The Needles is a fantastic wild swimming spot, with deep green water and a pretty bush setting. It’s also incredibly easy to reach, so it’s unsurprisingly a very popular spot. There’s plenty of space for a proper swim and if it is too busy on your visit, there are other much quieter spots downstream.
The main pool catches the afternoon sun, which makes it perfect for an early evening dip. As it sits outside both the nearby national parks, it’s also dog friendly and we saw several pups enjoying a paddle on our visit.
Here’s everything you need to know to visit The Needles.
The walk to The Needles
The stats
Distance: 1.5km return, or 3.2km circuit (plus 500m to also visit the small lagoon)
Elevation gain: 120m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
Summary: There are two ways of reaching The Needles: the first is an easy return walk on a concrete fire trail. I say easy due to the terrain, but it is a steep downhill walk, so you have a steep, but short climb back up to your car when you’ve had a dip.
The second route is via Engadine Lagoon, which is another truly beautiful swimming spot - in fact we think it’s better than The Needles!
However, following several flooding events, half of this route is covered in debris and what was once straightforward is now a bit of a bush bash and not particularly enjoyable. I’d really only recommend this section if you don’t mind scratchy terrain with some loose sections underfoot.
The Needles via the shortest route
There’s not an awful lot to say about this route, but from the parking area (details below) you pass around the side of the gate and make your way down the concrete road. After 150m you’ll see a path leading off to the left, this is the longer route via Engadine Lagoon.
To keep to the shorter route, you continue straight. The road heads downhill getting steeper the closer you get to The Needles. The tarmacked surface means that though it’s steep, it’s very easy to walk on.
The trail will take you down to a causeway after 750m. Though you could enter the water here, it’s shallow and rocky.
It’s much easier to cross the causeway and make your way round to the little beach areas, the first of which is 100m away.
Unfortunately some highly inconsiderate people had smashed glass around the beach areas when we visited, so please don’t walk barefoot here.
Swimming at The Needles
From the little beachy areas, entering the water is really easy as you step straight off the sand and into shallow water. It very quickly becomes deep enough to swim off and there were no slippery rocks to negotiate.
Closer to the causeway there are many submerged rocks in the water, so it’s best to give this whole area a wide berth as the rocks are easy to miss when swimming.
There’s still a huge amount of room for long unobstructed swims in the rest of the river. You’ll see a rope swing by the second tiny beach and the fact it’s tied to the tree right beside the shore shows how quickly the water becomes deep (though always depth check any jumps yourself first).
The water is pretty warm and was clearer and lovelier than I was expecting. I guess maybe because it’s not in the national park, I thought it might not be as nice, but it truly is.
The bush setting is really pretty, with dense gum trees and craggy rocks, the only thing that does mar the landscape are the metal drums (covered in graffiti) and powerlines.
It does detract from the otherwise serene setting, but if you can block that out it’s a lovely spot.
I did prefer Engadine Lagoon a little further downstream, as there wasn’t a manmade structure in sight there! However, swimming at The Needles was great, especially when the sun came out from behind the clouds creating a really beautiful green hue to the water.
The Needles via the longer route
The longer circuit route to The Needles is more than twice the distance of the shorter route at 3.7km (if you visit all three swimming holes), but it does take in two more great swimming spots.
The first is 800m into the trail and it’s a lovely quiet place to swim, few people visit as it’s down an unmarked side trail.
Engadine Lagoon is another 900m further on, though if you don’t visit the first pool you can knock 500m off the distance to the lagoon, making it just 1.2km from the parking area.
The path is not a fire trail, it’s a proper bush track and quite rocky in places as you head downhill to the water. We’ve covered it in more detail here.
The route from the lagoon to The Needles is offtrack and whilst half the route is still easy, the rest is a bush bash due to extensive debris.
There is uneven and at times unstable terrain on this section. It’s not especially hard, but it’s scratchy and not overly enjoyable - well not for me, I know many people do like a good bush bash!
Next time I would visit the first two pools and then return to the junction and visit The Needles via the short route. It would be a longer distance, but probably quicker overall!
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.
There are no toilets or rubbish bins at The Needles or anywhere along the trail or at the parking area, please plan accordingly.
Getting to the trailhead for The Needles
Whether you walk the short or long track to reach The Needles, they both start from the same point - the end of Woronora Road in Engadine, which is not part of the national park. There is no car park for this walk, but plenty of room for cars to park at the side of the road. Please don’t park by the gate where the no parking signs are as this area needs to be kept clear. Parking is on a residential street, so please park respectfully.
If you’re coming by public transport you can walk from Engadine Train Station, but this adds on a fairly hefty 2.6km each way.
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