Waterfalls that you can visit on a day trip from Sydney, aren’t normally known for their size, but Carrington Falls bucks the trend. The cascades plunge 90m down the mountainside and it’s an absolutely mesmerising sight, especially after rain. It’s one of the highlights of any trip to the Southern Highlands, but there’s more to this area than just the waterfall itself.

There are also several amazing wild swimming spots and great walking trails with some truly epic viewpoints. You could turn up and see the falls in just five minutes, or you could spend an entire day exploring all that Carrington Falls has to offer.

We’ll take you through all the best spots to help you plan your trip.

Start with the viewpoints

If there’s one thing you have to do at Carrington Falls, then it’s visit the viewpoints. The most popular are the three main viewpoints which are all accessed from the main Carrington Falls car park. They all show the falls from above and will blow you away with the scale. You can also get up close to the top of the falls, but getting to the bottom of them involves a full on hike (you can read more about it at the bottom of this article).

The first two lookouts show the falls and the last one is technically of the Kangaroo River, but also offers a great view over the top of the falls. All three are along the same, easy paved 600m walking trail.

Viewpoint one - the falls from afar

The first viewpoint offers the best overall view of the falls and is 170m from the carpark. From here you are quite a distance from the falls, but you get a good look at the scale and the whole scene is pretty incredible.

There are a few stairs at the end of the path from the car park, but it’s a very easy walk.

Viewpoint two - closer up

The second viewpoint is 180m further along and you are much closer to the falls.

You can really feel the power from here, and it also offers a fantastic valley view. You can’t see the whole falls but it’s great to be close enough to see the spray!

Viewpoint three - on top of the falls

The third viewpoint is 50m further on and it’s technically of the Kangaroo River, which had lots of small cascades if there has been some decent rain fall.

As well as the river if you head left you can actually see the top of the falls, it’s quite rocky and completely unfenced so you wouldn’t want to get too close, but it’s pretty amazing to be able to see the top of the falls and the incredible valley view.

From viewpoint three you then loop back round to the car park via the picnic area.

However, the fun doesn’t stop at the viewpoints. Here’s what else we love about Carrington Falls.

Onto the wild swimming spots

If you’re visiting on a hot day, there are plenty of great wild swimming spots around Carrington Falls. Some of the best aren’t actually on the falls and require a short drive or walk.

Nellies Glen

Of the three great swimming spots at Carrington Falls, Nellies Glen is my favourite.

This pool is at the bottom of a small waterfall which is incredibly picturesque, and actually reminded me of some of the waterholes in the NT. It has a lovely enchanted feeling to it, particularly if you’re lucky enough to get it to yourself.

Nellie's Glen - Swimming spot in Carrington Falls

The water is pretty cool year round so you’d ideally want a warm day to have a proper swim.

As the walk from the car park to the pool is just 150m long, and flat, it’s really popular. If you want to get it to yourself on a weekend you’d have to get there quite early. The car park is a 1.5km drive from the Carrington Falls viewpoints and is well signposted, so you shouldn’t miss it. It’s also marked on Google Maps.

Blue Pool

It might not live up to its name in our photo, but that’s because it’s taken on a really overcast day. You need bright sunshine for the pool to look blue.

Having said that, even on a gloomy day it was still beautiful, and turned a lovely bluey-emerald colour. It’s a little bigger than Nellies Glen and a little less popular too, so if Nellies is busy you could always try Blue Pool.

It’s also an incredibly short walk to get there, just 100m from the Blue Pool car park. It’s a gorgeous spot and well worth checking out when you’re in the area.

The Blue Pool can also be accessed on a walking trail from Nellie’s Glen, or you can use the car park which is very close to the pool. It’s also a 1.5km drive from the viewpoints at Carrington Falls.

Kangaroo River (top of Carrington Falls)

This is the spot beside the third lookout on the Carrington Falls Lookouts walk. It’s technically the top of the falls, but you don’t swim anywhere near the actual drop, as it would be easy to get swept off!

Instead you can swim back from the falls, which is safe, but still has that awe of wonder you get from being so close to, and hearing such a powerful waterfall.

The Kangaroo River about Carrington Falls

The river is surrounded by bush and is incredibly picturesque. There are shallow sections and deeper areas which are good for swimming.

It’s just a 150m walk from the car park.

Finish up with one of the walking trails

If you have any energy left, then it’s well worth checking out the walking trails at Carrington Falls. They take you through the bush to some more great viewpoints that the majority of people overlook.

Warris Chair

You can walk to Warris Chair and the Missingham Lookouts from a couple of different spots, but we’re starting both from the Nellies Glen car park. Neither trail offers views of the falls, but you can still hear them in the distance!

Warris Chair is just a 1.2km return walk and is flat virtually the entire way. The path is in good condition and there’s just one short descent and ascent, which is to and from the lookout at the very end of the trail.

Otherwise it’s a peaceful, flat stroll through the bush. The railed lookout at the end is stunning, offering fantastic views over the mountains of Budderoo National Park and Kangaroo Valley.

Warris Chair - Best walks near Carrington Falls

It’s one of my favourite lookouts in the area because not only is the view spectacular, but you can sit on the huge rock formation (Warris Chair) to take it all in. You return the way you came.

Missingham Lookouts

The Missingham Lookouts trail branches off 200m in from the Warris Chair trail, and you can walk them both in 5.3km return. It’s an easy trail, which has a couple of very short inclines, but nothing that you’d call a hill! The path is mainly in good condition, although it does get stony in places.

You’ll walk through the bush and alongside some fields which had some really big termite mounds - not something we often see! The bush gets more dense and prettier the closer you get to the lookouts.

We were walking in early spring and did see a Red-bellied blacksnake (which was sleeping and completely disinterested in us, as most snakes are), so it’s a good idea to just keep an eye out if you’re walking in snake season (spring).

You’ll come first to Missingham East Lookout which offers a fantastic view over Carrington Falls Gorge (though you can’t see the falls themselves) and Kangaroo Valley.

A few hundred metres further along you’ll come to, you guessed it, Missingham West Lookout.

It’s another great view just a little further along the gorge from the east lookout, it’s a little more obscured, with some bush in the foreground, but it’s still lovely.

If you want to see what the route down to the bottom of Carrington Falls looks like, it’s just a couple of hundred metres away, marked as the Missingham Steps.

Otherwise you head back along the same trail to Nellies Glen.

For the adventurous - getting to the bottom of Carrington Falls

We haven’t yet got to the bottom of the falls ourselves, but we are planning to, and did go to check out the start of the track to get an idea of what it might be like. It’s listed as a grade 6 hike by the National Park Service, which means no directional signage and a rough track.

Getting to the start of the descent is easy, as you follow the Missingham Lookouts track, which is well signposted. The route down is called the Missingham Steps, but from what we saw “steps” is a loose term! From the moment you start the descent it is pretty rocky and uneven and definitely not a normal hiking trail. We saw some pink ribbons marking the way, but have also heard that sometimes they are removed, so whether they are there or not is probably luck.

Once you’ve made it down the Missingham Steps you need to navigate along the Kangaroo River to the falls. When you’re ready to ascend again you can use the same route as before or take what we’ve heard is the even rougher Stevo’s Track.

You should allow a full day for the walk and have an app downloaded or compass for navigation as we’ve heard it’s easy to get lost!

As soon as we’ve been back to do the walk ourselves we’ll return and update this post.

In the meantime, we have been down to the bottom of nearby Gerringong Falls, which you can read about here.

Other waterfalls in the area

The Southern Highlands is renowned for its waterfalls and there are several others in the area which are well worth visiting. Belmore Falls is just over 20 minutes away and is a beautiful two tiered waterfall with a number of breathtaking lookouts.

We’ve written a detailed guide to Belmore Falls including how to find a secret swimming spot nearby in this post.

You can also visit the majestic Fitzroy Falls, which is just under a 30 minute drive away. Fitzroy is the most famous waterfall in the area and has two great walking tracks, with epic views.

It is usually much busier than either Carrington or Belmore Falls, but it’s well worth seeing.

If you’re a waterfall fanatic, we have a whole post dedicated to the most beautiful falls you can get to from Sydney.

Packing suggestions for Carrington Falls

Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:

Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon

Essential information about visiting Carrington Falls

Carrington Falls entry fee

Unlike nearby Fitzroy Falls you don’t have to pay a national park entry fee when visiting Carrington Falls. There are plenty of free car parking spaces by the falls, and much smaller car parks at Nellies Glen and Blue Pool.

Getting to Carrington Falls

Carrington Falls is 150km from Sydney CBD and takes around two hours to drive to. You need a car to visit the falls as public transport doesn’t service this area. It’s just 11km and less than 15 minutes from Robertson. If you’re looking to make a weekend of it, we’ve got a full list of the best things to do in Robertson in this post.

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