Sydney is blessed with an abundance of beaches and waterholes – some easily reached and always busy, and some challenging to reach where you’ve got a good chance of being on your own. My list of the best wild swimming spots around Sydney is of course subjective, and while I’ve included many places that are well known, I’ve also included some that are a bit “off the beaten track”. While some of the more remote swimming holes or beaches may not be quite as spectacular as the popular “Instagam spots”, this is compensated by the pleasure of being able to enjoy the solitude and quiet of the bush.
For more ideas, or to find the perfect wild swimming spot around Sydney, try the Wild Swimming Search – you can search by location, national park, seclusion or distance / ease of access. I’d also recommend the Wild Swimming book by Sally Tertini and Steve Pollard – it’s about as close as you can get to an encyclopedia on wild swimming spots.
Top Swimming Spots in Sydney’s North
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 1.8km
- Ease of access: Moderate/Hard
- Features: Shaded areas
- How to get there: Park at the end of West Head Road (West Head Lookout)
- One of my a few accessible West Heach beaches, Flint and Steel Beach is my favourite. The beach has lots of shelter and low surf, and you’ll often spot wallabies graxing on the grass behind the beach. It’s reached by 2km (return) bushwalking track.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 2km
- Ease of access: Easy/Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Flint and Steel track from West Head Road
- Alternate swimming spots nearby: Want a more secluded beach – try Flint and Steel Bay (accessed via the same track). Or West Head Beach and Resolute Beach are two other quiet West Head beaches.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 3.6km
- Ease of access: Moderate/Hard
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Flint and Steel trailhead near the end of West Head Road
- While this small and secluded waterhole is not very deep, it earns a spot as one of the best Sydney North swimming spots due to it’s idyllic location. Surrounded by bush and fed by a pristine creek, it’s a great spot to relax. Downstream are some small cascades and a great view from the top of the Elvina Bay waterfall. Lovetts Bay pool is reached by a short bushwalk.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 3km
- Ease of access: Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: Elvina Track off West Head Road
- What makes Refuge Bay one of the most spectacular wild swimming spots around Sydney is its cliff-top plunge pool, at the top of a waterfall above the beach. A steep clamber up from the beach gets you to the natural swimming hole. (The sheltered beach is also a nice place to swim). You can reach Refuge Bay by boat, or via a 10km bushwalk from West Head – it can get fairly busy on weekends with people arriving by boat.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 9.9km
- Ease of access: Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: By boat via Hawkesbury River or bushwalking track from Salvation Loop
- One of the most beautiful beaches at West Head, part of the attraction of the secluded Resolute Beach is the bushwalking trail you take to get there… The 4km Resolute Loop takes in two beaches, Aboriginal art sites and some WWII fortifications.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 2km
- Ease of access: Easy
- Features: Caves, Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Trail from West Head Lookout or Resolute Picnic Area
- Alternate swimming spots nearby: Other easily accessible West Head beaches include Flint and Steel Beach and West Head Beach.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 2.8km
- Ease of access: Easy
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing, Wildlife
- How to get there: The Basin carpark on West Head Road
- Upper Gledhill Falls is getting busier as more people discover this secret swimming hole. The deep pool is only a very short walk from the road, and below a small waterfall, with easy entry via a sandy beach.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Distance to swimming spot: 0.2km
- Ease of access: Easy/Moderate
- Features: Jumping spot, Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: McCarrs Creek Road just before junction with West Head Road. Limited parking.
- Alternate swimming spots nearby: If it gets too busy and there’s no parking, you can also swim at The Duckhole, which is downstream.
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