Mermaid Pool is a stunning waterfall and would be one of the best swimming spots in the area, were it not for the fact it’s notorious for accidents. Before you get too disappointed, there are dozens of other wonderfully wild swimming spots nearby, which are spectacular and safe. However, a visit to Mermaid Pool is still worth it for the view alone.

Continuing on to Tahmoor gorge will blow you away, with jaw dropping scenery that it’s highly unlikely you’ll have to share with anyone else. The swimming holes along the gorge are some of the best you’ll find anywhere in NSW, with dramatic scenery reminiscent of the Blue Mountains.

Here’s everything you need to know about Mermaid Pool and the Tahmoor Gorge Circuit Walk.

The Mermaid Pool Track

The walk to Mermaid Pool - 3km return, easy grade

We’re going to start with Mermaid Pool, because we know most people choose only to visit this spot. We hope this article will put some other equally incredible, safe swimming spots on your list though!

Mermaid Pool and Tahmoor Gorge are not under the maintenance of the National Park Service, so signage is a little different here.

You won’t be following metal signposts, but instead yellow splashes and the odd pink ribbon tied to trees. They were created and maintained by Robert Sloss and Rosie, and they do a wonderful job. We even bumped into Robert and his dog on the trail!

To reach Mermaid Pool, head under the bridge from the car park and you’ll quickly pick up the yellow painted arrows on the rocks guiding you to the pool.

After 280m you’ll reach a junction where turning left will take you to the Mermaid Pool via the Potholes swimming area and right will take you away from the water on the bush track to Mermaid Pool.

We’ve taken both routes and both are easy. If heading left along the water, you’ll get to see the extra pools, one of which has a rope swing, which is another lovely swimming area, though nothing on what’s to come.

If you go right, you’ll have a small amount of rocky uphill track before it flattens and it’s a nice smooth path to follow most of the way to the pool.

We first visited See Thru Pool which we'll mention next, but if you’re only visiting Mermaid you follow the main track until the sign indicates you need to turn left.

The last little bit of track down to the top of the pool is rocky and uneven, but it’s not difficult. You’ll then reach a rocky platform which you follow for a few minutes to your right, before you’ll come to the top of the pool.

The view is utterly spectacular, a giant waterhole surrounded by tall gorge walls and a pretty waterfall running into it.

There’s a big sign telling you that there is no safe way into or out of the pool. The only way in is to jump and as there are submerged rocks in the water this can lead to severe injury and sadly numerous accidents have occurred here.

Climbing out using the rope looks incredibly difficult too in our opinion, though since our first visit a ladder has been added, which may make it marginally easier.

Mermaid Pool is also a sacred Aboriginal site for women and is believed to be protected by the river spirit, Migadan - yet another reason men in particular should not swim here.

Regardless of this, it’s a lovely spot to sit and relax and there are plenty of other swimming spots nearby, so it is very much worth the visit despite the fact you can’t swim.

If you want to get a good view of the whole of Mermaid Pool it’s worth heading back onto the main trail and following it for 500m when you’ll come to Mermaids Lookdown Viewpoint - from here you can really see why it’s one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Southern Highlands.

See Thru Pool - the closest waterfall swimming spot to the car park

The walk to See Thru Pool - 2.2km return, easy grade

If you want to go for a swim beneath a waterfall and don’t want to walk too far, your best bet is See Thru Pool. It’s a gorgeous swimming spot with easy access into and out of the water.

To exit the pool you can either use the rope to pull yourself back out, or just swim over to the rocks by the shallow end of the pool and walk out from there.

The pool is nice and deep, although there are some submerged rocks which you bump into occasionally when swimming.

The walk to get there is 1.1km each way and it’s just 400m from Mermaid Pool (before you reach Mermaid Pool).

To get to the pool follow the yellow splashes on the rocks and when you reach the tree with the yellow markings, you take the path marked as ‘ST’.

You then follow the path downhill, over some rocks and you’ll see it. It’s an easy smooth walk until the last little rocky section when you need to climb over some rocks to get to the pool.

To continue onto Mermaid Pool, retrace your steps and take the path on the left which is marked by white paint and heads uphill.

The full Tahmoor Gorge Circuit

The stats

Distance: 8.9km circuit (inc Mermaid and See Thru Pool)
Elevation: 342m
Difficulty: Moderate

Summary: Though the walk through the gorge does have some rocky terrain and no offical signposting, it’s still quite easy to navigate and splashes of paint help again as with the earlier pools.

Though the short descent into the gorge has some chains, you don’t really need them, it is quite easy. Traversing the gorge involves walking on some narrow dirt paths, rock hopping and a very minor amount of scrambling.

There’s a bit of a climb to exit the gorge, but again there is rope and chain and you could easily manage without either.

The trail - to Mermaid Lookdown and the lock box

The Tahmoor Gorge Circuit begins just after Mermaid Pool.

If you visit both Mermaid Pool and See Thru Pool, you’ll rejoin the main trail again after Mermaid Pool having walked just under 2km. This first section is an easy bushwalk, with just a small amount of rocky terrain when getting down to both pools.

After you’ve re-joined the main trail the path is flat and easy for the next 400m which takes you to Mermaid Lookdown.

This viewpoint offers an incredible view of the pool with the waterfall tumbling into it, and the elevation shows off the gorgeous bush setting too.

Just 10m beyond the lookout you’ll find a lockbox and this marks the official start of the Tahmoor Circuit.

Inside the box there is a map which you can photograph, as well as a visitor book and some details on the history of the trail.

Onto Jacks Pass and the secret waterfall pool

The notes inside the box for Jacks Pass make it sound a bit scary with talk about a steep boulder descent. The reality is very different.

You descend towards the gorge on rocks, but there are chains to hold onto if you need them - and you probably won’t because the rocks are not that uneven. In just 200m you’ll be past the rocky descent and at a junction.

Follow the path to the left which takes just a couple of minutes and delivers you to yet another incredible swimming spot!

The pool is at the base of another waterfall, much like See Thru Pool, but its location feels more secluded.

You need to scramble down a few rocks to enter the water and the wet rocks inside the early part of the pool are slippery, so tread carefully.

After this pool, you’ll then head back onto the main trail and into the gorge.

Through the gorge

As you begin making your way through the gorge the path is a mix of dirt track in the bush above the gorge and traversing the rock shelf. Some of it involves rock hopping, but when dry the rocks are grippy and it’s pretty easy going.

There are ribbons and splashes of paint to point you along the route of least resistance. If you think you’ve lost the route, backtrack a little and you’ll no doubt pick it up again. There are a couple of little rocky down climbs in places, but there are always good foot placements and all the while the scenery is out of this world.

The gorge walls tower over you and at points there is even dense rainforest climbing up the cliffs. The emerald green river which flows through the middle has a multitude of cascades and small waterfalls, with the majority being easy to access for a dip.

One of our favourites is roughly 1.5km from the lock box (coordinates: -34.2307567, 150.6048751) and is well worth saving some time to swim at.

The water is a stunning shade of blue green even when no light touches it due to the steep gorge wall it’s set against.

It’s one of the easiest pools to access, as well as having a long stretch of water to swim in that is obstacle free. You can simply step off the rock platform and in to the water which quickly becomes deep enough to swim off.

It’s another 300m further on to the emerald waterfall pool, which is one of the most spectacular along the track.

The Emerald Waterfall Pool

Coordinates: -34.2319263, 150.6060132

If you only walked the gorge for this spot and this spot alone, it would be worth it.

The emerald waterfall pool is backed by a huge sandstone cliff which wouldn’t look out of place in the Blue Mountains. The scene is majestic and yet we’ve never seen another soul here.

In terms of swimming, the pool is deep and largely unobstructed. Entry to the pool is easiest from the southern end (the first part you see is from on top of the waterfall at the northern end and there’s no safe way down).

When you see the waterfall, stay on the trail which will drop down to the water a couple of minutes later.

Once you’re on the rock platform, you can walk to the waters edge and enter the pool from there. The only downside is that entry is via rock that is covered in a thin layer of mud which makes it slippery.

I found it easier to sit down and slide off for this reason and you’ll also want to take care when exiting the pool.

It may be an unsightly entry, but it’s oh so worth it for the exquisite views and wild vibe. There’s a second swimming hole just downstream, you can see it from the waterfall pool.

To access it you need to cross over the creek and then head along the slanted rocky slope that leads down to the water’s edge. This is also the route to continue on the gorge circuit.

In terms of entering the water there is mud along the rocks to be mindful of, but it’s a bit easier to access than the waterfall pool. Although there are some shallow areas and rocky parts of the pool, there is still a decent amount of space to swim.

Continuing through the gorge

As you continue traversing the gorge, there are a couple of little downhill sections that have ropes beside them.

As with the earlier chained section they are lovely to have for reassurance, but you don’t need to use them, as the paths are no rockier than many parts of the Great North Walk and others that don’t have anything to help.

Unless there has been a lot of rainfall you won’t get wet in the gorge, though occasionally a bridge breaks but they only span small distances, so it’s not too much of an issue.

All too quickly you’ll begin walking along a narrow path in the forest. It’s predominantly flat but continues to be a bit rocky in places.

Exiting the gorge

At around the 4.6km mark you’ll emerge from the forest and begin the climb out of the gorge. It’s on a steep zig zag path which has both rope and chain running along the whole length of the climb.

The path is rocky but not difficult and it’s just 300m before you reach the top of the first (and longest) climb.

The views looking back over the gorge are great and it would be a perfect rest point, but for the mossies.

This is the only part of the walk we got bitten and we wished we hadn’t stopped! From here you have 2.2km of track to go before you reach the lock box again.

At this point I thought the uphill was finished and was looking forward to some leisurely walking through the bush. After a short flat stretch, you do have one more hill to climb, but it’s small and doesn’t take long. After that, the track is both largely flat and also smooth and relaxing.

You’ll be walking through shady forest before coming to Squatters Lookout, which offers a nice view over the gorge and beyond.

It’s an easy part of the walk and it doesn’t feel like any time at all before you’re back at the start of the loop again.

Completing the walk

The last part of the walk from the lock box retraces your steps along the main trail again. It’s quicker this time though because you don’t make a detour to visit Mermaid or See Thru Pool. It’s only just under 2km before you’re back at the car park again.

The only thing of note on the return is that coming from this direction we noticed another great view of Mermaid Pool which was more open than the one at Mermaid Lookdown. It’s just before you reach Mermaid Lookdown and also offers a fantastic view to the right, into the gorge.

We were here at sunset which offered the most beautiful light.

Overall this walk is an absolute delight. The terrain might be rough but the scenery is fabulous, the swimming spots magical and the path easy to follow. If you love wild swimming it’s an absolute must.

Getting to Mermaid Pool and Tahmoor Gorge

Mermaid Pool and Tahmoor Gorge are located close to Bargo, roughly 100km and a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Sydney. It’s 57km and around 45 minutes from Wollongong.

The last 500m of the road is unsealed. The closest part of the car park to the trailhead is very potholed, but you can avoid that bit by parking one minute further away.

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