Handrail Pool

Handrail Pool is a natural stream pool tucked into Lower Weano Gorge, reached by a 1.5 km return walk from the Weano Recreation Area. Allow one to three hours; wading and rough sections can make this outing take longer than the distance suggests. The trail starts north of the information shelter at the Weano car park. The approach road has unsealed sections, so 4WD is recommended; a 2WD car may be suitable depending on conditions, and roads to the gorges can close after heavy rain. It is a strong pick if you want to get inside Karijini's narrow red-rock country, but this is a gorge walk with a demanding finish, not a drive-up swim stop.

The route begins as a Class 3 walk, then becomes Class 5 as the gorge narrows, with boulders, tight passages and slippery rock. The steep handrail descent is the hardest part. If you don't want to climb down, you can stop above the pool and look into it from there.

Depending on water levels, you may need to wade, and that can slow the final stretch. Gorge water can be very cold, especially from April through September; don't jump or dive. Flash floods are a serious risk: don't enter a gorge if rain is in the area, and leave immediately if it starts while you're inside. Dogs aren't allowed.

The high, close-set walls shift from deep red to yellow around the pool. For a photo, frame the water with the layered walls; reflections can show when the surface is still. Reaching the pool means doing the gorge walk, though you can see it from above without taking the final handrail descent.

These gorges cut through ancient, iron-rich rock. More than two billion years ago, oxygen reacting with iron in the sea laid down the bands that give the Hamersley Range its distinctive striped stone. Later uplift and seasonal streams carved deep channels through the hard layers.