Peggy’s Pool is a secluded oasis in the heart of Faulconbridge. The small waterfall is surrounded by a picturesque overhang shrouded in ferns and though it has very low flow unless it’s been very wet, it’s a lovely tranquil spot. The water hole is more of a paddling pool than a swimming hole, but the little sandy beach makes for the perfect place to relax on a hot day.
Bring a picnic and delight in the lush surrounds of the shady glen. It’s also a dog friendly area and no doubt they would love splashing about in the water too!
The track is not signposted, but we’ve noted exactly how to get there in the notes below.
The walk to Peggy’s Pool
The stats
Distance: 530m each way
Elevation gain: 70m
Difficulty: Easy
How to find the start of the trail
You would never know that a walking track even existed here if you weren’t looking for it. It’s located along Meeks Crescent, a residential street in Faulconbridge.
The trailhead is covered by a lot of grass and is quite hard to spot. You’ll find it opposite the childcare centre and close to house number 66. You can see where the trail is located on Google Maps by clicking here.
The first few steps are a little loose and uneven and then you hit the proper walking track.
The walking trail
Although there are some flat sections, for the most part you are descending all the way to the pool.
The track is always easy to follow, and there are only a couple of turns which you’ll need to remember to get there, and they come towards the end of the walk.
The path is narrow but not too overgrown and it’s mainly dirt track with some rocky sections. There hadn’t been any rain for about a week before our visit, so it was nice and grippy all the way.
The odd rocky bit could be slippery when wet.
The trail is fully shaded and fairly easy, although you need to watch your step a little as a lot of the path is quite rocky.
There is one point where you come to an open rock shelf where you can see out over the forest, but for the most part there aren’t any views.
After 400m you’ll begin to hear the sound of the falls and creek in the distance and notice a huge white tree. You’re now very close to the pool.
Follow the path around the tree and after 80m you’ll reach a junction. Take the path on the left. You’ll soon see a trail on the right which looks like it might head down to the falls, but the correct path continues past this turnoff.
Roughly 30m after leaving the junction you’ll come to what looks like a dead end at the edge of a rock platform. The trail continues past this rock platform and downhill for a few more minutes to the pool.
You can either use the large rock on the other side to lower yourself down, or there’s a tree stump which someone has kindly wedged beside the cliff to act as a stepping stone.
It’s easy enough to get down and it’s by no means a big drop or anything. The track then continues down in-between some more rocks and within minutes you’ll be standing by the pool.
When you’re ready to leave again, the track is mainly uphill but it only took us 15 minutes on a really hot day, so it’s not too much of a hardship.
Peggy’s Pool
Initially we’d been visiting the pool thinking it would make a great swimming hole. When I first saw it I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed.
It was pretty small and had a fair amount of leaf littler and debris inside it. The water was lovely and clear but it’s definitely not a large pool (maybe it was in the past?).
However, we decided to go for a paddle and then sit and relax beside the water. It turned out to be such a peaceful spot, the waterfall trickling in the background provided a soothing soundtrack and the stunning ferny cliff walls kept it lovely and shady.
It was delightful and I’m glad I hadn’t realised it wasn’t a great swimming spot or I might not have visited.
Incidentally I can imagine kids would love having a splash around in water and there is one part deep enough for adults to be completely submerged, but in terms of proper swimming spots, there are far better choices in the mountains.
At street level the temperature had been over 30C, I have no idea of the exact temperature at Peggy’s Pool, but it was blissfully cool.
Not just less hot, but actually cool, and the perfect spot to laze around at. I wish we’d brought a picnic with us and a blanket to lay over the sand. That would definitely be how I’d do it next time!
We visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon in the school Christmas holidays and never came across another person at the pool which really added to the feeling of seclusion.
Getting to Peggy’s Pool
The trail begins on Meeks Crescent in Faulconbridge, opposite the childcare centre. We could park almost opposite the trailhead as we were visiting on a weekend. On week days you would have to park a little further up or down the road as there are restrictions.
It’s roughly an hour’s drive from Sydney and 25 minutes from Katoomba.
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