The Duck Hole is a gorgeous part of Glenbrook Creek, with swimming holes galore. There’s a large sandy beach with a huge easy to access pool, as well as a more secluded spot just a few minutes walk away. You could continue further along the creek taking regular dips along the way, but the first two spots will likely be enough to entertain you for an afternoon!
The walk to the Duck Hole is not signposted, but is generally easy to follow and we have included directions in the trail notes below.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Duck Hole Track.
The Duck Hole Track
The stats
Distance: 4.3km return
Elevation gain: 210m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Summary: The Duck Hole Track is almost all on a good dirt path, with a few rocky sections as you get closer to the creek. There is one short section which is more of a scramble, though this is only a minor part of the walk.
There are some uphill and downhill sections on the way in and on the return, but also some flat track inbetween.
Starting the trail
From the parking area (details below) you can begin the trail to the left or right of the car park, the most direct route into the bush is on the right side of the car park (heading north for a short time).
This path is a bit steeper, but it’s a good worn down grassy track that runs alongside a house, so it’s easy to walk on.
After 100m you will reach a dirt track leading into the bush. After 200m in the bush you’ll reach a fork and head left. There’s a brief rocky downhill section before the path begins to climb.
The track now heads uphill for a couple of hundred metres, before reaching the trainline, 600m from the car park.
The track will then briefly flatten before heading uphill, but much more gently this time and it’s a nice smooth path.
At the 850m mark you’ll reach another fork and bear left. The path now flattens and it’s a leisurely stroll amongst the gum trees.
Continuing through the bush
Over the next part of the walk, there are often social trails which lead down to the creek a little more directly than the main path, we always opted to take the main path as it was shallower.
You could take some short cuts if preferred, but we had a peek at a few and they were a little more scratchy and bush bashy.
At the 1.2km mark you’ll reach a junction and see a small cairn.
We headed left here following the more gentle route downhill. The next 400m are a gradual descent on a good path. At the 1.65km mark, just after the track has curved right you need to keep straight.
A few hundred metres later there is an easy section of rocky track before you reach a rock gully. The gully is shallow and straightforward to walk through.
You’ll then spot another cairn and the path will veer slightly right before bending left. Just 30m beyond this point (approx 2.03km into the walk) you’ll reach the section where you have to climb down some large rocks.
Reaching the creek
At the point at which you reach the big rocks you are just 120m from Duck Hole Beach. The rocks are very grippy when dry and though this section is quite steep, the rocks are tiered nicely so you have plenty of large surfaces to stop on along the way.
It’s a bit of a scramble, but it’s an easy one and straightforward so long as it’s not wet (when the rocks may become slippery).
The path will drop you down on a very small beach at Glenbrook Creek. The bigger beach is accessed via crossing the creek.
For us the water was ankle deep and crossing was very easy, it may not be possible to cross after very heavy rain - but if that were the case the creek wouldn’t be good for swimming anyway.
Swimming at Duck Hole Beach
The pool at Duck Hole Beach is fantastic. It’s huge and has a sandy bottom making for easy access into the water. I swam a lot and never bumped into any rocks or logs which made it very leisurely. The cliff walls and overhangs make for a dramatic backdrop.
The water is cool, but wasn’t especially cold, though our visit was on a hot day in summer!
There’s a rope swing by the overhang to the left of the pool (the side with the big beach), though we didn’t use it personally.
Overall it’s a really great swimming spot, though I did prefer the second pool we visited, which had a more secluded feel.
Getting to our favourite pool
From the bigger beach you can continue for approximately 150m to reach our favourite swimming hole. The path heads into the bush behind the beach and curves right before running parallel to the creek, which will now be on your left. It’s easy to follow and it’s a sandy path at first before you reach rock platforms.
Roughly 30m before the main pool you’ll reach a small pool which was incredibly foamy on our visit. It may be more appealing after less rain, though it could also become stagnant.
Either way it doesn’t matter because the best pool is just a little further along.
The last 30m are on a higher rock shelf, which is a little more narrow, but very grippy when dry. You’ll then see the pool ahead and can walk down a couple of rocks to reach the bigger rock platform.
This rock platform is full of little holes which the water runs underneath and seemed to be the favoured hang out area for little lizards, of which there were plenty.
Swimming at Duck Hole spot two
Access into the water at this spot is a little tricker than the main beach as you have to get over a few large slippery rocks to get to the deep part of the pool.
There are also submerged logs, so just go carefully for the first couple of minutes before it becomes deep enough to swim off into unobstructed water.
The small amount of additional effort is well worth it though. On a sunny day the water shimmers the most beautiful shade of green.
The high, dense vegetation on the far side of the pool reflects in the water and combined with the hum of insects and birds it feels quite jungly!
I loved it, and the water was actually quite warm, much more so than the main swimming spot at Duck Hole Beach. There’s also a rope swing here, tied to a tree within the amazing mass of foliage.
You could continue swimming through this pool and round the corner (which would eventually lead to Glenbrook Beach) but for some reason this next section had a lot of leaf litter sitting on the surface of the water, so I stuck to my pristine pool, which was more than big enough for long swims.
When you’re ready to leave, the easiest route is simply to retrace your steps back to the car park, however, if you want to lengthen the adventure you could make a circuit (with a significant amount of off track walking) which would continues downstream from what we refer to as ‘Duck Hole spot two’.
This follows the creek around to the Giant Pool and then Glenbrook Beach where you can find a trail that takes you back to Station Street and where you parked your car.
Alternatively, if you love this spot and want to explore more of Glenbrook Creek as a separate adventure, then we’d recommend the pools around Glenbrook Beach, which you can read about 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.
There are no facilities whatsoever, including toilets at the parking area or anywhere along the trail, please plan accordingly.
Getting to the Duck Hole trailhead
The Duck Hole Track via the route described above begins at the end of Station Street in Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains. Whist there isn’t an official car park for the walk, there is room for a number of cars to park at the side of the road. There are currently no parking restrictions in this area.
The trailhead is approximately 42km and a 45 minute drive from Katoomba and 62km and a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Sydney CBD.
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