Deer Pools Walk

Deer Pools Walk is a 4 km (2.5 mile) out-and-back from Bundeena Drive to a small cascade on Marley Creek. Allow about 1.5 hours on foot, then add time if you want to swim or sit by the water. This is a short pool outing, not the full beach walk; the longer Bundeena Drive to Marley route continues beyond the pool toward Little Marley Beach.

Start at the Bundeena Drive to Marley Walk car park and cross Bundeena Drive to Marley Track. Stay on the main track through the heath until the clearing near the creek, then look left for the less obvious path down to the sandy edge. That final spur is unmarked and easy to miss. Turn around at Deer Pool and return the way you came; the Little Marley Fire Trail is a different approach to the same pools.

The first stretch is open, sandy heath with little shade. After heavy rain, shallow puddles can linger on the path. Farther on, the bush closes in; the last few hundred metres are more shaded, with some rocky ground and short, steeper patches. The main route is straightforward, but the final descent to the water takes more attention than the walk before it.

Marley Creek spills over a low rock lip into a mostly shallow pool, edged by pale rock shelves, ferns and a narrow sandy bank. Visitors have described a few shoulder-deep spots; depth and debris vary, and the edges are rocky, so check the water and footing before entering. For a photo, keep the small cascade above the pool and include the pale shelf at its side. Dogs and other domestic animals aren't allowed in the park, except certified assistance animals.