Buley Rockhole

A popular swimming spot set among several small, rapid-flowing streams that drop through rock shelves into a chain of pools. Some are shallow rock pools you can sit in with cool water running over your shoulders, others are small deep plunge pools you can properly swim in. You settle into a natural flowing stream rather than one large single plunge pool, so most of the pleasure is picking a pool along the creek and staying put.

• Swim and wade between the cascading pools, moving up or down the creek to find the depth you want.
• Take the short walk along the tumbling water, which passes multiple pools with clear water and scenic bush around the rock.
• Picnic beside the creek, or take on the longer creek walk.
• The Florence Creek walk is about 3.2 km, roughly 1.5 hours, Grade 2, linking the pools with Florence Falls.

There are no accessibility ramps and no easy access into the water. You cross natural rock beds to reach the pools, and entry and exit are awkward but manageable for most people, with uneven and often slick surfaces. Sturdy footwear you do not mind getting wet helps, and it is worth choosing a pool with a workable edge rather than the prettiest one.

• Conditions can change quickly with flash flooding and electrical storms.
• Depth and currents can overwhelm novice and young swimmers, so check what you are getting into before you commit.
• Supervise children closely in and near the water.
• No glass within 10 m of waterways.

• Limited parking at a spot that draws steady interest.
• No ramps and no easy water entry, so everyone scrambles over rock to get in.
• Slippery, uneven rock and fiddly entry and exit.
• Several pools sit close together along a short stretch, so a favoured pool can end up shared.

Walk a little further along the rock than the first pool you reach, since going upstream or downstream opens up different depths and ledges. Bring a towel and hat, pair the swim with the Florence Creek walk if you want to earn it, and allow an unhurried hour or two to move between a shallow lounging ledge and a deeper plunge pool.