Lake Yarrunga at Acacia Flat, South Coast

Here it’s just you, a few canoeists and the boundless water and sky. The lake sits within Morton national park, and it’s amazing that a relatively short walk brings you to somewhere so remote. It’s the only Sydney Catchment Authority reservoir where you’re allowed to swim and, at over 19km, there’s certainly more than enough space for it. It’s such a pretty setting, though, that you’ll probably be just as content to spend the day wading in and out of the water. A gently sloping, grassy campsite juts out into the lake. Shaded by tall gum trees and acacias, which bloom with frothy yellow flowers in spring, it’s a fantastic spot for a quiet weekend.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Stingray Swamp Flora Reserve, near Penrose, Southern Highlands



The word swamp doesn’t usually entice swimmers but this pool is actually a lovely place to swim and looks like the quintessential Australian billabong. A medium-size pool with a small sandy beach, surrounded by ferns and long-legged white gums, it’s part of a system of highland swamps. These swamps act like giant purifiers, slowly filtering water through layers of peat. During times of low rainfall, the water changes from golden brown to blood red. The nearby village of Penrose has some of the friendliest locals you could hope to meet, and there’s also plenty of wildlife at the pool, including black cockatoos, blue wrens and an orchestra of frogs. You may even be lucky enough to see a mob of kangaroos bound into the pool for a cooling swim.

Kangaroo Creek, Royal national park, Sydney South

Upper Kangaroo Creek is characterised by astonishingly clear water, coloured as if it were distilled from the leaves of the surrounding trees. A bushwalk leads you past several bush pools on the creek – one is famous locally, the others little known, and the last is one of the very best waterholes in Sydney. But don’t expect to have beautiful Karloo Pool to yourself, as it’s justifiably popular. Best come midweek or else carry on downstream for some solitude. Here, you’ll discover a couple of pretty, smaller pools rimmed by red aquatic grasses. For the stuff of wild swimming dreams, however, continue on to Olympic Pool. The water in this 50m pool shimmers with the iridescence of an abalone shell. There are plenty of rock ledges for sunbathing and a few from which to plunge into the water.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Kowmung River, Kanangra-Boyd national park, Blue Mountains

This wild river courses through the vast, untrammeled bush of the Kanangra-Boyd national park. It’s a landscape of colossal boulders wrought from towering cliffs. If you love leaping over rocks and jumping into the water, only to hop out again as you explore further along, this is the place for you. The Kowmung is one of only seven rivers in New South Wales that have been declared as wild rivers: a status only given to rivers in near-pristine condition. It’s off the beaten track, remote and difficult to access, so gets few visitors, but there is fantastic swimming to be had.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Grose River at Pierces Pass, Blue Mountains national park

By the time the Grose River has descended to the lower reaches of the world-famous Blue Mountains, it’s sedate and meandering. Here, though, it feels gurgling, active and bracing. Swimming here, you’re right in the middle of classic Blue Mountains scenery. One of the most scenic bushwalks in all the mountains gets you to this spot, and while it receives a few visitors, it’s definitely not on the tourist map. The river bustles around large boulders, pausing temporarily at a series of sunlit pools, where the pale green water is so clear that you feel as though you’re levitating as you float.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Jump Rock, Illawarra

Fittingly named, people come here to catapult themselves into the deep pool. And if testing your nerve isn’t your thing, it also happens to be a gorgeous setting for a swim. In the lush, narrow valley of a national park, the cliffs offer jumps between 3m–10m. A knotted rope enables jumpers to get from the pool to the launching points. From here, it’s just a matter of psyching yourself up before stepping off the edge. It’s exhilarating and the rumbling cascades are so loud that any screams that might slip out mid-jump should be obscured.





Jingga Pool, Dharawal national park, Sydney West

Jingga means nice and sweet in the indigenous language, and while this may be an appropriate reference to the taste of the water, the pool itself has too strong a presence to be summed up by the phrase. A thick sandstone-slab waterfall that looms over Jingga spans the width of one end of this 65m pool. The falls drop almost 5m down the slab’s flat face, and the weight of their gushing waters pushes you under as you swim below. There is something about being beneath a waterfall – it only takes a few moments to feel renewed. When the sign says that the path to this pool is steep, it’s not kidding. This walk is certainly more taxing than the one to a nearby pool; however, the flip side is that it receives fewer visitors. It’s a magical place to swim.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Erskine Creek at Jack Evans walking track, Blue Mountains national park

This is such an enticing place to escape the city and spend a weekend: a 200m pool bordered by a large sand bank that’s perfect for pitching a tent or two. The bush seems to melt right into the pretty pool and, compared to many swims in the Blue Mountains, it’s easy to get to. Sculptured cliffs loom over the deep water, and little swallows dart above its surface. In the morning, you’ll be woken by a joyful assault of birdsong. You can pepper a couple of idyllic days with lazy swims right here but, for the more adventurous, it is also possible to explore up and downstream.

• nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

Kariong Brook Pool, Central Coast

In a lush rock amphitheatre, with a 10m-high waterfall, this is a freshwater haven in a coastal area. It’s the perfect antidote to a hot day, as the surrounding trees and rock ledges create delightfully shady spots. The light is beautiful and, when the sun breaks through the tree canopy, it bounces off the surface of the water and reflects back on everything in golden waves. The pool is small, with deep, clear, chilly water, even in summer. Dragonflies streak along the surface and cicadas compete with the din of the high, tumbling waterfall. The thick trunk of an old fallen tree sits at the end of the pool in a column of sunshine, and is a great spot to dry off.

Nayook Canyon at Deep Pass, Blue Mountains



Nayook creek courses through the narrow canyon before opening onto a bush campground. The journey here to the edge of the Wollemi Wilderness – first by car through a maze of increasingly rough, forestry roads and then on foot – only adds to the sense of adventure. The canyon contains a number of deep pools. By Sydney standards, the water is perishingly cold and a quick dunk will likely be enough to leave you feeling terrific. The best pool has a high, plunging waterfall, which mists the fern-dotted cliff face, creating intense rainbows. There are several rock ledges that provide excellent jumping opportunities. Although it’s a bit of an effort to get here, it’s well worth it. The campground is one of the prettiest in Sydney, consisting of a protected bowl of downy grass with a creek and fire-circle.

Wild Swimming Sydney Australia: 250 Best rock pools, beaches, rivers and waterholes by Sally Tertini and Steve Pollard (£16.99, wildthingspublishing.com) is published on 12 October. To buy a copy for £11.89 including UK p&p visit bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846