Sandy Creek Falls: Jervis Bay's secret waterfall swimming hole

Whilst everyone knows the Jervis Bay area for its stunning beaches, fewer people realise it’s also home to some incredible waterfall swimming holes, and Sandy Creek Falls is one of the best. The crystal clear water warms up very early in the season and swimming surrounded by soaring gum trees, giant boulders and of course the gorgeous waterfall itself is a very special experience.

The falls are best visited after a good downpour as they can reduce to a trickle during dry spells.

Here’s everything you need to know to visit both the upper and lower falls at Sandy Creek.

The walk to Sandy Creek Falls

The stats

Distance: 1.8km return
Elevation gain: 60m
Difficulty: Moderate due to the scramble
Trailhead: Parma Firetrail, Parma Creek Reserve

Summary: The walk to both the upper and lower falls at Sandy Creek is short and for the most part, flat. However, getting down to both sets of falls requires a scramble.

The scramble to the upper falls is quite easy and only involves clambering down a few big boulders.

The scramble to the lower falls is trickier and requires descending a short, but very steep section of cliff with the aid of two fixed ropes.

Starting the trail

From the parking area (full details on where to park and the access road are at the end of the post) you’ll head along the unmarked fire trail you can find at these coordinates: -34.992916, 150.530242.

You’ll know you’re on the right track because you’ll see the remains of an old fence right at the beginning of the fire trail.

After 10m, just after the fence, take a hard left onto the obvious, but unmarked path. You’ll come to a fork 130m later (140m from the start of the walk).

This is an old turning circle (though you can no longer drive here) and leading off into the bush on the left-hand side is the path to the upper falls.

Reaching the upper falls

The very narrow path through the bush brings you out to the rock platform after 105m. The first bit is a bush track and the last bit descends very slightly on a rocky track.

The top of the upper falls is 40m away to the right and unless there has been a huge amount of recent rain, the rock platform will be predominantly dry.

Once you reach the top of the falls you’ll see some giant boulder to the right. This is the route down to the pool at the base of the upper falls.

When dry, the rocks are very grippy and getting down is easy. You have to walk down two big boulders and then climb over a few smaller rocks to reach the bottom, a distance of roughly 20m.

The upper falls

The upper falls are gorgeous, cascading over a wide sandstone overhang into a shimmering green pool below. It gave us NT real vibes.

There’s actually a second cascade to the left of the main falls, but it’s largely hidden from sight behind some rocks.

Even after a good bout of recent rain, the falls are dainty rather than powerful, so this is an adventure best saved for shortly after wet weather (allowing enough time for the rocks to dry out so they aren’t slippery).

The pool is shallow, so it’s great for kids, or for when you’re only after some time relaxing in the water as you can’t really swim.

The majority of the pool has a sandy bottom, so it’s the perfect place to laze around in the sunshine.

Continuing to the lower falls

Though you can probably continue to the lower falls by following the rock platform, that’s not how we did it. We actually didn’t find the upper falls until our way back, so we used the main path (fire trail). If you want to do the same, head back the way you came, as far as the turning circle.

From the turning circle, continue following the trail away from where you parked/started the walk. The top of the lower falls are 435m away.

If you keep following the main path straight ahead you’ll come to the end of the fire trail. From here you can see a faint trail leading into the bush on the left.

It’s a touch overgrown but it’s not too scratchy. You’ll quickly begin descending on the rocky path, which is easy enough as it’s not too steep or slippery.

After 70m you’ll emerge a couple of metres away from the top of the lower falls.

The rope descent

You’re now just 100m from the pool at the bottom of the falls, but the last section is steep. To the right of the top of the falls you’ll see a rope.

The climb down involves walking one step across onto a narrowish ledge and then lowering yourself down two short drops.

Unless you’re really tall, you won’t reach the bottom with a long stretch of your legs, so you have to sort of slide off.

If you’re a long time reader, you’ll know this kind of descent is something I always struggle with.

The reality is you wouldn’t have far to fall if you did slip, but there’s just something about sliding off something I never like, even with a rope. However, if you’re anything like me, I can tell you, it’s actually easy when you do it!

At the bottom of the this first rope you’ll immediately see the second rope descent and this one is best approached backwards, as you would a ladder.

There are plenty of small ledges for your feet, but they are narrow and therefore it’s easiest to go backwards.

As well as the rope there are some sturdy tree roots for extra support if needed. It’s around three to four steps down before you’re off the rope section.

I think this bit is slightly harder going down than the first rope is, but easier going up.

And on that note, I think going up is much easier, or it was for me as I never think I’ll fall going up!

You do need to pull up a bit with your arms on the second rope (the first when you’re going down towards the falls) as there aren’t really any good footholds, but the other one is straightforward due to all the possible footholds.

Once at the bottom of the second rope you are a few metres from the pool.

The bottom of Sandy Creek Falls

The bottom of Sandy Creek Falls is stunning. The waterfall flows over a sandstone overhang into a crystal clear pool below.

The pool is hemmed in by giant boulders and gum trees on one side creating the perfect haven of tranquility.

Entering the water is easy as there are a couple of rocks at the edge of the pool, but they weren’t the slimy slippery kind. After that it’s a sandy bottom throughout the majority of the pool.

It is shallow in places, but still deep enough to swim for the most part. The water was crystal clear and warm!

Even though I love cold water swimming, it’s nice to have somewhere you can sit in the water for ages and not feel in the least bit chilly!

You can also explore beneath the overhang and clamber behind the waterfall.

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.

Getting to the trailhead for Sandy Creek Falls

Sandy Creek Falls is located in the Parma Creek Nature Reserve and the last 10 (ish) kilometres are on unsealed roads. At time of writing the road is well graded and suitable for any vehicle.

To reach the parking point you need to drive for 5.2km along Blackbutt Range Road (a turning off the Princes Highway, south of Nowra) before turning right onto the Parma Creek Fire Trail. From here drive for another 4.6km until you reach the ford. If you have a small car and are not comfortable crossing the rocky ford you should park here (making sure not to block the fire trail).

The ford should have very little water in it, even after rain. The ford is rocky, but most people will be happy crossing it. From here continue up the hill on the fire trail for about 200m and when you come to the top of the hill look for the lay-by at these coordinates: -34.992916, 150.530242. There are several pull-outs along this section of the Parma Fire Trail and you can use any of them as long as they are close to the above coordinates.

Please pull fully off the road leaving the fire trail completely clear.

The trailhead is around 27km and a 30 minute drive from Nowra and 23km and a 25 minute drive from Huskisson in Jervis Bay.