This was a very pleasant day spent in Dharawal National Park in the South West of Sydney. Digi Dave was keen to get out and we decided to visit the Minerva and Jingga Pools. These were places that I had never been to before and sounded interesting. I had also talked about a visit to these pools with David Hufton, and by coincidence we met him at the carpark at the entrance to Dharawal National Park at Wedderburn.
Minerva Pool
This carpark is at the end of Victoria Road at Wedderburn and there has recently been some upgrades there. Near the carpark is a nice picnic area and toilet block. Signs with maps indicated the way to the pools.
We first visited the Minerva Pool, which lies in Stokes Creek, upstream about 1 km from the carpark. It is a large attractive pool. A good place to stop and take some photos. The traditional owners of the area ask that only women and children use the pool for swimming.
We then returned, almost all the way back to the carpark, and then took the track (fire road) to the Jingga Pool. This is also about 1 km away, but the route is much steeper.
According to Robert Sloss’s book – “Bushwalking – Cycling Wollondilly and Macarthur”, the Jingga Pool is reached by a side track from the road. We found the old steps and followed them down to a large pool on Stokes Creek just upstream from the junction with O’Hares Creek. It looked OK for swimming, but the banks were quite bushy and there looked like no easy place to get in.
Jingga Pool
We next walked downstream on a very faint track. It looks us to a large overhang, and then we followed slabs and bouldery sections downstream, a short distance, to arrive at an old concrete weir. I think this weir was once used to gauge the water flow in O’Hares Creek – possibly for potential dam sites. The fire road ends at the weir.
Just below the weir, is a much larger and nicer pool for swimming. I think this one is the one many visitors assume is the Jingga Pool. We found a shady ledge for lunch and also enjoyed a swim in the pool. Its a great place.
We later returned via the road back to the carpark.
Back at home I looked at some old maps to see if I could find which of the pools was the Jingga Pool. No names appear on the old 1″ to the mile maps for any of the pools. The Lands and Property Information server that displays the old parish maps seems to be faulty at present and I was not able to view old Wedderburn Parish maps. Nothing came up at Trove.
This was a short interesting walk, great for a hot day when you want a nice swimming spot. More photos are online here on my website.
Hi Dave,
I just felt like relaxed (not in canyon) swimming last Sunday so I went there. Interestingly, not even paying attention to the details of your trip, my trip turned out to be identical to yours plus two extra side-trips, as I re-read the description above and confirmed the pictures.
Swimming in the “Jingga Pool” (as most visitors call the pool below the gauge station at 006175) is absolutely superb (under the rocky overhangs and under the waterfall!) and far outweighs the inconvenience of restrictions at Minerva Pool at 991176 (if you’re a male respecting native culture).
But I disagree that the pool at 004173, that you call Jingga Pool, has “the banks quite bushy and no easy place to get in”. It’s actually very easy to step into it from a bit of grassy bank and sandy bottom where the track delivers you. Swimming may be not as spectacular as at the gauge station pool at 006175, with some underwater plants flanking S shore but still very good along the rest and far more secluded.
If fact, the reasonably long approach (30min steep walking) ensures that those who manage to get in here, are somewhat caring bush explorers and not noisy vandals, as is the case in more accessible swimming spots (e.g. Dargans Dam). I shared my time there with a company of one quiet couple and saw just handful of others on the way out.
My extra side trips were: a small pool at 996175, where 10B trail crosses and a lookout at 009181. The pool is rather small for swimming though area is nice.