Beat’s guide to the best swimming holes near Melbourne
Photo: Jakob Owens
The best spots to shake off the summer sweats.
Maybe it’s the mischievousness surrounding the concept – is this allowed? Or maybe it’s the feeling of getting closer to nature, where the leeches grab at your legs and the reeds tickle your toes. Victoria’s bestowed with an adventurous assortment of outdoor swimming retreats and we’ve got our hair wet to give you a guide to the cream of the crop.
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Blackwood Pool
The Werribee Gorge is one of Melbourne’s most convenient exploratory refuges. Just an hour’s drive away, there’s endless trekking opportunities and as the Werribee River runs it’s course through luscious grasslands, there’s plenty of openings to take a dip when perspiration’s immersed the brow. At the top of the list, comes the gorge’s largest swimming hole, Blackwood Pool. Home to native wildlife with platypi aplenty, this spot will give you the chance to come face to face with nature. Dive in.