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Swimming Holes in MelbourneYour guide to the best swimming holes
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These swimming holes are all within around an hour's drive from
the Melbourne city centre, including several spots along the Yarra River. I've also included
a few iconic swimming pools and bathing options for the colder months of the year, as well as
some historical but now defunct swimming holes in Melbourne.
Above: Discover swimming holes such as Lysterfield Lake on swimmingholeheaven.com
(Order this image)
Feel free to browse the online version, which includes some (but not all) of my favourite spots. If you are looking for more you can order the full guide for a curated list of my top 50 swimming holes in Victoria.
Popular with some, this former quarry in bush parklands in the city's north-east is not a swim that I recommend due to the poor
water quality that turns this Blue Lake green in summer, and poor visibility of underwater hazards, but can be ok during the cooler months…
The Lerderderg River runs at its best in the springtime and early summer, delivering two great
swimming spots on the western fringe of Melbourne. Visit the gorge before the river typically dries up
in late summer or early autumn…
Arguably the best outdoor swimming venue within the Melbourne metropolitan area, with
two sandy beaches, electric barbecues and huge lawn areas for your family picnic. Worth a visit at
any time of year if you can beat the crowds to the car park…
This is more of a bathing option than a swimming option, but you can still do a
couple of strokes in these geothermally heated outdoor pools. They are heated up to
42 degrees, which is perfect for those chilly evenings and cold winter days…
Swimmer's Cove is the designated swimming area at Pykes Creek Reservoir, west of Melbourne.
Noisy jetskis and a history of algal blooms mean that you have to pick the right time
for a swim here. Alternatively just enjoy a picnic at the lake's edge…
Deep down in the earth, this former quarry has been converted into a recreational lake. Up top there is a little adventure playground and barbecue
facilities, whilst down below you can find a sizeable water body, popular with swimmers but sometimes prone to harmful algae. A council water quality plan for
the site is pending…
Exhilerating like no other swim in the mid-Yarra, this natural drop in elevation in the Yarra
River creates some ferocious rapids, but the risks involved in swimming at this isolated spot
require careful planning and will be too dangerous for most…
The Yarra River at Bourchiers Rd in Kangaroo Ground is a popular (but legally ungazetted) skinny dipping location
in Melbourne. Relatively secluded in a natural bush setting. You can still swim here without taking
your clothes off if you avoid certain areas…
The Yarra River at Deep Rock was a popular swimming spot and home to a local swimming club
in the early 20th century, recently re-invented by an informal group of enthusiastic locals. The rock wall on the opposite bank was also the launch pad of a
cliff diving world record…
The Yarra River at Laughing Waters in Eltham is a series of broad, deep pools separated by the gurgling rapids that
lend this location its name. A little bit harder to get to than other places along the Yarra, but one of the best
spots for swimming…
Part of Melbourne's gold mining history, the Pound Bend Tunnel outlet is a popular spot for swimming in the Yarra River,
either in the shallow rock pool or just dangling your feet from the rock ledge that juts out into the stream…
Aura Vale Lake was a popular swimming spot on the outer eastern fringe of Melbourne until
some time in the mid-1980s. I would swim there several times a year in summer, with and
without a surf mat and lilo, particularly after dinner on warm summer evenings…
Blackburn Lake was home to a local swimming club that held swimming carnivals and diving championships in the early 1910s, and
reforming again a couple of decades later, including squadron races against the nearby Surrey Park swimming club…
This deep hole in the Werribee River at Chirnside Park was home to a swimming club that hosted State Championships
until floods and drownings led to the construction of the adjacent chlorinated Olympic pool. Unappealing for swimming
by modern standards, but provides a window into how less fickle past generations were about swimming…
The Nook in Sunbury was home to a local swimming club and annual Easter swimming carnival in the early
20th century. Today it still has a rope swing over the water, but water quality and visibility are poor,
so swimming is no longer recommended…
Surrey Dive was a swimming hole in Box Hill that operated from 1905 to 1967 at the site of a former
brickworks quarry. Famous for being the first Olympic competition swimming pool in Australia, and infamous for
its deep water and high cliff diving…
Only accessible when the tide is right, this deep rockpool with shallow entry on the Mornington Peninsula is popular
with cliff jumpers, but is also available for swimming and snorkelling, with a further large rockpool also suitable
for swimming and bathing…
In my opinion this is Melbourne's best indoor lap pool for swimming on cold days.
A huge PVC dome over the main pool keeps the air inside the venue positively
tropical, thick with warmth, humidity and some unique shadow puppetry on the dome wall. If it's raining, head here to do some laps…
MSAC hosted events in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World
Swimming Championships. When it's too cold and wet for an outdoor swimming hole, go for a swim here in the
same water that the Thorpedo sliced through…
Where is Melbourne's warmest pool for swimming? Which is the warmest lap pool near you?
Here is a list of the warmest pool available at each public indoor swimming venue in Melbourne. A great
reference for winter, or for the squibs at any time of year…
A little splash pad on the beach foreshore within a beach inspired playground. There's lots of sand and inquisitive sparrows to play with, as well as a view of the beach.
Here's how to find the partly hidden button to turn it on…
A wide artificial stream flows over raised concrete blocks in this designated wading area within the botanic gardens. Make sure you stay between the flags.
After your dip, enjoy a picnic in one of the architect designed gardens…
This playground typifies everything Docklands: New and shiny, with amazing city views, but windswept, desolate and noisy. Here is my suggestion for when to visit
to enhance the positives and minimise the negatives at this water feature and playground…
A twenty metre long constructed concrete and stone meandering stream provides plenty of opportunity for balancing, rock hopping and waltzing through the
gently flowing water. This quiet suburban park in the backstreets of Elsternwick also contains a playground…
Booran Reserve in Glenhuntly is a water-inspired playground on the site of a former Melbourne Water service reservoir. The water features include a
giant frog, artificial stream, hand pumps and screws, splash pad, mini-aqueducts and a wet sandpit…
This large playground in Hampton is a great spot for a summer picnic with a good mix of sun and shade, a small splash pad with around ten jets, and
an elevated tiered aqueduct in the sandpit. It is mostly for keeping cool in between climbing on other things…
Several water features operate in these gardens situated within the Royal Botanic Gardens, including the spiral fountain, the beehive fountain and a meandering stream.
This place gets very busy on hot days, so arrive early to secure your patch of lawn…
A hand pump feeds two hand operated sluice gates for budding young dam engineers in this innovative playground that also includes flying foxes and a
giant cradle swing. Watch out for falling acorns though, particularly if you've recently read Chicken Little…
Located next to the Royal Children's Hospital, this adventure playground houses a spacious splash pad and an artificial stream powered
by kids pressing down on some very cool steel mushroom pumps, with various sandpits and climbing ropes nearby…
Water spurts out of a metal crocodile's mouth into a shallow trough, which spills into a meandering stream complete with giant stepping stones. The stream
then continues on to a splash pad around the corner. The crocodile is a lot of fun for first timers…
Seville Water Play was the first community splash park of its kind in Melbourne. It has some of the most powerful water jets around in this innovative
re-purposed public space in the Yarra Valley. The park now includes a brand new playground next door…
This playground has a long mini-aqueduct that empties into a huge sandpit. As a playground, Wombat Bend is one of the best, but its water feature, as designed, performs poorly.
Here's my advice to turn this water feature into the fun that it was meant to be…
The best-named splash park in Melbourne, it is suitable for children of different ages, with heritage features for the adults to enjoy too.
The slip and slide here was a favourite for displaying knee sliding skills, with a tipping bucket to keep everyone cool…
A large interactive splash park with heaps of bubblers, jets, pumps and tanks to play in, that was designed to attract young families to a new housing estate.
It's the biggest free splash park that I've seen so far in Melbourne…
There is one other splash park that I am aware of, but haven't visited yet, in Wallan on the northern fringe of Melbourne, a couple of smaller ones in Docklands which I haven't got around to reporting on yet, and several splash parks with entry fees, such as at Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Zoo, which I have visited but not reported on, given there are so many free options available.
My companion website Waterfall Seasons of Victoria lists
all of the waterfalls that I have visited during my search for swimming holes. You can swim at some of them, but most are
just for viewing and admiring. Great for a day trip when it's too chilly to get into the water.
Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information.
Above: Discover swimming holes such as Lysterfield Lake on swimmingholeheaven.com
(Order this image)
Feel free to browse the online version, which includes some (but not all) of my favourite spots. If you are looking for more you can order the full guide for a curated list of my top 50 swimming holes in Victoria.
Select Your Swimming Hole in Melbourne:
Click or tap on the title or photo of each swimming spot below to find your next swimming adventure in Melbourne, or
alternatively search by map. Swim safe, have fun and remember that no matter how
cold the water is, it's alright once you're in!
Blue Lake, Plenty Gorge
Popular with some, this former quarry in bush parklands in the city's north-east is not a swim that I recommend due to the poor
water quality that turns this Blue Lake green in summer, and poor visibility of underwater hazards, but can be ok during the cooler months…
Lerderderg Gorge at Grahams Dam
The Lerderderg River runs at its best in the springtime and early summer, delivering two great
swimming spots on the western fringe of Melbourne. Visit the gorge before the river typically dries up
in late summer or early autumn…
Lysterfield Lake
Arguably the best outdoor swimming venue within the Melbourne metropolitan area, with
two sandy beaches, electric barbecues and huge lawn areas for your family picnic. Worth a visit at
any time of year if you can beat the crowds to the car park…
Peninsula Hot Springs
This is more of a bathing option than a swimming option, but you can still do a
couple of strokes in these geothermally heated outdoor pools. They are heated up to
42 degrees, which is perfect for those chilly evenings and cold winter days…
Pykes Creek Reservoir
Swimmer's Cove is the designated swimming area at Pykes Creek Reservoir, west of Melbourne.
Noisy jetskis and a history of algal blooms mean that you have to pick the right time
for a swim here. Alternatively just enjoy a picnic at the lake's edge…
Quarry Reserve, Ferntree Gully
Deep down in the earth, this former quarry has been converted into a recreational lake. Up top there is a little adventure playground and barbecue
facilities, whilst down below you can find a sizeable water body, popular with swimmers but sometimes prone to harmful algae. A council water quality plan for
the site is pending…
Yarra River at the Bend of Islands
Exhilerating like no other swim in the mid-Yarra, this natural drop in elevation in the Yarra
River creates some ferocious rapids, but the risks involved in swimming at this isolated spot
require careful planning and will be too dangerous for most…
Yarra River at Bourchiers Road
The Yarra River at Bourchiers Rd in Kangaroo Ground is a popular (but legally ungazetted) skinny dipping location
in Melbourne. Relatively secluded in a natural bush setting. You can still swim here without taking
your clothes off if you avoid certain areas…
Yarra River at Deep Rock
The Yarra River at Deep Rock was a popular swimming spot and home to a local swimming club
in the early 20th century, recently re-invented by an informal group of enthusiastic locals. The rock wall on the opposite bank was also the launch pad of a
cliff diving world record…
Yarra River at Laughing Waters
The Yarra River at Laughing Waters in Eltham is a series of broad, deep pools separated by the gurgling rapids that
lend this location its name. A little bit harder to get to than other places along the Yarra, but one of the best
spots for swimming…
Yarra River at Pound Bend
Part of Melbourne's gold mining history, the Pound Bend Tunnel outlet is a popular spot for swimming in the Yarra River,
either in the shallow rock pool or just dangling your feet from the rock ledge that juts out into the stream…
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Historical (but now defunct) Swimming Holes:
Click or tap on the title or photo of each swimming spot to explore some of the oft-forgotten history
of outdoor swimming in Melbourne. These are from a time before Olympic swimming pools came into vogue and
the rise of the nanny state took over.
Aura Vale Lake, Menzies Creek
Aura Vale Lake was a popular swimming spot on the outer eastern fringe of Melbourne until
some time in the mid-1980s. I would swim there several times a year in summer, with and
without a surf mat and lilo, particularly after dinner on warm summer evenings…
Blackburn Lake
Blackburn Lake was home to a local swimming club that held swimming carnivals and diving championships in the early 1910s, and
reforming again a couple of decades later, including squadron races against the nearby Surrey Park swimming club…
Bungies Hole, Werribee
This deep hole in the Werribee River at Chirnside Park was home to a swimming club that hosted State Championships
until floods and drownings led to the construction of the adjacent chlorinated Olympic pool. Unappealing for swimming
by modern standards, but provides a window into how less fickle past generations were about swimming…
The Nook, Sunbury
The Nook in Sunbury was home to a local swimming club and annual Easter swimming carnival in the early
20th century. Today it still has a rope swing over the water, but water quality and visibility are poor,
so swimming is no longer recommended…
Surrey Dive, Box Hill
Surrey Dive was a swimming hole in Box Hill that operated from 1905 to 1967 at the site of a former
brickworks quarry. Famous for being the first Olympic competition swimming pool in Australia, and infamous for
its deep water and high cliff diving…
Ocean Pools:
Click or tap on the title or photo of each ocean pool within the Melbourne metropolitan area to find out more.
Bridgewater Bay Rockpool, Blairgowrie
Only accessible when the tide is right, this deep rockpool with shallow entry on the Mornington Peninsula is popular
with cliff jumpers, but is also available for swimming and snorkelling, with a further large rockpool also suitable
for swimming and bathing…
Iconic Swimming Pools:
Click or tap on the title or photo of each swimming pool to find out more about why I consider them iconic. Keep
these in mind for winter, or at any time you want to spice up your regular lap swimming.
The Dome, Kilysth
In my opinion this is Melbourne's best indoor lap pool for swimming on cold days.
A huge PVC dome over the main pool keeps the air inside the venue positively
tropical, thick with warmth, humidity and some unique shadow puppetry on the dome wall. If it's raining, head here to do some laps…
MSAC, Albert Park
MSAC hosted events in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2007 World
Swimming Championships. When it's too cold and wet for an outdoor swimming hole, go for a swim here in the
same water that the Thorpedo sliced through…
Melbourne's warmest public pool
Where is Melbourne's warmest pool for swimming? Which is the warmest lap pool near you?
Here is a list of the warmest pool available at each public indoor swimming venue in Melbourne. A great
reference for winter, or for the squibs at any time of year…
Free Splash Parks, Splash Pads and Water Features for Kids:
Click or tap on the title or photo of each free public splash park if you want to have some family fun in the water, but the kids are not
quite proficient enough to venture into a swimming hole.
Albert Park - Plum Garland Splash Pad
A little splash pad on the beach foreshore within a beach inspired playground. There's lots of sand and inquisitive sparrows to play with, as well as a view of the beach.
Here's how to find the partly hidden button to turn it on…
Cranbourne - Rockpool Waterway at the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
A wide artificial stream flows over raised concrete blocks in this designated wading area within the botanic gardens. Make sure you stay between the flags.
After your dip, enjoy a picnic in one of the architect designed gardens…
Docklands - Ron Barassi Snr Park Hand Pumps and Cobbled Bluestone Artificial Stream
This playground typifies everything Docklands: New and shiny, with amazing city views, but windswept, desolate and noisy. Here is my suggestion for when to visit
to enhance the positives and minimise the negatives at this water feature and playground…
Elsternwick - Harleston Park Meandering Stream
A twenty metre long constructed concrete and stone meandering stream provides plenty of opportunity for balancing, rock hopping and waltzing through the
gently flowing water. This quiet suburban park in the backstreets of Elsternwick also contains a playground…
Glenhuntly - Booran Reserve Splash Pad and Trickling Stream
Booran Reserve in Glenhuntly is a water-inspired playground on the site of a former Melbourne Water service reservoir. The water features include a
giant frog, artificial stream, hand pumps and screws, splash pad, mini-aqueducts and a wet sandpit…
Hampton - Thomas St South Reserve Splash Pad
This large playground in Hampton is a great spot for a summer picnic with a good mix of sun and shade, a small splash pad with around ten jets, and
an elevated tiered aqueduct in the sandpit. It is mostly for keeping cool in between climbing on other things…
Melbourne - Ian Potter Children's Garden Fountains and Stream
Several water features operate in these gardens situated within the Royal Botanic Gardens, including the spiral fountain, the beehive fountain and a meandering stream.
This place gets very busy on hot days, so arrive early to secure your patch of lawn…
Mitcham - Halliday Park Sluice Gates
A hand pump feeds two hand operated sluice gates for budding young dam engineers in this innovative playground that also includes flying foxes and a
giant cradle swing. Watch out for falling acorns though, particularly if you've recently read Chicken Little…
Parkville - Royal Park Nature Play, Mushroom Pumps, Stream and Splash Pad
Located next to the Royal Children's Hospital, this adventure playground houses a spacious splash pad and an artificial stream powered
by kids pressing down on some very cool steel mushroom pumps, with various sandpits and climbing ropes nearby…
Point Cook - Crocodile Park Fountain, Stream and Splash Pad
Water spurts out of a metal crocodile's mouth into a shallow trough, which spills into a meandering stream complete with giant stepping stones. The stream
then continues on to a splash pad around the corner. The crocodile is a lot of fun for first timers…
Seville - Water Play Park
Seville Water Play was the first community splash park of its kind in Melbourne. It has some of the most powerful water jets around in this innovative
re-purposed public space in the Yarra Valley. The park now includes a brand new playground next door…
Templestowe - Wombat Bend Mini-Aqueduct
This playground has a long mini-aqueduct that empties into a huge sandpit. As a playground, Wombat Bend is one of the best, but its water feature, as designed, performs poorly.
Here's my advice to turn this water feature into the fun that it was meant to be…
Warburton Water World
The best-named splash park in Melbourne, it is suitable for children of different ages, with heritage features for the adults to enjoy too.
The slip and slide here was a favourite for displaying knee sliding skills, with a tipping bucket to keep everyone cool…
Werribee - Riverwalk Splash Park
A large interactive splash park with heaps of bubblers, jets, pumps and tanks to play in, that was designed to attract young families to a new housing estate.
It's the biggest free splash park that I've seen so far in Melbourne…
There is one other splash park that I am aware of, but haven't visited yet, in Wallan on the northern fringe of Melbourne, a couple of smaller ones in Docklands which I haven't got around to reporting on yet, and several splash parks with entry fees, such as at Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Zoo, which I have visited but not reported on, given there are so many free options available.
Other Swimming Spots:
To find other swimming spots in and around Melbourne,
order a copy of the Guide to Freshwater Swimming Holes in Victoria, which includes
more of my favourite swimming holes plus additional information about some of the ones that I've shared online.
Alternatively there are several swimming holes western Victoria,
north east Victoria and Gippsland that you can visit in an
afternoon or day trip. If you know of a swimming hole in Melbourne that you think I should visit,
suggest a site.
Too cold for a swim? Visit a waterfall
My companion website Waterfall Seasons of Victoria lists
all of the waterfalls that I have visited during my search for swimming holes. You can swim at some of them, but most are
just for viewing and admiring. Great for a day trip when it's too chilly to get into the water.
Before you head out, make sure to read the swimming safety information.
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