30/05/2026
Hywaida, Ed, Kylie and meeeeeeeeeeee
The Pool of Aphrodite is a well published spot in the Gardens of Stone that doesn’t get lot of traffic due to it being a bit of a scrub bash to get to.
Yuri referred to it as the Heaven pool (Thanks Matt M for that info) but Keats officially named it Pool of Aphrodite with the geographical naming board.
When they published it in the Gardens of Stone Guides people would bash their way around from the more popular Pool of Diana, But it was a long, leg slashing slog.
A while ago I punched a more direct pass down through the cliffs oposite it but got foiled with a last little cliff I didn’t have rope for.
Anyhoo a few weeks ago Gadget and I had a rare spare afternoon and as she hadn’t been to the North Bungleboori Arch we thought why not go for a quick look at that and then pop over the ridge to see if we could make it down to Aphrodite.
We scramble down to the bottom of the arch and phaff around with the camera for a bit before heading back up to drive a bit further down the road to see if we could work our way down to the Pool of Aphrodite.
We get down to the cliff edge with a fantastic view to the slot that hides both the pool and the waterfall that feeds it. But for the life of me I couldn’t find the break in the cliff had got me so close many years ago
Kylie pulls out the topo and studies it momentarily. I reckon theres a pass upstream on the other side that will get us there, says she.
We slip back up to the car and drive around the head of the gully.
Her pass was a winner and before long we are at the pool.
It’s barely shin deep, a little underwhelming as far as pools go. But it’s a pretty spot.
Looking up at the slot cutting through the towering cliffs above we agree it would make an amazing abseil. The satelite image suggested there might be a small slot above it.
Keats describes it as being fed by a 30m waterfall. It’s a lot higher than that.
We file it on our list of things to do when we have nothing to do.
Which brings us to today. We had a big overnighter planned but circumstances lead to it being canceled and suddenly we had nothing to do.
And on top of the things to do when we have nothing to do list… that abseil.
A last minute, late night invite was thrown out to see if anyone else would like to join us and to our delight both Ed and Hywaida were keen.
We were expecting it to be a short trip so it was close to 11am when we roll into our car park.
It’s a 600m bash down the ridge, skirting the swamp until a pinch in the cliffs force us into the thickests of scrubs.
Ed resorts to his tried and tested method. Turn, use his pack a a shield and throw himself backwards into the wall of vegetation.
I’ve missed scrub bashing with Ed.
In no time he had bulldozed us a path to the top of the falls.
Unfortunitely there’s no slot above them. Also more scrub and a slippery slope is preventing us from getting a good look at the drop.
We slip up the pagoda next to it to get a view over the impressive slot dropping into the pool somewhere below.
A loooooong somewhere below.
It’s a substancial cliff and the best anchor tree is a long way back from the edge We start to wonder if our ropes are long enough.
We decide to set up and send the first abseiler to the edge to get a better look.
Belatedly I realise I’m the first abseiler!
I’m not scared.
Honest.
Ensuring I have my ascenders at the ready I get on our 75m rope and work my way down to the edge. It’s set as single strand with the 60m attached to the other end in case they need to lower me further.
I can see the pool, calls I.
It’s an impressive if somewhat intimidating drop.
Does the rope reach? Call they
I can’t see, there’s a slope to an overhang then maybe a ledge. I’m going to head down to see.
Living up to Aphrodite’s name its a lovely, beautiful, and pleasurable abseil.
Alternating between steep, near verticle slabs and long overhangs.
And the 75m reachs with about 6 or 7m to spare.
The top of the slot feels like it wraps around and encloses you before funneling out. After 5 days of drizzle there is enough flow that you can’t really get out of the spray. Prefect on a late Autumn day.
And just like that we are all down.
All that’s left now is the traverse around to the exit gully and a quick punch back up to the road.
A grand micro adventure indeed.
“Not knowing is half the fun,” Aphrodite said.
