Deer Pools is a gorgeous natural swimming hole in Royal National Park. It’s easy to access and a great spot to cool off on a hot day. Despite being just a short walk from the car park, the pool has a lovely secluded feel to it.
The water is for the most part quite shallow, so it’s a good spot for kids or lazing around in the water, rather than proper swimming. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Deer Pools.
The walk to Deer Pools
The stats
Distance: 4km return
Elevation gain: 110m
Difficulty: Easy
There are a couple of ways of getting to Deer Pools, but the quickest and the route we took is along the Marley Track, starting from the car park off the Bundeena Drive (it’s marked as the “Bundeena Drive to Marley Walk car park on Google Maps - click here to find the exact spot).
It’s a pleasant enough walk but it’s no match for others in the park, it’s really about getting to the swimming hole.
The Marley Walk to Deer Pools
You cross over the road and head straight into the bush on a narrow sandy path. The early part of the trail can get a little waterlogged after heavy rain, but the puddles aren’t anything that would flood your boots.
The walk is generally very easy with the majority being fairly flat, although there are some gentle undulations - although nothing that resembles a hill!
Whilst the track is predominantly smooth, there are some rocky slopes and the odd large rock to climb over, but nothing tricky or slippery. If walking in spring the wildflowers add a little sprinkle of colour along the trail.
The walk takes you predominantly through heath, so there isn’t actually very much shade at all until you hit the last 300m when you’re in dense bush.
Overall it’s an easy trail, although on a hot day you’ll be grateful for the pool at the end!
When you’re ready to head back, the walk does have a couple of gentle climbs to the car park, but there aren’t any steep bits.
Deer Pools
The walking trail will take you to the top of the little cascade that runs into the pool. You can either head down the rocky slope, which is grippy when dry, or take the normal bush track off to the left which will take you down to the sandy beach.
The rocky short route
The bushy longer route
The bush track is a little overgrown but still easy enough to pass through, just watch out for webs!
The trail down to the pool is unmarked and will be on your right about a minute in.
Once you’re down at the pool there’s a small sandy beach to relax on in-between dips.
Swimming here is really refreshing and it’s a lovely peaceful spot, surrounded by ferns and picturesque rock formations.
The water does get to shoulder height in places, but for the most part it’s a little lower and there is plenty of very shallow water too.
The bottom is generally sandy with some debris and only really gets rocky towards the edges.
There are some logs in the pool following heavy rain, but it doesn’t detract too much from the beauty of the place. It’s a very serene spot to spend a couple of hours relaxing in the water.
Getting to Deer Pools
Deer Pools are located along the Marley Track in Royal National Park. The quickest access point is from the car park along Bundeena Drive.
They are just a five minute drive from the village of Bundeena, which makes a nice place to stop for a coffee before or after.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
