There’s something incredibly special about the swimming holes along Lower Kangaroo Creek in Royal National Park. With high cliffs and crystal clear emerald water, you could easily be somewhere in the NT.
It’s one of the most peaceful and serene swimming experiences I’ve had in Sydney and even beats the stunning Karloo Pools. In fact, it was so glorious that we decided to stay here rather than explore further up the creek as we intended to (that adventure will be for another day).
The walk to get to my favourite spot (so far!) is also fairly easy, and a very pretty bush walk in its own right. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the hidden swimming hole on Lower Kangaroo Creek.
The walk to Lower Kangaroo Creek
The stats
Distance: 3.8km return
Elevation gain: 170m
Difficulty: Easy but not flat
The walk to Lower Kangaroo Creek does have a few hills to climb, but nothing too arduous. The trail is well maintained and the terrain excellent up until the last 500m where you leave the marked track.
From here it is unmaintained and involves a creek crossing, but if you go the right way, it’s by no means difficult. There is no signposting for the swimming spot but we have full directions below.
Starting the trail: into the bush
The walk begins at the far end of the Currawong Flat picnic area. You’ll walk along the grass and almost immediately see a set of stairs leading up into the bush.
It’s a beautiful patch of bushland and a favourite haunt of the local sulphur crested cockatoos that will serenade you (well screech) as you start heading up hill.
After 95m the trail flattens, but it’s quite brief and then you’ll begin climbing again.
It’s a classic Aussie bush track and extremely pretty. At the 150m mark you will reach a junction and take the trail on the right which is marked as Kangaroo Creek.
The trail now continues heading uphill with small sections of flat track that keeps it from feeling like hard work. It’s a narrow dirt path and rocky in places, but well maintained and easy to walk on.
Once you’ve been walking for just under 500m, you’ll reach another junction and continue following the signs for Kangaroo Creek.
Descending to the creek
Around 80m from the junction the track stops climbing and flattens for the next 300m. You are now high above the river and will get glimpses down to the water through the trees.
It’s a lovely stretch of track and in great condition despite copious amounts of recent rain.
Roughly 870m into the walk you begin descending towards the creek, it’s very gentle at first and then just under 300m later you will reach a set of metal staircases.
These staircases are quite steep but make the descent a breeze.
Apart from a short gap where there is some rocky track, the stairs will take you all the way to the bottom of the creek.
I have to say that though some people might not like them because it’s not natural, I loved the fact it made it really easy to descend without the need to watch footing.
Continuing along the creek to the swimming holes
At the bottom of the final staircase you will reach the creek. Approximately 50m to your right there is a small pool which is pretty, but no match for what you’ll find to the left (it also looked shallow although it might have been deceiving).
Initially I planned to come back and see how this one was for swimming, but in the end there was no getting me out the other swimming hole before sundown!
Once you’ve checked out this first pool, head back to the staircase and instead follow the path left. It is a little overgrown but easy to follow.
You’ll reach the end of the obvious trail after 180m at which point you will be standing on some large rocks. There’s a unique looking tree that marks the spot to look for.
Do not take the path to the left which is a bush bash. Instead climb down the rocks and cross the creek here, there’s a little splash of paint to reassure you you’re on the right track.
From here, keep an eye out for little pink flags so that you know you’re going in the right direction.
Even after a lot of rain the creek was still less than ankle deep when we visited, so you’ll only have trouble here if the river is in flood - in which case you obviously wouldn’t cross.
It is a bit slimy and a touch muddy as you cross, which makes it a little slippery, but if you take it slowly it’s not too bad.
Arriving at the swimming hole
Once you’re on the other side of the creek you are now just 270m from the main swimming hole.
You could also look at swimming in the gorgeous stretch of water just beside where you cross the creek, but the swimming hole further along was even more beautiful in my opinion.
The rest of the path to the swimming hole is all flat, and easier than the little bit you’ve done from the bottom of the staircase.
Although there is some debris in places, it’s still easy to follow, and you’ll very quickly arrive at the main swimming hole, which you’ll recognise by the rather dodgy looking rope swing!
Swimming in the creek
The swimming hole is simply sublime. Even though we visited after heavy rain when the colour of the water had significantly deepened, it still had major wow factor.
When the water levels are lower, you can see straight through to the bottom and the water colour is a bright iridescent green. To be honest though, even its new darker colour was mesmerising and one of the most beautiful swimming spots in Sydney.
The tall cliff wall on one side of the pool is a gorgeous yellowy orange and really added to the magic of this spot. It is just breathtaking and really reminded me of swimming holes in the NT, which is one of my favourite swimming destinations in Australia!
The only thing that’s a bit of a shame is someone has decided it would be funny to make fake Aboriginal hand stencils on the top of one of the overhangs….
In terms of swimming, entering the water is easy, just to the right of where the trail takes you, you can just step straight down onto the sandy bottom.
It’s quite shallow at first and then quickly deepens. There are a few large submerged rocks so just watch out for those.
I found the best place for swimming lengths is just by the cliff face where there are no rocks whatsoever and you can swim up and down to your hearts content - which for me ended up being hours!
The pool was shady in the late afternoon which makes it ideal for long leisurely swims.
Exploring further up the creek
Our initial idea had been to also explore further up the creek, but in the end this spot was way too good to leave and we decided to save that for another day. Hopefully we’ll be back when the water levels are lower and I’ll update this post.
Heading back
The walk back to the car park follows the same trail. There is a bit of a climb back up those staircases again, but it’s not overly taxing and the dense bush keeps the path quite shady.
The walk back took us around 40 minutes.
Getting to Lower Kangaroo Creek
The walk begins at the Currawong Flat picnic area, just past the Audley visitor centre. You head over the rickety wooden bridge and then park on the far side of the car park by the trailhead. It’s roughly a 35km drive from Sydney CBD.
At the car park you’ll find pit toilets but there are flush toilets at the visitor centre, which you’ll drive right past to get to the picnic area. Please remember to carry out all your rubbish with you and note there are no facilities whatsoever along the trail or at the pools.
Please keep the pools pristine for everyone to enjoy. Don’t litter or mark the rocks (which I know most people would never dream of doing).
Royal National Park Entry Fee
The vehicle entry fee for Royal National Park is $12. If you’re planning on visiting several NSW parks in a year you are better off buying the $65 annual pass which includes all parks in the state except Kosciuszko.
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