Minnehaha Falls, Hiawatha

Swimming Hole Heaven in Victoria

Camp nearby and swim in the refreshingly cold natural pool beneath Minnehaha Falls in South Gippsland. The pool is directly accessible from the road and the campground, with a fast flowing waterfall at the top and a waist deep swirling eddy off to one side. This circular pool is roughly 20 metres across in both directions, with relatively easy, gradual entry from the downstream end. Above: The pool below Minnehaha Falls (Order this image)

After visiting this pool on a spring morning, and having my breath taken away by the deep chill on the water, I can strongly recommend swimming here in the afternoon (when the sun can warm up the water in the eddy) and in summer (when the current from the falls will be less ferocious). Swimming here at this time gave me a new found respect for the little short-finned eel I saw meandering around the edge of the pool, oblivious to my presence in the water, and seemingly unphased by the water temperature.

The big drawcard with this swim is the free campground immediately downstream. It runs along the grassy river flat, with several stone fire pits assembled by previous campers. The downstream section of the river is too shallow for swimming, however there is a deeper stretch alongside one part of the campground, shown in the photo below. This swimming spot and campground is fairly remote from the main tourist sites in South Gippsland. Above: A deeper section of Albert River alongside the campground (Order this image)

The falls themselves are named after the fictional character Minnehaha in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 poem "The Song of Hiawatha". Minnehaha is stated as translating as "Laughing Water" in the poem. Whilst these falls look quite different to the photographs I have seen of Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota, where the poem is set, the steep valley walls and the pine tree jutting out from the rock ledge above the falls are perhaps reminiscent of the Dakotas in that area.

Here is a video of my dip at Minnehaha Falls on a spring morning when the river was flowing 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 car park at the falls. If the map is not zoomed in locally, as can occur with some browsers, simply click or tap on "View Larger Map" below.
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