The Mobong Cascades are a pretty set of small waterfalls and plunge pools located in a beautiful rainforest close to Coffs Harbour. Though the pools are not huge they are big enough for a bit of a swim and fly under the radar, so you rarely have to share them with anyone else.
You can choose either to visit the waterfalls directly, or make a longer loop walk taking in more of the rainforest, including the remains of an old tramway.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mobong Walking Track and swimming holes.
The Mobong Cascades Walk
The stats
Distance: 1.2km return via the quickest route, or 5.2km return via the Mobong Walking Track
Elevation gain: 20m - 140m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Mobong Walking Trailhead or Mobong Picnic Area
Summary: One of the cascade pools is right beside a possible parking area and if you want the quickest route to the other falls you would park here and visit them as a return walk. This route is all on a maintained track, though it’s a natural dirt path which would no doubt get quite muddy after rain. There’s a minor amount of elevation change, but no long or steep hills.
The alternative is to do the longer Mobong Walking Track which takes you through a lot more rainforest. You can either return on the road (a pretty tree-lined fire trail) or make a slight deviation back into the rainforest via the Box Ridge Walking Track.
The Mobong Walking Track is mainly downhill on the way to the cascades so a lot of the way back is uphill. The paths are in decent condition, but there are minor muddy areas as well as plenty of tree roots and small rocky sections.
Though this is a National Parks maintained track it does have some debris and a couple of points where pink tags have been tied to trees to keep you on the right track.
That said, it’s by no means a hard walk, but the easier route if you’re solely looking to swim is to go via the Mobong picnic area both ways.
The Mobong Cascades
Pool number one
Walk length: a few steps
The first pool is just a few steps from the Mobong picnic and camping area, and it is the easiest of the three main swimming holes to access.
You can camp here so you would think it would be busy, but neither time we visited had anyone there at all (and this was a weekend in December).
The pool is a reasonable size, though there are some rocks inside the water which mean you can’t swim its full length. The small waterfall is pretty and the water is relatively deep.
You can step into the pool straight from the point the road runs out and then there are just a couple of rocks to get over before you can swim. It’s a nice spot, though I preferred the more secluded pool a few hundred metres away.
Pool two (and three..)
Walk length: 400m via the Mobong picnic area, or 2.2km via the Mobong Track
From the toilets near the Mobong picnic area you follow the Mobong Track heading south. The rainforest is gorgeous and generally really quiet so you can really soak in all those soothing nature sounds. The forest canopy is dense offering a lot of shade on a hot day.
The path is in good condition, though as it’s a dirt track it can get muddy and leechy after rain, so that’s something to watch out for. For this reason I wouldn’t go after too much rain.
The first time we came this way was after a dry spell and I did pick up a couple of leeches, though I was checking myself and knocked them off before they latched.
The second time after many days of heavy rainfall it was unpleasant to say the least! Our pictures are from the dry visit so you really don’t need a lot of rain for the waterfalls to run nicely.
Back to the walk and you’ll have a small amount of uphill track, but it’s not too steep and as the path flattens and follows the creek you will see another waterfall pool.
There is no formed track to this one so it’s a bit rough getting down, but not difficult and only takes a minute. I didn’t swim at this one but it was a pretty little spot.
Just a short distance further along the trail you’ll come to my favourite waterfall pool, it’s around 400m from the picnic area (or 2.2km if you started at the other end of the Mobong Track).
There’s a minor amount of downhill track to reach it and then you will see a social trail leading towards the water on the right.
Again there is no formed path but this one is really just a few steps down off the main track and much less steep than the other pool I mentioned (midway between the two main pools). The social trail will bring you out to the rocky area beside the waters edge.
From here you can step off the river bank into shallow water. There’s a couple of rocks to get over and then the water deepens and the rocks thin out.
I was only out of my depth in this pool beside the waterfall, otherwise it was deep enough to swim, but not overly deep. The bottom of the pool does have some leaf litter which is never my fave, but I did very much enjoy the beautiful rainforest setting.
The waterfall is really pretty from within the pool which is an angle we didn’t photograph, so expect it to be much lovelier in real life than you see in the pictures.
The water also takes on all the greens of the surrounding forest when you’re inside the pool which gives a lovely green shimmer. The water was warmer than I was expecting but still refreshing on a really hot day.
It cannot compete with pools in the likes of Dorrigo etc but if you’re looking for a quiet spot in serene surrounds you will enjoy it.
The Mobong Track
Walk length: 2.6km each way (you can also make a circuit using the fire trail)
Elevation gain: 140m
I am a huge lover of NSW’s rainforests so I knew I wanted to walk the longer route to the pools along the Mobong Track. I would recommend it if you love a bit of forest bathing, but Joe was less fussed, so take that as you will.
You begin the track by walking along the remains of the old tramway and you’ll notice some rather decrepit slats which are slowly being reclaimed by the forest. This early section also runs alongside farmland so it’s nice, but not as atmospheric as when you get into the more dense forest.
There’s a lot of leaf litter covering the paths but it didn’t really get slippery (when dry). You’ll soon leave the tram tracks behind and then it feels more wild. Unlike some of the walks in Dorrigo the path is very natural here so it blends in nicely with the forest.
There are some tree rooty sections and the odd rocky patch, but it’s quite a good path overall and the forest is really stunning. Walking through it feels good for the soul, with huge strangler figs, epiphytes and tree ferns giving you the full rainforest experience.
After just over 1.6km you’ll reach the creek though it was pretty dry on our visit. There’s a little crossing which is just a few steps and the low water level meant it barely felt like a creek crossing.
Following this there is a short section on a slightly elevated narrow path but footing was generally good.
You’ll start to notice some nice gorge walls and the water levels begin to get a little higher, though the forest gets drier and doesn’t have the same lush rainforest feel.
Just over 2km into the walk the path will widen and you need to bear right and then left. Roughly 150m later you will come to the path on the left which leads down to the main waterfall pool. There’s a second waterfall here which is a little bigger but it doesn’t have a pool.
Once you’ve checked out the waterfalls you continue following the path which leads you above the creek and a third pool. This one has a steeper access point and is smaller, but pretty. A few hundred metres later you will pop out onto the road and the final cascade pool beside the picnic area.
From here you can either retrace your steps, follow the fire trail back the whole way, or follow the fire trail until you see the Box Ridge Track on your right and take this path, which is a slightly longer route back.
Even if you take the Box Ridge Track you still need to walk almost all the fire trail. Happily, it’s a lovely one with beautiful forest either side and very few - if any - cars. It is however, uphill most of the way!
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Parking for the Mobong Cascades
If you wanted to park at the closest point to the swimming holes, you should park at the Mobong picnic area (which is also the camping area) in the Wild Cattle Creek State Forest. You can see it here on Google maps. If you want to walk the longer Mobong Track you should park at the Mobong Walking Track trailhead (you could also park at the picnic area but we prefer to end with the swimming holes), which you can see here on Google maps.
It’s around 50km and a one hour drive from Coffs Harbour and roughly the same from Bellingen. The final 7.2km are on a gravel road but at time of writing it’s in good condition and suitable for any car.
There is a long drop toilet close to the picnic area, but no other facilities.
Dogs at Wild Cattle Creek State Forest
The swimming holes mentioned in this guide are in the state forest and as such are dog friendly. The majority of the Mobong Track is in the national park where dogs are not allowed. For this reason if coming with a dog you need to park at the picnic area and walk south towards the waterfalls. Although the state forest continues a little further than this, there is no signage or obvious boundary so this is the best turn around point.
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