Lake Eckersley is my new favourite swimming spot in Heathcote National Park. The water is so clear and the pool is surrounded by forested hills and boulders which give it a more wild feel than others in the area. It also has a really tranquil vibe, I could feel a peacefulness wash over me the more time I spent there. The combination of the beauty and the feel is what made it pip Goburra Pool to reach my top spot in the park.
Whilst the walk to get to the main part of the lake is easy and on a maintained trail, the final few hundred metres to the best swimming spot are off track and a touch rough. However, it’s a really short section and totally worth it.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Lake Eckersley.
The walk to Lake Eckersley
The stats
Distance: 7.9km return
Elevation gain: 175m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Summary: The walk to Lake Eckersley has a couple of downhill sections on the way, but a significant amount of the track is flat. It’s all on a good path, but for a few short rocky sections. If you want to continue to the best swimming spot, just up from the lake, then it is off track.
It’s a bit scratchy and there are a couple of big rocks to climb over, but for the most part it’s still easy as long as you know the way - this section of the walk is not signposted.
Starting the trail
We began the walk to the lake on the corner of Freeman Road and Bella Vista Street in Heathcote, as this is the quickest route. However, if you have more time and also want to visit Goburra Pool you could start on Oliver Street too.
The trail begins at a gate that is just beside a pylon (you can see it in the photo below). The trail heads alongside the pylon before you reach a T junction 100m into the walk, the left path heads into the bush and right path goes into the residential area. Take the left.
It begins as a fire trail and will head downhill towards another pylon, with one very short steep section. The fire trail is a little rocky, but wasn’t slippery on our visit.
After 300m you will reach a bush track and it becomes more scenic.
The bush track is also a bit rocky and uneven, but not slippery when dry. After 100m in the bush you’ll come to a small rock gully you need to climb down, but it’s just a couple of steps and not challenging.
Roughly 30m later you’ll turn right (430m into the walk) and begin heading along the Friendly Track.
To Mirang Pool
The path is now either flat or very gently downhill and the conditions underfoot are good. You feel like you’ve left suburbia behind as you head through the bush, with the ever present chorus of the cicadas.
After just over 300m you’ll reach a few stairs leading downhill which bring you to a bridge over the pipeline.
You’ll then reach another fire trail and head left. The paved road will take you gently downhill before reaching a turning on the right, signposted as Mirang Pool (1.7km into the track).
The pool is 50m away, down a set of good, if a little damp and muddy, stairs. We’ve covered what it’s like to swim there in this guide.
Mirang Pool is lovely, but not as beautiful as Lake Eckersley, so if you’re short on time I would carry straight on to the lake.
Mirang Pool
Continuing to Lake Eckersley
You’ll continue following the pipeline gently uphill for another 500m beyond the Mirang Pool turn off. The path then flattens or is very slightly uphill for the next 700m.
As you’re walking next to a giant pipeline and it’s just a fire trail, this part of the walk is not the most picturesque, but it’s definitely worth it.
At the 3km mark, the trail heads gently downhill and you’ll see a picnic table on the right 200m later.
This is just before the causeway where there are more pools you could swim in, though the fact they’re beside the causeway means they feel much less secluded than Mirang Pool or Lake Eckersley.
After crossing the causeway you continue following the road uphill before it soon flattens. Roughly 100m later or 3.5km into the trail, you turn right into the bush and the turning is signposted.
Interestingly there’s a no camping sign here, despite the fact we thought there was a designated campsite at the lake!
We’re not sure why it says camping is no longer allowed, but regardless people definitely do still camp here!
Once you turn off the fire trail you’re on a proper bush track for the rest of the way to the lake, which is now 300m away. You’re predominantly descending to the lake, though there are also flat sections along the way.
It’s a good path, though rocky and uneven in places.
It will bring you out to a clearing by the lake, 3.8km from the parking area (or slightly less if you didn’t visit Mirang Pool).
Continuing to the best swimming spot
Coordinates of the swim spot: -34.096356, 150.973331
The lake at the end of the maintained trail is really pretty and it’s huge, so you could go for a great swim here. Access to the water is easy, straight off the sandy bank.
I had every intention of swimming here until we carried on to the next spot and loved it so much, we ran out of time to swim in this main part of the lake.
You could happily spend the afternoon here, without having to do any off track walking, however, if you don’t mind a 350m rougher track then it really is worth continuing on.
At times there are two paths you can take, one closer to the water’s edge and one higher up. We used both and it was much of a muchness for the most part.
To start with, take the worn track leading right, away from the main trail and into the bush. It can be a little scratchy as it’s overgrown, but it’s not difficult underfoot.
After 30m it may look like you’ve reached a dead end but you need to climb over the boulders you can see blocking the way.
They are very grippy when dry and it’s not hard to climb over them. The next 20m are more overgrown and quite uneven, but the path will improve over the next 100m.
It becomes more open, less overgrown and just generally nicer to walk on. There are some branches and debris around, but nothing significant.
Roughly 275m after you left the lakeshore you’ll reach some rock slabs which are even easier to walk on and you’ll follow the creek, which is very pretty.
Just 50m later there’s a little rock chute to climb down (easy) and you’re now just 25m from the beach beside the swimming hole.
Swimming at Lake Eckersley
The little sandy beach provides easy access to the water and the sand continues to the bottom of the river, so there were no slippery rocks to negotiate. The water becomes very deep very quickly, so it’s perfect for a proper swim and I didn’t encounter any rocks or debris.
The water was also warmer than many other swimming holes in the area, though not quite as warm as Goburra! It is the sort of spot you could spend a long time in the water and never feel cold - though I preface this by saying we visited on a warm day in March!
There is so much room to swim up and down the river and this particular section had steep forested sides and picturesque boulders which gave it a wilder feel than other pools in Heathcote.
It really is a special spot, with an air of calm and peacefulness that wasn’t even broken by the fact we visited on a Saturday and there was a group of campers set up for the night nearby.
I think that says a lot about how lovely it is because normally I would find that quite off putting. If you do want to get this spot to yourself it’s probably best to avoid Saturdays, as it is an unofficial campsite (well I assume it’s now unofficial due to the sign by the track down to the lake).
Also in terms of the campsite, it’s very much a wild camping spot, there was a makeshift fire pit, but no other facilities whatsoever.
When you’re ready to leave the campsite you retrace your steps back to the parking area. There are a couple of hills on the way back, but much of the track is flat.
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.
Note that there are no toilets at the trailhead or anywhere else along the walk, so please plan accordingly.
Getting to the Lake Eckersley trailhead
The track to Lake Eckersley via the quickest route as described above, begins on the corner of Freeman Drive and Bella Vista street in Heathcote. There is no official car park for the walk, but room for several cars to park fully off the road.
Please park respectfully as this is a residential street. If you are coming by public transport you can walk from Heathcote Train Station, which adds on an additional 1km each way.
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.
