Imagine walking down into a secluded valley, fringed by a river on one side and the glorious Australia bush all around, and finding a thermal pool that remains a perfect 27 degrees all year round. What if I told you such a place existed in the Kosciuszko National Park! Introducing the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool.
Upon learning about a thermal pool hidden deep within Kosciuszko National Park I immediately added it to our Kid Bucket List. We had to go. I had a vision of myself floating in the pool with the sounds of nature all around. I imagined something like the onsen we saw in Japan combined with all the smells and sounds of the Australian bush. It wasn’t exactly as I envisioned, but the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal pools certainly hit the mark.
Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool NSW
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Where are the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pools exactly?
The Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal pools can be found just off the Snowy Mountains Highway in the Kosciuszko National Park, around an hour from Tumut or a couple from Cooma. There is a single entry point and a separate exit point. If you are coming from Cooma, Google maps will take you to the exit. Continue on for around 6 kilometres towards Tumut for the entry.
Access to the pool is via the Yarrangobilly Caves Visitor Centre which you will come across first upon entering the park and driving a few kilometres. You will need to purchase a park pass for your vehicle which will cover you for the day. Currently it is $4.00
Upon visiting the Yarrangobilly Caves Visitor Centre and paying for your ticket, make sure to ask for a map which will show you both the parking area for the Yarrangobilly Caves and the parking area for the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pools. There are two tracks to the pools.
The Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool is located around a 1 hour drive from Tumut, 1.5 hours from Cooma and around 3 hours from Canberra.
Walking to the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pools
The Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pools can be found in the valley below the car park. You have two options to access the thermal pool: either via the short 700 metres walk down from the car park, or by winding your way along the Yarrangobilly River which isn’t as steep but is a good 3 kilometres.
The River Walk would be a great option if the caves are open and you wish to explore them. However, on our trip we took the 700 metre walk down to the pool and exited the same way. A word of warning: it is very steep and you may need to take some breaks along the way. The pathway seems to be an access road for the rangers, so is a food width and is relatively smooth – it is just steep and those 700 metres will fill like a few kilometres.
The walking track is Grade 4 due to its steep incline.
Is the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool natural?
Well, yes and no. The Yarrangobilly Thermal pool is a natural thermal spring, however, the ‘pool’ itself was only built-in 1896. The current pool was constructed in 1969 by prisoners. Yep, back then Yarrangobilly was declared as a place of detention.
I guess explaining the whole ‘natural spring water’ would be helpful. When it rains, the rainwater seeps through the porous rocks hundreds of metres below ground. It is thermally heated only to be forced through cracks, emerging as a warm (27 degrees celsius) spring that flows into the pool at a rate of 100,000L an hour.
The Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool water is mildly mineralised and contains magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Interestingly, despite being quite close to limestone, there is little calcium carbonate in the water.
What amenities are at the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool?
The Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool is in the Kosciuszko National Park. You will find some basic amenities at the park’s information centre including icecream. It’s some kilometres from a petrol station and there are no shops nearby, so ome prepared.
A good 10-minute walk from the car park, the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool is set in a clearing which is surrounded by trees and mountains, with a lovely river nearby. There is enough space on the lawn to spread out a picnic blanket, although you will need to bring your own food and water.
The site boasts a change room and a toilet block. Please note that the toilets are drop-toilets or self-composting toilets which may be a little confronting to some.
Most surprising, we did note a number of wheelie bins on site so you don’t need to take your rubbish home with you as one does at many National Park areas.
Swimming at the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool
The Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool is around 20 metres in length, with a smaller, shallow wading pool at one end. The main pool has a depth of 2.5 metres with no shallow end. The water has poor visibility.
Due to the constant 27 degrees, you may find the sides and bottom have a slimy feel. This is due to the soft, green algae growing on the walls. This shouldn’t harm you, however the rangers do complete regular cleans of the pool.
As the pool is naturally fed by the spring which pours out into the Yarrangobilly River, the pool is not chlorinated or treated. This makes it the perfect habitat for Eastern Banjo Frogs that breed in the pool
Where to stay when visiting the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool
We planned our trip a mere week prior to setting off to the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool so had limited choices for accommodation, basing ourselves in Tumut.
With a little more planning time we were hoping to secure accommodation at the heritage listed Yarrangobilly Caves House (circa 1901) which is managed by Kosciuszko National Park.
We recommend looking at accommodation at Tumut or Adaminaby as bases. We would love to hear what you recommend.
The Yarrangobilly Caves
Unfortunately, the Yarrangobilly Caves are currently closed due to C19 which prevented us from exploring them. Please check with the park before planning your trip in the event that they are still closed.
The Yarrangobilly River
The Yarrangobilly River runs towards the back of the Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal pools. Turn left and you can walk towards the caves via the river walk. In the warmer months (or anytime if you are particularly tempted) you can swim here although the current is fairly strong. I would be hesitant to let my kids swim in here until summer when the current should slow somewhat.
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Other places to visit in rural NSW
Things to do in Bathurst | Weekend Getaways from Sydney | Holidaying on Norfolk Island | Mungo National Park | Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory | Things to do in Broken Hill | Cobar with Kids | Nyngan with kids | Farm Stays near Sydney | Maitland Gaol | Wellington Caves | Cowra Japanese Gardens | Cowra POW camp | Taronga Western Plains Zoo | Bigfoot at Mount Coolangatta | Sea Cliff Bridge | Abercrombie Caves | Hill End | Scenic World Blue Mountains |
I live all the way on the other “side” of the country but I am always amazed by it’s beauty and the wonderful places I am reading about.
Yarrabgobilly caves and thermal pool are now on my bucket list. My kids will absolutely love it.
Thanks for sharing your experience!