Tallebudgera Creek at Harley Smith Reserve

Gold Coast, Queensland

A huge lawn leads down to the water's edge at this swimming hole in the Gold Coast hinterland. The chalky, turquoise coloured water swirls around beside the rocks in a deep hole on the opposite bank, before flattening out at a low wall of pebbles at the downstream end. The whole pool is around 30 metres long, with a swift current running through that you can readily swim against, but also drift downstream with. Above: The swirling eddies running through the deep channel beside the giant rock at Harley Smith Reserve Swimming Hole (Order this image)

Entry into the water is best at the downstream end, near the submerged wall of pebbles. The water here is only ankle deep across the length of the river, so you can easily step into the water. Avoid entering the water on the upstream bend, where river weed spreads out a couple of metres from the bank, but fortunately the rest of the pool was free of this weed. There is a little sandy beach in the upstream corner of the pool, but it's hard to reach by foot because of a little boggy depression in between. I also suspect that it may be on private land. Above: The shady river bank at Harley Smith Reserve Swimming Hole (Order this image)

Once in the water, you can wade a few metres before the bed drops away for some deep water swimming. Just before you approach the rock, there are some submerged boulders that you can perch yourself on for a rest mid-stream. Even if you don't get into the water, this is a really pleasant picnic spot with heaps of room to run around.

Here is a video of swimming at this spot. There had been a bit of rain on and off over the previous days, so the river was running well.

Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information and check with the managing authority for any current change of conditions. The marker indicates the approximate location of the swimming hole. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can sometimes occur when loading, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
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