Swimming Hole Heaven in North East Victoria

Your guide to the best swimming holes

These swimming holes are all located in North East Victoria, including spots in the Mount Buffalo National Park, the Alpine National Park and along the River Murray. This area generally has the cleanest (and often pristine) waters in the State, and you are more likely to find water in this region during a drought. Many swimming spots in the area are the legacy of past gold mining activities. Above: Discover swimming holes such as Lake Catani on swimmingholeheaven.com (Order this image)

Feel free to browse the online version, which includes many 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. Click or tap on the title or photo of each swimming spot below to find your next swimming adventure in North East Victoria, 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!

Lake Buffalo

A large, north-facing irrigation storage with oodles of fresh, clean water from the surrounding national park. Lake Buffalo looks at its best in late Spring and early summer when it is usually close to full, with designated swimming areas on both sides of the lake…

Lake Catani

This alpine lake with a shimmering golden granite floor has its own little beach, a jetty, and three swimming areas suitable for a dip in summer. It was surprisingly warm given its altitude at approximately 1300 metres above sea level…

Lake Nillahcootie

This flat, shallow, north-facing lake at relatively low elevation heats up earlier in the year and is a bit warmer for swimming than most other large reservoirs in Victoria. Perfect for a springtime swim when venturing outdoors into the water again after a winter hibernation…

Lake Sambell, Beechworth

Lake Sambell is an ornamental lake on the outskirts of Beechworth in north-east Victoria. It has two designated beaches for swimming, but conditions have deteriorated with the lake being drawn down whilst the dam wall is being repaired…

Lake William Hovell

This jet-ski and motor boat free lake at the top of the King River Valley is an uncomplicated swim with plenty of clear water for long distance swimming in any direction, surrounded by bush shores, with a shallow beach and lawn area for family picnics…

Ovens River at Nimmo Bridge, Myrtleford

A long, diagonal chute of water cuts through a layer of jagged bedrock before gushing out into a deep hole in the Ovens River. The river then opens out into a wide and more tranquil pool for swimming, a legacy of a past mining mishap…

Ovens River at Northern Beaches, Wangaratta

Two steep, sandy beaches beaches leading down to deep, slow moving water on two bends of the Ovens River within a bushland reserve on the northern side of town. Whilst it comes with some snags, there are also a few rope swings from overhanging trees…

Ovens River at Porepunkah Riverside Park

A small weir backs up the flow to create a long, deep river pool for swimming in the Ovens River, including a seasonal lifesaving service and a toddler pool in the playground. It is great for lap swimming against the current…

River Murray at Apex Beach, Tocumwal

Probably the most popular beach near town on the Victorian side of the river due to its better road access and shaded campsites, a small inlet creates a shallow, protected area away from the main current that makes the River Murray more accessible here for inexperienced swimmers…

River Murray at Finley Beach, Tocumwal

I like the balance of this beach that offers the thrill of swimming with or against the current in deeper water, as well as relatively calm, shallow water at the edge of the river. This is coupled with a mix of sand and shade, with the option of just visiting or free camping overnight…

River Murray at Guilmartins Beach, Tocumwal

So much sand at what is definitely one of the biggest beaches along the River Murray. The swim has a sand flat that stretches well out into the water, with the usual swift currents further out that allow you to float or swim around 800 metres from one end of the beach to the other…

River Murray at Mulberry Beach, Tocumwal

Diagonally opposite the Tocumwal town foreshore, this smaller beach is also referred to on some maps as Pebbly Beach, because of the little square blocks of gravel that line the edge of the water. Otherwise it is fine sand on the beach and in the water…

River Murray at Thompsons Beach, Cobram

The best of both worlds, with a swim in the river alongside a large beach with shallow entry at most water levels, and a set a shady gum trees at the back of the beach, but with a cafe on site if you want to finish off your visit with some energy replenishment…

Rocky Valley Reservoir

On the mountain plain near Falls Creek resort, this is swimming with nothing over your head except the roof of the world. Granted, it's cold, in fact very cold, but it's the closest we have to high altitude swimming training, and was the home to Australia's first official ice mile swim…

Tronoh Dredge Hole, Harrietville

This picturesque lake and former mining dredge hole is hidden in the forest behind the town. The lake has its own quirkily named jetty and a swimming pontoon, however algal blooms have been an ongoing problem in this otherwise ideal swimming spot… Click or tap on the title or photo of each swimming spot to explore some of the oft-forgotten history of outdoor swimming in North East Victoria. These are from a time before Olympic swimming pools came into vogue and the rise of the nanny state took over.

Lake Eildon at Pinniger Rd

I visited this swimming spot on Pinniger Rd with a group of friends in the late 1980s and again in the early 2000s, but now it seems they paved paradise and put up a parking lot so that boats have somewhere to park while waiting to access the boat ramp…

Seven Creeks Park, Euroa

The weir across Seven Creeks at Euroa formed the pre-Olympic swimming pool for the town and was home to picnics and school swimming carnivals. It's murky and mysterious, but a window into country town swimming before the Olympic spirit gripped the nation… 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.

Bright Splash Park

This free splash park fits neatly within the riverside park to breathe new life into this already great open space in Bright, alongside the Ovens River and Morses Creek. It has several sprinklers, geizers, spraying hoops and a giant tipping bucket…

Gallipoli Park, Marysville

This park and playground has various hand operated water features within the park itself, plus the shallow, pebbled stream of crystal clear, cold water in the Steavenson River that you can rest or frolic in directly behind the water features…

Mitchell Ave Splash Park, Wangaratta

A multi-level splash park that includes two fortified hills with water cannons, each with sub-terranean tunnels that have their own underground sprinklers, plus a bunch of other water features including a ferocious tipping bucket. The splash park is fully fenced, with an adjacent basketball court and dry playground…

Yarrawonga Foreshore Splash Pad

Alongside Lake Mulwala, this free little splash pad has a vertical sprinkler ring and a range of gurglers and water jets. It's only small, but can form part of a day enjoying a picnic on the foreshore, a swim in the lakeside pool or a few runs down the giant waterslide… To find other swimming spots in and around north east Victoria, 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 in and around Melbourne, western Victoria, Gippsland or across the border in NSW that you can visit in an afternoon or day trip. If you know of a swimming hole in north east Victoria 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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