Although Shaws Creek is better known for its Aboriginal site (and the Massacre at Shaws Creek that took place in May 1805 between armed settlers and Aboriginal people), a lesser-known bushwalk further upstream takes you to the picturesque and shaded Shaws Creek Pool.
A small waterfall tumbles into the pool from a wide ledge.
Shaws Creek Pool is not too well-known, so there’s a good chance you’ll have it to yourself. The water quality of Shaws Creek is not monitored, but its catchment area is located near the Winmalee Shopping Centre and adjacent residential areas, so it’s best to avoid swimming for a couple of days after any rainfall.
Getting to Shaws Creek Pool
The bushwalk to Shaws Creek Pool starts as a firetrail at the end of Booker Road, and is easy walking for the first 700m.
The firetrail ends at a large rock platform, which offers some filtered views of the Nepean floodplain to the east and the Shaws Creek valley below.
The trickiest part of the walk is negotiating a way down from the rock platform, with a narrow slot or chute offering a safe passage down.
From here there is a rough and steep, and sometimes slippery, track that heads straight down the side of the ridge into the valley.
The track ends above the pool; you can jump down into the water from this side, or for easier access scramble around to the bottom end of the pool. I return the same way as it’s late in the day; you could do this bushwalk in under an hour, but allow 1-2 hours especially if you’re planning to have a swim. The walk up is almost as quick as the descent, as you need to take it fairly slowly on the way down to avoid slipping on the loose rocks.
It would be possible (ideally with a car-shuffle) to continue down Shaws Creek to where it flows under Springwood Road / Hawkesbury Road.
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