Few waterfalls in Victoria end in cooling, crystal clear pools. Although it’s little-known, tucked away in Mount Buffalo is the stunning Ladies Bath Falls.

Quick Overview

Ladies Bath Falls located 400 metres from the carpark in the Mount Buffalo National Park in Victoria. The drive from Melbourne to Mt Buffalo takes about 3.5-4 hours to complete.

Highlights

  • Cold, clear water on a hot day
  • A quiet hidden gem
  • Short and easy walk for beginners

 

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Plan For A Detour!

Tucked away in Mt Buffalo, the modest signs for the Eurobin Creek Picnic Area are often ignored by visitors who instead choose to continue along the winding, eucalypt-lined road, not realising they’re ignoring a stunning jewel that’s just a short stroll away. Ladies Bath Falls. 

 

Eliza Sum Ladies Bath Falls Victoria

 

Despite being a popular spot for women to stop and bathe in during the late 1890s and early 1900s, taking a plunge in Ladies Bath Falls isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially on a cool day. The water is mostly ice melt and doesn’t see much sun because of its position, tucked under a ferny ridge.

Being an easy walk with a small number of stone steps to climb, you won’t exactly be hot, sweaty and clambering for a dip. When we visited, the sun was beating down and a big family was frolicking in the water, so we rock-hopped further down the aptly-named Crystal Brook to sit in a rock formation shaped like a natural spa bath.

 

Eliza Sum Ladies Bath Falls Mount Buffalo Victoria wild swimming waterfall

The Icy Plunge

After the tourists moved on, we braced ourselves for the icy plunge. Pro tip: Just dive in, inching down just prolongs the pain! The chilly pool is enough to take our breath away and we shriek as the freezing water licks at our skin. Boulders line the bottom of the shimmering pool, so it can also be slippery, but that was part of the fun too.

The never-ending stream of water has also polished a smooth, glistening path that doubles as a short waterslide, but we opt to sling up our portable hammock for a bask in the sunshine. For those who need to warm up further or want more of a hike, a quick trek up to the lower and upper Eurobin Falls lookouts provides more of a challenge and is just further up the track.

 

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Essential Gear

  • Bathers
  • Thongs or sandals
  • Towel
  • First aid kit (those rocks can be slippery!)

How To Get There

Approximately 324km or a 3.5 hour drive from Melbourne. The quiet alpine village of Porepunkah is the closest town to Mt Buffalo – from there, take Mt Buffalo Rd and travel east up the mountain on a meandering road with towering gums. Drive for about 10 minutes (8.4km) and you’ll see a multiple road shoulders for parking and signage for Eurobin Falls. Find a spot, but be careful crossing the road, there are bends and it can be busy with fast-moving traffic during the weekend or holiday periods.

Activities

Skill Level

Perfect for beginners, but it’s beautiful enough that experienced hikers will enjoy the experience.

If you want to take it further, hike another 450m uphill to see the upper and lower Eurobin Falls. There is no access to this waterfall though – just viewing stations.

Distance Covered/Elevation Gain

A mere 400m, reasonably flat walk from the car park to the falls.

 

Feature photo thanks to Visit Vic