I am super excited to share this one with you. Macquarie Pass is one of my favourites, if not the favourite place that I have discovered in Sydney so far. There is just something about it that brings me so much joy. The first time that I went to Macquarie Pass was actually on my birthday a few years ago. I had the day off work and some of my friends had planned the day for me. I had no clue where we were going or what to expect.
When we arrived at the carpark it was already so beautiful. It is a small carpark halfway up the Macquarie Pass range, and it is situated on a bend in the road which means that it is very easy to miss. In fact, we missed it the first time and had to turn around and come back for another try.
From the carpark you start on a fairly wide walking track and it doesn’t take long before you are fully surrounded by rainforest. You walk on this track for about 30 minutes and then you emerge into a more open area which always reminded me a bit of Jurassic Park. It has the mountains in the background but you are standing next to an open field with palm trees (or at least something similar, I am no expert!). It is a great place to have a bit of a rest if you need it and have a look at the view. Continuing on it is not long before you make it to the river. The walk is such a beautiful one, but for me the real fun starts when you start climbing upstream. I love taking off my shoes and hopping from one rock to another (it is not a difficult climb, there are plenty of options to choose from).
The first time we went we only went a little bit upstream until we reached a waterfall. There was a little pool at the bottom and even a vine swing (it was literally one that you could sit on and swing like you would at a playground). We had lots of fun checking this area out before we turned around and headed back downstream.
The second time we came back we decided to try and go further upstream so we climbed to the side of the waterfall and made our way further up. This was 100% the right decision because it led us to my absolute favourite part of this area! After climbing for a while and discovering lots of cool little rock pools and fun little passageways between rocks we rounded a bend in the river and there was the most magnificent waterfall! It was quite a tall waterfall that fell into this big pool. It was completely isolated and we had the whole place to ourselves.
I have gone back multiple times since then and have swam in the pool a couple times; in summertime and even in the middle of winter. There is something so peaceful about jumping into chilling water and just paddling around. Once my body warms up I like to just lie in the water and float, listening to the sounds of the waterfall.
I always like exploring new places, but Macquarie Pass is one that I am always keen to go back to. Every time I visit I have such a great time and I have many happy memories there.
The Barefoot Adventurer 