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Jellybean Pool
Blue Mountains National Park near Penrith, New South Wales


 
Jellybean Pool is a swimming hole on Glenbrook Creek in the Blue Mountains close to Penrith. It includes a shallow sandy beach with a deep pool upstream. If it hasn't rained recently, the current through the pool is fairly gentle. The beach and pool are curved at the southern end, roughly resembling the curve on a jellybean, but you probably have to use your imagination a bit here. Take in its panorama from the steps on your way down to choose your spot to set up for the day. The beach is around 40-50 metres long and 20 metres across, and the wading/swimming distance in the water from the beach to the jumping rock is around 100 metres, so there's usually plenty of room, even on a warm day. The beach at Jellybean Pool looking upstream Above: The beach at Jellybean Pool looking upstream. Image source: Washed Over

If you are looking for a gentle splash and frolic in the water, perhaps with the kids, hang around in the shallow waters near the beach. When the flow in the creek is low, the water is quite shallow in the channel at the edge of the beach.
The pool can however get deep as you move upstream and downstream of the beach, so you still need to keep a close watch on inexperienced swimmers if they wander off.

At the upstream end of the pool there is a large boulder, roughly 3 metres high that people jump off into the water. If you are scared of the height, some people shuffle over to the right hand side of the rock (looking downstream) where the height is about half a metre lower. To get to the top of the rock, you just climb/walk up the back of it. There is also 10 metre high cliff that the more adventurous launch themselves off, but it is a lot riskier because you need to propel yourself out to avoid a lower ledge near the edge of the water. There are also lower ledges close to the water for a more gentle jump into the water.
Other Information Before You Go:
Location: Jellybean Road, Blue Mountains National Park, Glenbrook, New South Wales, 65 km (approx. 1 hr 10 min drive) east of the Sydney CBD.
Latitude:-33.781455 Longitude:150.619063
Getting there: From the city head west along the Western Motorway (M4) and the Great Western Hwy (A32) to Glenbrook. From Glenbrook head south along Ross Street, then south-east along Burfitt Parade / Bruce Road / Jellybean Rd to the Jellybean Track car park. By public transport take the train to Glenbrook Station and then walk or grab a taxi for the 2 km journey from the station to the pool car park, making sure you agree with the driver to pick you up later on. The pool is directly below the car park (steps involved). The car park is only small, so on a hot day it's likely to fill quickly. If that's the case, you need to park at the larger Glenbrook Information Centre car park, which is a 500 metre walk (with steps) down to the pool along the Jellybean Track. The Jellybean Track starts at the western end of the Glenbrook Information Centre car park.

Facilities: There are no facilities at the pool. There are toilets, payphones and drinking water at the Glenbrook Information Centre.
Entrance fee: Entry fee per vehicle into this area of the Blue Mountains National Park. The fee was $8 at the time of writing in early 2017.
Water temperature: Mild
Water clarity: Clear
Under foot: Sand, rock
Maximum water depth: Greater than 2 metres
Minimum swimming proficiency required: Beginners at times of low flow, which typically occur if there has been no rainfall over the last few days.
Prohibitions including whether you can bring your dogs: No pets, no smoking
Sun shade: Shade on the southernmost part of the beach and pool during most of the day, but exposed sun elsewhere except during the early morning and late afternoon, when shade can creep into the gorge.
Opening times: 8.30 am to 7 pm during daylight savings, 8.30 am to 6 pm at other times. Park can be closed at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
Wheelchair access: None
Managing authority: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Nearby attractions: The Blue Pool, 500 metres to the north along Glenbrook Creek, and the Duck Hole 2km to the north-west.
Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions.
Locality Map:
The marker indicates the approximate location of the pool. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can sometimes occur when loading, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
View Larger Map
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