Turpins Falls

When you think of a swimming hole, this is probably what you envisage: a large volume of water cascading into a big, deep pond flanked by 20-metre cliffs. What we’ve described there is Turpins Falls, located about 15 minutes from the town of Kyneton in Victoria’s northwest. Turpins is a large billabong (an isolated pond left behind when a river changes course), and it’s bigger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Swimming is encouraged, but jumping from the top of the cliffs is not (people have been seriously injured after miscalculating the depth of the pool). We suggest parking yourself on one of the neighbouring rocks and dipping your head under when the temperature rises.