It’s a mystery to me why Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool and Yarrangobilly Caves are not in NSW top 10 things to do! Yarrangobilly Caves are incredible with white limestone and huge caverns and the Yarangobilly thermal pool is so unique and picturesque they really are a must for your NSW adventures. There are four caves to explore at Yarrangobilly and two are self guided, but you just book in for a tour at the Information Centre for the others. The thermal pool is easily accessed down a dirt track and is such a lovely experience (my hair has never felt so good!). Here’s all the info you need for a trip to Yarrangobilly.
And if you’re keen on spotting friendly wombats too check out the best place to find them in NSW here.
Where are the Yarrangobilly Caves?
The Yarrangobilly Caves are in Kosciusko National Park in NSW. It’s about five hours south of Sydney, so you’d probably make a weekend trip out of it if you’re coming from there. You can either drive down through Canberra, and see the giant trout at Adaminaby, or do what we did and explore some of the small Snowy Valleys towns to the west, like Batlow, Tumut and Tumbarumba. We stayed in Tumut for the weekend, saw concert and then stopped at the Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool and Caves on the way home. It’s mapped so it’s very easy to put it into your phone and get directions. The road in is fine, it’s dirt in some parts but our small SUV handled it easily.
How do I visit the caves?
You can do a self guided tour or a longer ranger guided tour. Once you get in you stop at the Visitor Information Centre and see the rangers. Park entry is $4 and then you pay for a self guided tour ($22 for adults and $18 concession) or book a guided tour from $26.
You then drive to the caves you’re visiting. The South Glory Cave that we explored was a minute down the road and then a short walk in. It was gorgeous, with the most amazing white limestone stalactites and stalagmites. It’s just stunning.
Find out more info on the caves here.
Stop at the Vistors Centre
Stop here to get your park access ticket and chat to the rangers about cave tours, hikes, fishing spots and where to have a picnic. There’s lots to learn about the area, and you can also get maps and a snack, a pie and a coffee here too.
Where is the Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool?
The Yarrangobilly Thermal Pool is just a short distance further along. You can either drive there and walk down a medium steep dirt road, or take the 1 kilometre walk along the Yarrangobilly River from the Glory Cave carpark. If you don’t want to be walking down and uphill I suggest doing this really pretty river walk instead.
What is it?
The Yarrangobilly Caves were formed more than 440 million years ago in a 12 kilometre long limestone belt. There are apparently more than 60 caves in the area. Wow!
This thermal pool in Yarrangobilly is not only beautiful, it’s so clean that the eastern banjo frog – known as pobblebonk because of the sound of its croak omg CUTE – breeds here so look out for little tadpoles here in Spring
The original wooden pool was built around the thermal spring in 1896 and replaced with the current pool in 1969 that was built by prisoners from the (now closed) Yarrangobilly gaol. The pool is a lukewarm 27 degrees and reached by a dirt track from the parking lot, it’s def not as steep or hard to climb out as everyone says. Bring your cossies and a picnic and make sure to wander along the Yarrangobilly River path too, it’s just beautiful
When is it open?
It’s open all year round from 9am – 5pm but closed on Christmas Day.
What does it cost?
The park is a $4 entry fee and then there is a cost for cave tours too.
How long do I need?
We took about an hour at the South Glory Cave and an hour at the Yarrangobilly Thermal Pools. Some cave tours take longer, and if its sunny I’d probably spend a little longer at the pools and take a picnic. Allow a half day I reckon.
What should I take?
- Closed shoes for walking in the caves
- A jacket as the caves can be cool and damp
- Swimmers and towels
- Sunscreen
- A picnic
There are change rooms down at the pool so take your clothes down too if you want to get changed there. I just walked back up in my cossie and towel.
Is there Yarrangobilly accommodation?
Yes! You can stay in beautiful heritage accommodation at Yarrangobilly and camp too. Check out the NSW National Parks website here for more info.
