Yesterday was hot, and today was even hotter in Brisbane. While I, in recent years have rediscovered ocean swimming (my favourite spot is Woorim Beach at Bribie), the rest of my family are 100% spoilt by the freshwater creeks of Cairns and refuse both saltwater and chlorine.
Cedar Creek on Cedar Creek Road at Samford has been a long favourite – but the distance and the fact that we haven’t had much rain in recent weeks meant a bit of a look for another swimming hole was in order.
Enoggera Reservoir is at the Gap. A National Parks property, it is part of the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre on Mt Nebo Road.
To get there head straight for the Walkabout Creek (just put Mt Nebo Road into Google Maps).
When we arrived today there was no parking in the official car park so we ended up parking on Mt Nebo Road. Be careful when you’re parking as the non-parking traffic seemed to be heading up Mt Nebo Road at full speed.
We headed to the Walkabout Creek gates, and there were plenty of people carrying towels and boogie boards to follow.
There are the formal ‘paths’ and roads of the centre, but also a number of dirt tracks – we opted to follow the crowd through the forest.
Follow the signs for Kayaking …
After a few minutes we spot the water in the distance …
And it’s packed …
There were hundreds of people there but there was plenty of room for everyone. What is missing is shade. Despite being in a forest, there are no shaded areas for people to sit under. I guess it gets you in the water quicker.
The distance to the water is easy. If you’re an older person or mobility challenged it might be an issue. But the tracks are wide and in most areas are relatively stable. If you take your time to get there you should be okay. I couldn’t see any toilets or other amenities, so I’m not sure that it would be a full day trip, but more a morning or afternoon trip.
The water was cool and fresh covering a sandy bottom. Despite hundreds of people – swimmers and kayakers – there was an easy balance with everyone seeming to respect the other.
I highly recommend the Enoggera Reservoir for your summer swimming experience.