Crystal Pool is a glorious wild swimming hole in Royal National Park which despite its beauty, still flies under the radar. The pool is fed by a picturesque cascade and surrounded by dense bushland, it’s like a little patch of paradise. As the walk to get here is really short, it’s the perfect spot to come on a hot day.
The trail is not signposted and it’s a little overgrown, but overall it’s fairly flat and easy.
Here’s how to get to Crystal Pool and what to expect when you do.
Visiting Crystal Pool
Where to park to access the trail
The trail doesn’t have a car park so you’ll need to use one of the few lay-bys which are close to it. There are very limited spots and if they are full we’d recommend checking out one of the other nearby pools and returning another day. Crystal Pool is small and it’s the sort of spot where if there’s more than one other car there, you’re not going to experience it at its best.
Happily it’s not well known so we’ve actually never had an issue with spots being full and hopefully neither will you.
The trailhead lies off Sir Bertram Drive in Royal National Park, roughly 8km from the boatshed. The coordinates for one of the lay-bys are -34.1174061, 151.0696500 (or click here for Google Maps) and you’ll need to walk down the road (in the opposite direction to Audley) for a couple of seconds until you see the metal gate (which is quite obscured by foliage).
The lay-bys are on the western side of Sir Bertrams Stevens Drive, so if you’re driving from Audley, you will need to turn around at Bundeena Drive to approach the lay-bys from a direction where you can simply pull off the road to park.
The walk to Crystal Pool
The stats
Distance: 550m each way
Elevation gained: Flat
Difficulty: Easy
Summary: The walk to Crystal Pool is pretty much entirely flat, however, small sections are a little overgrown. While there is a lot of fire trail and good dirt track, there is also some uneven terrain, including a few rocks to climb over. There’s a little bit of debris here and there, but nothing that is challenging to manoeuvre around.
The trail
From the lay-by, walk in the opposite direction to Audley until you see the metal gate on your right, slightly set back from the road, it’s now quite obscured by foliage. Walk around the gate and along the worn grassy path bearing left. It soon becomes a fire trail and heads very gently downhill before turning into a sandy track. After rain it can get a little muddy along a very short section of track, but otherwise it’s all very easy going.
After 250m the wide path ends and you’ll bear slightly left onto a narrow bush track. This is where the track gets a little overgrown, but it’s only another 300m to the pool.
It’s mainly flat, but it does have encroaching bushes and some logs and tree branches which have fallen across the path.
You’ll have to duck beneath fallen trees a couple of times, but despite that it’s not hard to follow, or challenging. There are several large rocks along the track, but they are easy to climb over.
You’ll pass a cascade on your right after 30m (if it’s been raining anyway!) and keep heading straight on to reach the pool.
Roughly 550m after the metal gate you’ll arrive at a large overhang and the beautiful Crystal Pool.
Swimming at Crystal Pool
Crystal Pool is an amazing spot to swim. It might be fairly small but it’s deep and largely obstacle free, so you can swim almost all the way up and down without worrying about crashing into rocks.
The water is absolutely gorgeous, both emerald green and crystal clear at the same time - a bit like the nearby Karloo Pools and Curracurrang Falls. However, it’s worth noting that this spot is not at its best during a long dry spell. On our most recent visit the water level was very low and it had lost its emerald colour, becoming more of a dull green. It’s still pretty enough, but it’s definitely more beautiful with more water.
The small cascade adds to the magic and the rocks give it a sense of seclusion. It really is a glorious spot and off the beaten track enough that it’s unlikely you’ll have to share.
There is plenty of space above the pool to bring a blanket and a book and there are few lovelier places to while away an afternoon.
The overhang provides a bit of shade, or shelter from the rain if needed, although sadly there is a little graffiti which mars an otherwise pristine spot.
Please always take all rubbish with you and leave the place exactly as you found it for others to enjoy after you.
We saw on the map there was a another larger pool further along the trail, but it’s quite overgrown, so we haven’t yet put in the effort to find it - Crystal Pool is a pretty hard spot to leave!
Royal National Park entry fee
You’ll have to pay the $12 daily vehicle entry fee unless you have an NSW Parks Pass. The parks pass is better value if you plan on visiting any of the NSW national parks (except for Kosciuszko which is not covered by the pass) more than six times in a year.
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