Magic Pool Coffs Harbour; a fun 4WD and stunning water hole
Keen to get to the stunning Magic Pool in Coffs Harbour? This is everything you need to know.
The Coffs Harbour 4WD tracks are very well known, and people come from all over Australia to check them out. We were keen to have a little poke around, and decided to head out towards Magic Pool for a swim. We’d been told that it was very hard to get to after any rain, and there’d been a bit of that in the week prior, so I was keen to see how difficult it might actually be. We’d been looking for more 4WD tracks to explore in NSW!
Magic Pool was highly recommended by a number of people, raving about it being truly spectacular, and I was wondering if it would live up to its expectations.
Where is Magic Pool?
You’ll find this little slice of paradise directly inland from Coffs Harbour. It’s in the Bindarra National Park, on Frontage Creek, roughly 20 km drive from the centre of Coffs.
How do you get to Magic Pool?
To get there, head out Coramba Road, then onto Mount Browne, and then left on South Island Road, then left again onto Dingo Creek Road. Lastly, turn right onto Carmadys Road. There is no reception here, so make sure you have some decent off road maps, like Newtracs, or Exploroz Traveller.
Do you need a 4WD to get to Magic Pool in Coffs Harbour?
Yep, without a doubt. You wouldn’t even safely get an AWD there unless it had a heap of clearance, with a few holes being deeper than I’d thought, and some decent little drops to drive over.
How long does it take?
It’s roughly a 20 minute drive into Magic Pool from Coffs Harbour, with the last part taking the longest.
How difficult is the 4WD track?
If you have a bit of clearance, some good all terrain or mud terrain tyres and recovery gear, this track should be no issue. We did it when it had been dry for a day or two, but there had been a fair bit of rain in the previous week. Most of the track is gravel, and perfectly easy. There are a couple of clay sections which have some big ruts that you want to straddle, and there’s a few bigger muddy water holes to drive through.
We bottomed out once on the front when I dropped into a hole a bit quick, but for the most part it’s a simple 4WD track that I wasn’t overly concerned about. If you have limited clearance or normal road terrain tyres and its wet though, it could be a whole different story.
Kick back at Magic Pool
When we arrived at Magic Pool, I was a bit underwhelmed. It was a nice creek, but they are a dime in a dozen in NSW, and I felt a bit deflated. As it turns out though, the actual pool is about 50 metres away from the tiny car park area, and its pretty stunning with a nice little waterfall going into a much deeper Magic Pool.
When we were there I found parts that I couldn’t stand in, being at least 2 metres deep, which is plenty for a good swim. The water wasn’t Icey cold like some other creeks we’ve been to, and made for a nice place to swim. You can walk above the pools too, and see a heap of tiny waterfalls, pools and slippery slides for the kids to enjoy.
How does it compare to the Promised Land?
After Magic Pool, we went to Never Never Creek in the Promised land, and did the whole loop. This is beautiful too, but there were quite a few people here, and its very easy to get to (which is usually the way).
I reckon Magic Pool is better, and given we had the entire place to ourselves that is hard to argue with.
If you are chasing a fun 4WD track near Coffs Harbour that takes you to a beautiful swimming hole, definitely check out Magic Pool, and stop at the pools on the way in that are stunning too.
