It’s hard to believe that a place that feels this wild lies so close to Sydney, and is so easy to access. Walking in-between the towering gorge walls and then stopping for a dip off one of the sandy beaches has to be one of the most underrated activities in the Blue Mountains!
On a warm sunny day Jellybean Pool will be heaving, when Glenbrook Gorge next door is completely empty! It’s a wonderful place to while away an afternoon in complete peace and serenity.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Glenbrook Gorge.
Wild Swimming in Glenbrook Gorge
The Stats
Distance: 1.2km each way
Elevation gained: 100m
Difficulty: Easy, but some slightly rough patches
The walk down to Glenbrook Gorge is a short, but steep walk downhill, and within 15 minutes you’ll be in the gorge. The further you go, the harder it gets (especially if recent rain has brought the water level up). We recommend allowing 2-3 hours to walk down, enjoy a long leisurely dip and then walk back up again.
The walk down to the gorge
You start the walk from the first car park beyond the entry gate and head left along the paved road. After 50m you’ll see the sign for the gorge and the trail takes you immediately into the bush.
You begin heading downhill on a series of staircases until you reach the river 600m later. The path is in good condition to this point and it’s easy to get down.
However from the moment you get down to the river the path deteriorates and the severe floods of 2020 have left some debris along the trail.
If you don’t fancy hiking through the debris which requires a little bush-bashing, you can walk along the rocky platform by the cliff for a few hundred metres and stop there. You’ll still be in a fabulous part of the gorge. However, we highly recommend pushing on just a little further if you can!
Continuing on, the ‘trail’ does have some erosion and large debris which makes it a case of picking your way through along the path of least resistance.
I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but it’s fairly slow going and you do have to watch your footing.
We carried on along the ‘trail’ until we’d been walking for 1.3km. At this point we found a wonderful spot and as the path only seemed to be getting worse, we were very happy to stop here.
Technically you can carry on up through the gorge all the way to the Nepean River - which we’d done years before - but the conditions aren’t as good as they used to be.
If you are up for it, it will no doubt be a fab adventure and offer even more great swimming opportunities. Walking further is generally easier when the water levels are lower.
Swimming at Glenbrook Gorge
Swimming in the gorge is glorious and it’s one of those rare spots you can visit on a sunny Saturday and still get it to yourself!
It’s really important to be mindful of the currents though, which can be strong, particularly when the water level is very high.
There are quite a few rapids so you’ll want to avoid those and choose a nice secluded area without fast running water.
Even if there’s a strong current and you can’t go for a proper swim, there is always plenty of room for a good plunge near the river banks where you can be fully submerged but not have to go out of your depth.
In the water, there are some of the tiny little fish that come and take a nibble if you stay still long enough, but they are so small that you can hardly feel them!
The water sees quite a bit of sun so it’s much warmer than some of the waterholes in the mountains, which can be ice cold!
I was happy sitting in the water for a good two hours before the sun went in and I finally decided we should probably make a move.
The walk back up from the gorge
If you’ve carried on for more than a kilometre you’ll probably find the walk back towards the staircases easier than when you came in.
The eroded sections feel more stable going up than down and you also know which route to use through the boulders.
The staircases are fairly steep going back up to the car park but it doesn’t take long, and it’s so worth it!
If you love Glenbrook Gorge and are looking for your next secluded swimming spot, try Erskine Creek. It’s another amazing spot and just down the road from Glenbrook Gorge.
Getting to Glenbrook Gorge
Glenbrook Gorge shares the same car park as Jellybean Pool. It’s just under an hour from Sydney. You will need to pay the $8 per day national parks parking fee if you use this car park. If you plan on visiting several NSW parks in a year, you will be better off buying the $65 annual park pass, which covers all the NSW parks except for Kosciuszko.
Alternatively you can park just outside the fee zone for free if you don’t mind walking a little further.
It is possible to get to Glenbrook Gorge by train and that’s how we did the first time we ever visited. You need to to take the train to Glenbrook Station, from Central Station it takes 1 hour 10 minutes and is direct.
You then walk for approximately 1.5km to get to the car park. Be warned though - the walk from the train station is steep. It may seem ok going downhill at the start, but it’s a hefty hill back up once you’ve visited the gorge!
Glenbrook Gorge opening times
Unfortunately if you want to use the closest car park to the gorge you will have to drive through the gate which gets locked each day.
From the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April the park gates are open between 8.30am and 7pm. During the rest of the year the park gates are open between 8.30am and 6pm.
If you come by public transport or park outside the gate you can visit the gorge at any time.
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