Olympic Pool is spectacular. It truly is wild swimming paradise, with crystal clear emerald water, surrounded by rock walls and gum trees that give it a secluded feel despite its size. There’s nothing like swimming in the deep glistening water and being able to see all the way through to the bottom.
What makes it even more incredible is the fact that so few people visit. When Karloo Pool upstream is heaving on a hot day, you can still get Olympic Pool all to yourself. It’s a magical spot, and I defy anyone to swim in it and not leave feeling on a high!
Here’s how to find it via two possible routes.
The walk to Olympic Pool
The stats
Distance: 5.3km return, or 8.6km circuit (including Karloo Pool)
Elevation gain: 200m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Heathcote station (circuit version) or End of Bottle Forest Road (return version)
Summary: There are two ways of reaching Olympic Pool - one is all on track (the Bottle Forest Track) and one is a mix of on and off track (following the river from Karloo Pool).
My favourite way to get there is to form a circuit using the Karloo Track and Bottle Forest Track. However, if you simply want to get there via the quickest route you should use the Bottle Forest Track both ways. For all the details on the Bottle Forest Track, skip to the section directly after ‘swimming at Olympic Pool’.
Whichever route you choose, it will include a significant amount of descending on the way to the pool and much of the paths are rocky (though there is no scrambling involved).
If you walk downstream from Karloo Pool, the rest of the walk is all off track. This section is almost entirely flat and though there is some debris, much of it has been cleared, making this an easier option than it used to be.
The Olympic Pool Circuit Walk
Starting the trail: The Karloo Track
The trail starts next to the NSW Rural Fire Service on Wilson Parade, which is on the southern side of Heathcote Train Station.
If you are driving, you can park close to the trailhead. There are spaces opposite the fire station, which saves you 300m walking each way, which is what you’d add on if you start from the train station car park.
The first couple of hundred metres after the fire station are along a path that runs beside some houses before you turn off onto the official track.
You’ll head into the bush and take a signposted right turn after 250m, you are now on the Karloo Track.
The path begins gently descending, but gets a little steeper and intermittently rocky at the 600m mark.
After a further 300m there’s a very minor creek crossing and you’ll begin walking on some rock slabs, which are nice and grippy when dry, but can be slippery if damp.
Apart from one very short rocky uphill section the path will now flatten and has good views out to the bush on your left.
Reaching Karloo Pool
At the 1.9km mark the trail begins heading noticeably downhill and it gets rougher and rockier for the majority of the way to Karloo Pool.
After a further 600m (2.5km into the walk) you’ll reach some large rocks and the edge of Karloo Pool. If you’re going to swim here, then simply continue onwards to the pool, crossing over the shallow creek directly ahead of you.
Karloo Pool is spectacular and a must if you haven’t swum there before, though unless you time it right, it does get very busy. You can read more about swimming at Karloo Pool here.
To continue to Olympic Pool from here, you need to find the trail on the northern bank of Kangaroo Creek and follow the river downstream from Karloo Pool.
To do this, cross the rocky section of the creek you reached just before Karloo Pool and follow the rock platform on the northern side of the pool.
You’ll cross the creek here, which is easy in all but flood conditions and you don’t need to worry about wet boots.
You’ll now begin walking along the left side of Karloo Pool and 100m after you crossed the creek you’ll see a rough, but well worn track leading into the bush.
To Olympic Pool via a series of secluded swimming holes
The path to Olympic Pool is for the most part easy to follow and well trodden. The terrible debris that existed on the path the last time we walked it has largely been cleared and it’s now a pretty easy track.
Rather unnecessarily, someone has sprayed yellow paint to mark the route, however, 30m after heading into the bush (just over 2.6km from the car park) the arrow directs you a more difficult way than is needed.
You don’t need to climb up and over the giant rock, as the easy path lies hidden behind the foliage to the right of the rock base!
The track then continues along the rock platforms, passing a series of pools. The first small pool is 120m in and just beyond this is a short rocky section, but it’s not slippery when dry.
You’ll find another pool 100m later, though our favourites are a little further along.
Roughly 550m into the off track path and 300m beyond the second pool, you want to keep left, heading onto the upper trail. Roughly 50m later you’ll reach another large pool, though it was a little weedy on our recent visit.
Just beyond this there is a little bit of tree fall over the track, but it’s very easy to duck under. A couple of hundred metres later you’ll see another large pool, though it sadly suffers from a fair amount of debris inside the water.
Just 50m later there’s another tree down over the track, which is slightly more awkward to get through, but still not too bad.
Roughly 300m later (3.7km into the walk, or 1.1km into the off track section) you’ll reach one of our favourite pools.
This one has easy access to the water, with rock shelves that are tiered to allow shallow access. It’s just stunning and we’ve never seen anyone swimming here!
Roughly 150m later you’ll pass the junction with the Bottle Forest Track, which you’ll use to complete the circuit after visiting Olympic Pool.
You’ll now walk on a series of rock shelves, the first few steps are on a slanted rock with some debris, but after that it flattens and is easy to walk on.
A couple of hundred metres later you’ll see a path leading into the bush on your left, this will lead you to the top of Olympic Pool after just 50m.
The edge of the pool is another 50m away (4.3km into the walk).
Wild swimming at Olympic Pool
To access Olympic Pool you need to climb down one small rock shelf, but it’s not difficult.
You will then be on a rock platform beside the water and it’s easiest to continue as far as you can along the left side of the rock platform, which avoids walking over much of the shallow rocky area inside the water.
It’s not especially slippery, but there are some mossy and muddy bits which can be slick and you ideally want to walk over as little of this as possible before you get to the deep water. If you do continue down the left side of the rock platform you have very little shallow area to negotiate before it’s deep enough to swim.
Depending on water levels there may be very little shallow pool to worry about anyway, the first time we visited the water levels were so high that the left side of the rock platform was submerged!
Once you’re in the main part of the pool the swimming is glorious. The pool lives up to its name sizewise and the water is deep, but clear enough to see right the way to the bottom.
I swam for ages and didn’t encounter any submerged rocks or debris in the water. it’s about as perfect a swimming hole as you could ever hope for.
The water is emerald and on a still day perfectly reflects the surrounding rock walls and gum trees. It’s spectacular and you’re likely to share it only with the resident water dragons, who occasionally pop into the pool for a quick dip.
It is one of those places that makes you forget everything else around you and you can just live in the moment. A hard one to beat.
Completing the circuit: The Bottle Forest Track
From Olympic Pool head back the way you came for 400m and take the narrow dirt path leading uphill into the bush on your right.
The track is in good condition and though relatively steep, it’s easy enough. It’s rocky, but it’s no different to the Karloo Track in that regard.
The bush is gorgeous here and unlike the Karloo Track, very few people walk this route. After 250m you’ll come to a rocky outcrop with some good bush views.
You’ll head up the rocks and it gets a little less steep. After 100m (850m from Olympic Pool) you’ll come to a fork and keep left.
You only have a little more uphill left and it’s all on a decent track. After 80m the path briefly flattens and bends right.
There’s a little tree fall, but nothing difficult to get round. The path then heads more gently uphill until you reach a fire trail 75m later (1.05km from Olympic Pool).
From here the path is wide and much smoother. You’ll head left along the fire trail and it’s uphill for a further 150m before it flattens.
The trail takes you through a gorgeous patch of bushland and you’re able to really relax and enjoy it as the path is smooth and flat.
After 600m (1.8km from the pool) you’ll reach a signposted junction and head left.
After 850m you’ll reach a gate at the end of the fire trail and there’s a car park here. If you were using the Bottle Forest Track both ways this is where you would park.
To get back to Heathcote Train Station you will head around the gate and then left, onto another fire trail. The path is flat for the next 250m before it begins heading gently downhill.
Follow the fire trail for just over 1.3km and you will arrive back at the car park/station. It’s either flat or downhill and will take you past the turn off for the Karloo Track and the residential houses where you began the walk, before arriving at the fire station.
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 national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
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