Phew – summer is here and as you travel along the Great Inland Way you’ll be looking for a place to cool off. Thankfully we have all you need from entertaining water parks for the kids to wild swimming and waterfalls.
Keep your fitness program on track with a few laps or let the kids burn off some energy at these council swimming pools. Follow the links for opening times and further information.
- Orange Aquatic Centre – with a 25m indoor pool
- Gilgandra Swimming Pool – alongside the recreation precinct with skate park and playground equipment
Gilgandra Pool
- Coonamble Pool – 50 and 25m pools
- Walgett Memorial Swimming Pool
- Lightning Ridge Olympic Pool and Water Theme Park – it’s even got a professional dive platform!
Lightning Ridge Water Theme Park
- St George Aquatic Centre – with brand new children’s splash park
- Surat Swimming Pool – newly refurbished
- Denise Spencer Memorial Swimming Pool – in Roma – free entry
- Injune Swimming Pool – watch out for the pool parties
Pool parties at Injune
- Springsure Swimming Pool
- Emerald Aquatic Centre – including three waterslides
Emerald Pool and Water Park
- Capella Aquatic Centre – five solar-heated pools
- Clermont Swimming Pool
- Kennedy Regiment Memorial Pool – Charters Towers – 50 and 25m pools
- Mareeba Swimming Pool
- Tobruk Memorial Pool Cairns – FINA approved 50m Olympic swimming pool,
- Cooktown Pool
Or, better still, take in some wild swimming (AKA swimming in nature) in our western rivers and dams; just be wary of submerged objects and possible flooding. Here are some of our favourite spots as you travel south to north:
- Castlereagh River at Gilgandra
- Namoi River Weir at Walgett
- Muddy Waters Farm Stay at Walgett
The rope swing at Muddy Waters Farm Stay
- Balonne River pontoons at St George and Dirranbandi
- Buckinbar Weir at St George
- The Rock Pool at Carnarvon Gorge
The Rock Pool at Carnarvon Gorge
- Fairburn Dam near Emerald
- Theresa Creek Dam near Clermont
Theresa Creek Dam
- Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands
- Walsh River at Dimbulah
Cooling off by Walsh River
And as you reach the northern reaches of the Great Inland Way you’ll find our magnificent waterfalls. Check out these beauties:
- The Waterfall Circuit on the Atherton Tablelands
- Davies Creek Falls near Mareeba
Sunset at Davies Creek Falls
- Emerald Falls near Mareeba
- Josephine Falls near Cairns
- Home Rule Falls and Trevethan Falls near Cooktown
Emerald Creek Falls – Mareeba
With plenty of options to get wet, a drive along the Great Inland Way is a road trip for the ages – even in summer.