Some of the best wild swimming spots in the Southern Highlands lie down the most unlikely looking un-signposted fire trails. And the Pools of Tranquility are right up there with the very best in the region. With a high cliff wall, crystal clear emerald water and nothing but untouched nature surrounding you, it’s hard to think of a more idyllic spot to while away an afternoon.
To top it all off, the walk is short and relatively easy. Here’s how to find the Pools of Tranquility and what to expect when you do.
The walk to the Pools of Tranquility
The stats
Distance: 4.3km return
Elevation gain: 130m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
Trailhead: Railway Parade, Balmoral
Summary: The first half of the walk down to the pools is on a wide flat fire trail. After this it’s a narrow bush track which is easy to follow, but gets rockier as you descend towards the pools.
There are a few steep sections with some loose soil, but these are only minor bits of the walk, the majority is rocky, but not steep and slippery. There are no signposts but we have detailed directions below.
Starting the trail: along the fire trail
From the locked gate where you leave your car (full parking details below) you head along the wide flat fire trail. It passes farmland and is nice enough, though very exposed to the sun if you’re walking on a hot day.
After 750m the road curves to the left and you have another 220m before you leave the fire trail (970m from the parking area).
The point at which you leave the fire trail is marked by two blue ribbons on either side of the narrow path, leading right into the bush.
If the ribbons are removed you won’t miss it if you look for the path 970m from the locked gate.
The bush track and descending to the pools
You’ll now follow a narrow sandy dirt track through the bush. It’s easy to follow and peppered with wildflowers in spring. After around 430m the track will begin to descend, but it’s very gentle.
There are a few rocks around on the track, but nothing challenging. At the 1.7km mark (730m into the bush track) you’ll see what looks like an old turning circle, or pull out on the right.
You can look down into the gorge, though it’s still quite obscured.
The path continues straight, marked by another blue ribbon, and then bears right when it becomes steeper.
The track is now quite rocky and sometimes the large rock slabs are covered in a fine layer of sand which makes it slippery.
There are also small sections of loose soil. It’s a bit rough and requires care, but it’s not too bad overall and this section only lasts 150m.
After this the descent continues but it’s more gradual, there is still a bit of rubble around for the next 150m, but it’s not difficult. At the 2km mark the track gets noticeably better with a worn dirt path and no steep sections at all.
You’ll reach the end of the track just over 100m later and can go left to pool one, or right to pool two.
Pool one: the gorge pool
Within just a few metres of the trail’s end you reach two sensational swimming holes. I loved them both, though my favourite is the gorge pool to the left of the track.
You continue down a bit of sandy and rocky terrain for a few metres before you reach a little ‘beach’. From here you can wade into the pool which has a sandy bottom making it so easy and relaxing - no awkward shuffling over slippery rocks here!
The pool is shallow at first, but as you get into the middle and closer to the cliff wall it’s very deep, well above head height so swimming is a breeze.
There are one or two large submerged rocks in the water, but the water was clear enough to see them and only the ones close to the wall could be bumped into, others were far below swimming level.
The water colour and setting with the cliff wall is absolutely spectacular. It’s a simply magical place for a swim and one of my new favourite swimming holes.
The cascades and birdsong were the only sounds and there’s nothing but untouched nature as far as the eye can see.
I preferred it to nearby Aqua Pool - which is also glorious, but is unfortunately underneath a powerline that detracts a little.
I had no expectations for this walk, it was more of a recce, but it absolutely blew me away, it’s a very special place.
Pool two
Pool two is still easy to access, but does require climbing down a couple of rocks and then getting over a few large rocks and rock slabs in the water.
After that the pool was deep and unobstructed unless you strayed too close to either side, which did have some rocks you could bump into.
The rest of the pool was perfect for a leisurely swim and has the same sensational water colour as Aqua Pool. It also benefitted from catching the afternoon sun, which was the only downside of the gorge pool which fell into shadow early in the afternoon.
There is a rock wall on one side and a pretty cluster of rocks on the other which give it a nice sense of place, though for me it couldn’t compare to the first pool - however, it would still be a destination in its own right if it weren’t near the other one, it’s still stunning.
You can walk between the two pools by crossing the small set of cascades and they are only minutes apart.
When you can tear yourself away from this little bush oasis you retrace your steps back the same way. The first 500m is noticeably uphill but after that it’s very gentle, or flat, so the effort vs reward ratio is very high here!
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.
Where to park for the Pools of Tranquility
There is no official car park for the walk, but room for a few cars to park before the locked gate at the fire trail in Balmoral on Railway Parade (co-ordinates are -34.296424, 150.525573). Please don’t block the gate, the road is in frequent use. The last couple of hundred metres to the locked gate are on a gravel road, but it’s very smooth and suitable for any car at time of writing.
The parking area is 27km and a 30 minute drive from Bowral, 66km and a 1 hour drive from Wollongong and a 110km and a 1.5 hour drive from Sydney.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
