Blue Water Holes; mind blowing views and walks
Some places are nothing short of breath-taking, and Blue Water Holes and Clark Gorge is one of them. We’d been recommended to check it out by a couple of people, and it did not disappoint in any way. This place is a bucket list attraction, with fantastic fishing, hikes and scenery that will leave you picking up your jaw.
We couldn’t help but think of it as an Alpine version of the Pilbara in Western Australia, which we completely and utterly love. If you’re anywhere near Canberra or the Kosciuszko National Park, put this on the list! We’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of Australia, and its getting harder and harder to impress us, but this place is a ripper.
Where is Blue Water Holes?
You’ll find this stunning part of the world about 30 minutes drive from Long Plains Hut Campground, and not that much longer from the Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool and Caves. Alternatively, its roughly 164km to Jindabyne, or 62km to Talbingo.
Is it 2WD accessible?
Access here is on a fairly well maintained gravel road, but its single lane in some spots and you will have to get off the road in a number of places if other vehicles come along. I’ll also mention that punctures are far more likely with a 2WD vehicle, and whilst we saw a huge number of people visiting in 2WD’s, we also stopped to help a vehicle with a flat tyre, and no tyre wrench!
What’s the road conditions like?
Overall the road condition is great, with a few corrugations and little holes and bumps, but its more than suitable for the average 2WD. That said, the road is gravel and there are sharp rocks, so watch out.
What does it cost?
Access to Blue Water Holes is completely free, except for the Kosciuszko National Park pass, which you’ll have to purchase online prior to arriving. You can get a variety of passes, with the daily pass being quite expensive.
Camping at Blue Holes
If you want, you can camp at Blue holes, and you pay the $6 booking fee, and lock it in. The camping here is a bit strange though; it’s a camp ground and parking area all combined into one, and there’s no real demarcation of what is what. The camping area is the first part of the open area as you come down the hill, but there were hikers and those visiting for the day parked here, and I’m sure it would get frustrating.
Part of the camp site has magic views, but the ground isn’t that level, and there’s cars constantly coming and going. My suggestion would be to camp just up the road at Magpie Flat Campground, which is literally a few hundred metres away, tucked off the main road a bit and far quieter.
Alternatively, you can camp at Long Plains Hut, like we did, or Three Mile Dam, or Yarrangobilly Vilalge, or a number of other spots.
Fishing at blue holes
We saw a number of people visit Blue holes with fishing rods, keen to catch themselves a trout. We saw a few fish, but never got the rod out, but I’m sure it’d be a decent place for fishing.
Hikes at Blue holes
If you’re keen on walks, or hikes, Blue Holes is absolutely unreal. We did the first part of Clarke Gorge, and thought it was one of the best hikes we’ve ever been on. You do have to get wet feet crossing the river multiple times, but the views are magnificent, and its just an epic part of the world. We’d have been extremely keen to finish the hike and get to the falls, but Sarah’s back has not been playing the game, and we already pushed it further than we probably should have!
If you are in the Kosciuszko national park and miss this, its your loss. I’d say it was one of the best things we did in the whole national park, and there’s some pretty stunning places to visit.
