Molonglo Gorge is a true delight, whether you’re looking for a scenic walk or stunning swim spots. A narrow track takes you along the cliff side with wonderful views down into the deep gorge below. The constant cascades make for a serene soundtrack to the trail and there are plenty of cut downs to reach the various pools and waterfalls.
When it comes to swimming the opportunities are endless, there are dozens and dozens of pools, from tiny waterfall plunge pools, to large waterholes you can swim lengths in. However, some are home to platypus, so if you are lucky enough to see one don’t disturb it, just head onto the next pool.
We would not recommend wearing sunscreen or bug spray in the water to keep it pristine for the resident platypuses.
The Molonglo Gorge Walk
The stats
Distance: 3.3km each way (but add on a few hundred metres if you want to cut down to the gorge)
Elevation gain: 300m
Difficulty: Easy, but cut downs to the gorge are steep and rough in places
Trailhead: Molonglo Gorge Picnic Area
Summary: The Molonglo Gorge walk is on a well maintained path for the most part, though it does have rocky sections and uneven terrain. There are some ups and downs along the way, though plenty of flat track inbetween.
There are several great pools you can access which don’t require any off track walking. However, several of the best waterfall pools do require using social trails to get down to the gorge and they can be steep and rough. Moving around some of the pools is on jagged rocky terrain.
Starting the walk: to the first set of cascade pools
From the Molonglo Nature Reserve car park the trail takes you through the picnic area and then right onto a narrow gravel path in the bush.
Roughly 100m later - 200m from the car park - there is an easy access point to the water. It’s a pretty enough spot, though much lovelier pools lie further along the trail.
The path gets a little rocky after this, though on the rougher bits there are often hand rails to help if needed.
You will begin heading uphill for a couple of hundred metres before the path flattens and you are now a little way above the gorge.
Approximately 550m from the car park, you’ll see the first notable cut down to the water. This leads to one of our three favourite swimming spots.
The first 20m are steep and on a slightly loose dirt path before it gets rocky.
At this point you want to bear left to avoid a very steep rocky section and you’ll pass through some tall reeds and pop out on a rock slab.
Climb (a few steps) up the slab and bear right and you will see a small cascade pool (around 680m from the car park).
The cascade pools
There is a small waterfall pool here and then another larger pool below, from memory I think there was also one above, but I opted to swim at the little cascade.
Though the pool is small and narrow, the setting is lovely, with red rock walls and a sea of gum trees.
Though you can see this pool from the walking trail above, you cannot see into it from river level unless you are right beside it.
This keeps it feeling very secluded and it’s a tranquil place to cool off and enjoy the fabulous views.
You could choose to continue heading upstream along the gorge, which is very rugged, but we chose the easy option, which is to head back onto the maintained path and cut down to the water again later.
To the red rock waterfalls
Back on the main trail and it will undulate at little, but it’s never very long either up or down, so it’s fairly leisurely. Roughly 360m after being back on the main trail, you’ll see another cut down to the river.
This leads to a large pool but the track down is steep and loose and we chose to continue on. It turned out to be a good choice as we were about to hit some truly magical off track pools.
You’ll continue heading along the top of the gorge with glorious views that are now far below you. There were lots of butterflies along this stretch on our visit which made it extra special.
At roughly the 2.3km mark (but take off a couple of hundred metres if you are not going to visit the first cascade pools) you will see another social trail on your right. It’s easily identifiable as it’s just before a broken bench.
You are now 100m away from our favourite spot on the whole trail. The start of the path down is steep and rough, but not slippery. It’s a mix of dirt track and walking down rock slabs.
After this short section of ‘track’ you will need to negotiate some jagged rocks, a few of which are slanted.
The rock is very grippy when dry but you still need to take care. You will hear and then see a series of small waterfall gorge pools, just a few metres away from where you reached the initial jagged rocks.
The Red Rock Waterfalls
This is without a shadow of a doubt the most magical spot along the gorge.
There are four small waterfalls that tumble through the steep gorge walls. The rock is deep red, giving it a Northern Territory feel. The scenery is sensational, so good we visited twice in two days!
And on the second day something extraordinary happened. I came ready to swim in the fourth pool, the largest of them all and just as I was about to get in, a platypus popped up.
Smack bang in the middle of the day! We couldn’t believe our eyes and sat and watched for more than an hour and a half as it went about its business.
We have been lucky to see platypus in the wild a number of times over the years, but never had an encounter like this one, it was unbelievable.
Needless to say I did not enter the pool as I didn’t want to disturb it and would ask that you don’t either. There are some stunning little plunge pools above you can swim in, though not with sunscreen or bug spray to keep the water pristine.
The first pool is directly beneath the top waterfall and it’s tiny. If the waterfall is flowing powerfully you’re going to get a real pounding, so you may prefer the next pool along as I did.
This one has a dainty waterfall and a little space to swim. The view is sensational, it’s hard to believe you’re so close to the city centre! It feels wild and remote.
Getting into the pool is easy, but getting out can be a little slippery, so take care. You may need someone with you to lend a hand for stability if you’re not keen on slick rock.
The next pool down is tiny but also very pretty, with the same slippery rock. All the little pools have this, so if you don’t like the sound of it, you may simply want to enjoy the views and swim at the other pools nearby, which are much easier to access.
If you don’t mind a 100m rock scramble on the jagged rocks you can reach a large pool upstream. You need to climb up and down the rocks taking the route that looks easiest to you. Joe and I both went different ways and ended up at the same place.
This pool has easy access to the water as you can step off the riverbank into shallow water, which quickly becomes deep enough to swim off.
It’s a large pool with some rocks around the edges, but a massive amount of space for unobstructed swims across the middle.
You’re surrounded by jagged rocks and trees and it is so well hidden that it very much feels like your own private pool.
To Black Cedar Pool
On leaving the Red Rock Waterfalls you want to head back the way you came, onto the maintained trail. You’ll follow the path along the gorge with more stunning views before the track begins descending towards the river.
Roughly 500m of easy walking from the junction with Red Rock Waterfalls you will see a little social trail on the right. This leads to Black Cedar Pool, just a minute’s walk away.
Black Cedar Pool is very picturesque and by far the easiest pool to swim at along the track, both in terms of the path to the water’s edge and getting into the pool itself.
On the left side of the pool there is access to the water that doesn’t involve negotiating any rocks at all, you can simply step off the little ‘beach’ area onto the gravelly bottom and almost immediately reach water that is swimming depth.
I didn’t encounter any rocks or obstructions in the pool and I enjoyed a long relaxing swim with only the dragonflies for company, despite it being so close to the main track.
You can’t really see it from the path so many people would just walk right past it. It’s a serene spot and my favourite of the non waterfall pools.
Finishing the trail
From Black Cedar Pool you are 550m from the Blue Tiles Picnic Area, which marks the end of the walk. This next section is mainly flat and very easy.
The scenery starts to change a little and as you progress it feels less like a gorge walk and more like a riverside walk.
The scenery is still pretty but it doesn’t have the wow factor of the gorge. The picnic area is a little worse for wear, but it’s a peaceful place and you can relax a little before walking back through the gorge to the car park.
There are no facilities at the picnic area besides a couple of wooden tables.
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 reserve, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Getting to the Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve
The Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve is located approximately 17km and a 20 minute drive from Canberra city centre. A minor portion of the road is gravel, but it’s well graded and suitable for any vehicle at time of writing.
Currently Google maps is a little confused about how to get here and as such the journey times are around 10-15 minutes longer than the drive actually is. Make sure you enter “Molonglo Picnic Area” and check that is in the Molonglo Gorge Nature Reserve (there are a few Molonglo River spots around Canberra).
There are toilets and picnic facilities at the car park.
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.
