

However, roads like this can deteriorate overtime, so if you are coming in a non 4WD or SUV, then you might want to check recent conditions, especially if there has been significant rainfall.

As this is not a national park, you would need to contact the Forestry Corporation, or check recent reviews online.

Ladies Well is signposted as you get closer to it, but at time of writing there is no signpost at the parking area. The coordinates for the car park (such as it is, it’s more like room to park off the road) are -32.1529886, 151.4862822

Swimming at Ladies Well

There are three main pools at Ladies Well, all within metres of each other. There are pools up and downstream of these main swimming holes too, but for me two of three at Ladies Well are the stand outs.

The main pool

The main pool at Ladies Well is the one with the two small waterfalls and it’s an absolute stunner. After walking for 60 seconds from the road down the little dirt path, you’ll come to a rock platform and the waterfall pool is to the right, you’ll see it straight away.

You have to climb down one rocky patch to reach the pool, which is grippy when dry, but uneven (it’s just a few steps).

Accessing the water is easy as there is shallow entry into the pool, though you do have to step over a few slippery rocks inside the water to reach the deeper section.

This pool is about as picturesque as it gets, but for actual swimming it’s not perfect, as much of it is quite shallow and there are a few submerged rocks in the water to watch out for.

Depending on how powerfully the waterfall is running there may be quite a strong current in the deeper part of the pool. During times of low flow there is more room to swim here.

Having said that, even when we visited and the waterfall was quite powerful, it was still a very special spot for a dip, I just couldn’t swim that far. The water was crystal clear and two tone, with both a blue and green hue.

It is a relatively cold dip, more like the Blue Mountains than it is Royal National Park, but on a warm sunny day it’s magic.

The upper pool

The upper pool is the best one for swimming in my opinion. It’s just up from the waterfall pool and has the easiest access to the water.

You can walk straight into shallow water and there are no slippery rocks to contend with, so getting in is a breeze.

It gets deep fairly quickly and I swam for ages here and never encountered any submerged rocks. A current does come off the cascades, but there was room to swim outside of it.

You’re next to a gorge wall with hanging vines and dense foliage, giving it serene rainforest vibes. The cool water and spectacular scenery makes you feel so alive and there are many large smooth rocks to bask on if you need to warm up between dips.

There’s even a tiny infinity pool overlooking the main pool below. It’s easy to get into the infinity pool and it’s a fun little spot for a plunge, but be warned it’s a touch harder getting out.

Whilst you can slide into the pool with ease, when the rock gets wet it gets really slippery, so getting out may require a helping hand.. or maybe that was just me!

The lower pool

The pool beneath the main waterfall pool is a decent size, but very shallow and rocky. It isn’t suitable for swimming, but it is good for lazing around in the water.

I liked the fact you could see the waterfalls in the pool above, which makes it incredibly scenic. It’s not one you’re likely to spend much time in because the other pools are so much better, but it was still a pretty spot.

Avoiding the crowds

The one downside to having somewhere this special that is also very easy to access, is that it does get crowded, especially on weekends in summer and in the school holidays.

We visited midweek in the middle of the day and had it to ourselves for around 30 minutes or so, the rest of the time we shared it with a small handful of others. If you can come midweek that’s perfect, but if not, you probably want to come early if you’re looking for serenity.

We visited seven pools in Barrington Tops on our most recent trip and Ladies Well is the only one we saw anyone else! If you are looking to visit a pool in the middle of the day on a hot weekend I would consider one of the ones on this trail instead.

Keep them wild

Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.

Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.

Note that glass is banned at Ladies Well and there are no bathrooms, please plan accordingly.

Campgrounds near Ladies Well

There are many beautiful campgrounds along the Upper Allyn River, including several very close to Ladies Well. You can find some of the spots listed here. Note that if you’re thinking about White Rock, there was a very loud colony of Flying Foxes beside the campground, if they chatter as much in the evening as they did during the day it might not make for a peaceful night’s sleep!