Water hazards while hiking in Australia

Making safe decisions around rivers, floods, tides and swimming holes

Water is part of many of Australia’s best hikes. Trails follow rivers, descend into gorges, cross creeks, traverse beaches and rock platforms, pass waterfalls and swimming holes, and lead to remote campsites beside lakes and streams. On a hot day, a river or waterhole can also be a very tempting place to stop for a swim.

The conditions around water can change quickly, sometimes because of weather that is not occurring where you are. A creek that was easy to cross in the morning may be much higher on the return journey. A beach that was wide and open a few hours ago may be cut off by the tide. Heavy rain upstream can change conditions in a gorge even when there has been little rain at your location. A calm-looking swimming hole may have cold water, submerged obstacles or currents that are impossible to judge from the bank.

Water safety while hiking therefore starts well before you step into the water. It means understanding how water affects your route, watching for changing conditions and knowing when your original plan is no longer the sensible one.

Water can change the whole hike

It is easy to think about water hazards as individual events, such as crossing a river or going for a swim. On a hike, water can affect much more than the few minutes you spend in or beside it.

A rising creek may remove your route home. A high tide can make a section of coastline impassable. Flooding can isolate a campsite without reaching the tent itself. A fall into cold water can leave someone wet and cold many kilometres from shelter. An injury beside a river, waterfall or rock platform can also become harder to manage because the surrounding terrain limits where the group can move.

Australian drowning data consistently identifies inland waterways as a significant setting for fatal drowning, with rivers and creeks particularly prominent. These environments are often remote, unpatrolled and subject to changing conditions. Slippery banks, unexpected depth, submerged timber, cold water and currents that are difficult to see from the surface all contribute to the risk.

The useful question on a hike is not simply whether there is water ahead. Think about what that water could do during the time you are there and whether it could change your ability to continue, retreat or get help.

River and creek crossings

Any river or creek crossing deserves a deliberate assessment. Depth is only part of the picture. Flow speed, turbulence, footing, water temperature, downstream hazards, entry and exit points, and the capability of everyone in the group all affect whether a crossing is reasonable.

Conditions can also be different when you return. Rainfall during the day or elsewhere in the catchment may raise a river that was straightforward earlier. If your route depends on crossing the same watercourse again, include that possibility in your planning rather than assuming the return crossing will resemble the first one.

I cover crossing assessment, Go/No-Go decisions, footwear, hiking poles, crossing direction and what to do if someone is swept off their feet in my separate River crossing techniques: assessing risk and making safe decisions guide.

Flash flooding in gorges and canyons

Gorges and canyons require particular care because water can rise quickly while the surrounding terrain gives you very few places to go. The deeper and narrower the terrain becomes, the more important it is to understand the weather and catchment before committing to the route.

Flash flooding is associated with intense rainfall and can develop quickly, sometimes with little or no warning. The Bureau of Meteorology defines flash flooding as flooding that occurs within six hours of rainfall and notes that heavy or intense rainfall can cause it anywhere. Saturated ground can increase the risk.

The rain that matters may not be falling directly above you. Water draining from elsewhere in the catchment can reach a gorge or creek after conditions at your location have given you little indication of what is coming. This is particularly important on canyon trips, where cliffs and narrow passages may prevent you from simply walking uphill when the water rises.

Before entering a gorge or canyon, look at the forecast for the wider area and consider recent rainfall as well as what is predicted during the hike. Thunderstorms deserve particular attention because intense rainfall can be highly localised. If significant rain or storms are possible within the relevant catchment, reconsider a route that commits you to confined terrain or repeated creek crossings.

Once you are in the gorge, keep watching the water. An unexpected increase in level or flow, rapidly increasing turbidity, floating debris or a noticeable change in the sound of the water should prompt an immediate reassessment. Do not continue deeper into confined terrain to see whether conditions improve.

Flash flooding does not have to sweep someone away to create an emergency. Rising water can simply remove the way out. I have been involved in an incident in Victoria’s Lerderderg Gorge where a hiker was unable to return to his vehicle because changed river conditions made his return route impassable. He was not caught in the flood itself, but the rising water had taken away the option he had planned to use.

That is worth considering whenever a route follows a river through steep terrain. Think about where you could leave the gorge, where higher ground is available and which creek or river crossings your return depends upon. Once those options start disappearing, continuing further can leave you with very few good choices.

Tides can change a walking route

Coastal walking introduces another moving water boundary. Beaches, rock platforms, headlands, estuaries and sections beneath cliffs may be accessible at one stage of the tide and unsafe or impassable later.

Checking the time of high and low tide is useful, but the tide table should not be treated as a guarantee that a coastal section will be safe. Ocean swell, waves, wind and weather also affect how far water reaches onto beaches and rock platforms. Parks Victoria warns on the Great Ocean Walk that cliff-locked beaches and rock platforms can become impassable or inescapable during extreme high tides or large ocean swell, and that conditions can change quickly.

If a route requires you to walk below cliffs or across terrain with no easy retreat, work out when you need to be through that section and leave a reasonable margin. Avoid planning around the assumption that you will arrive at exactly the right point in the tidal cycle. Hiking takes longer than expected for all sorts of reasons, and a delayed start, injury, navigation error or slower group member can change the timing considerably.

King tides and unusually high tides deserve additional caution, particularly when combined with large swell or adverse weather. Look at the whole coastal situation rather than relying on the predicted tide height alone.

Estuaries and river mouths

Estuaries can be particularly difficult to assess because river and ocean conditions meet in the same place. Rainfall and river flow can affect the inland side while tides, swell and waves influence conditions from the coast.

A shallow estuary crossing shown on a track description may therefore look very different when you arrive. Conditions can also change considerably during the course of the day. If a route depends on an unbridged estuary crossing, check the tide and recent rainfall before setting out and have an alternative if the crossing is not safe when you reach it.

The fact that other walkers have crossed, or that footprints continue into the water, tells you very little about the conditions you will encounter. Assess what is in front of you when you arrive.

Rock platforms and coastal edges

You do not need to intend to enter the ocean for it to become a hazard. Walking on rock platforms places you immediately beside moving water, often on wet or uneven surfaces with few places to retreat from an unexpected wave.

Parks Victoria advises visitors to be aware of large unexpected waves on rock platforms and notes that changing tides can make some coastal locations impassable.

Before stepping onto a rock platform, spend some time watching the water. Look at where waves are reaching rather than judging conditions from the last few waves you happened to see. Consider where you would move if a larger wave arrived and whether the route ahead leaves you somewhere to retreat.

Wet rock, algae and spray can make footing extremely slippery. Keep away from exposed edges and avoid putting yourself in a position where one slip would result in a fall into deep or turbulent water.

Waterfalls and swimming holes

Waterfalls and natural pools are common destinations on Australian hikes, particularly during warmer weather. They can also be difficult places to assess from the surface.

Water at the base of waterfalls may be deep and cold, with submerged rocks, ledges, debris and strong or turbulent currents. Parks Victoria advises against swimming under or near waterfalls because the force of falling water and associated currents can create problems even for strong swimmers. Wet rock around waterfalls also creates a significant slip and fall hazard.

Stay behind barriers and away from unstable edges. Avoid scrambling across wet rock for a photograph or a better view, particularly above waterfalls or deep pools where a slip has serious consequences.

Do not jump or dive into natural water unless you have reliable knowledge that it is safe to do so. Water depth changes, floods move debris and logs, and submerged rocks that were not present previously can appear after high flows. Clear water is not necessarily safe water.

Swimming during a hike

A swimming hole at the end of a hot walk can be one of the highlights of a hike, but reaching the water on foot does not make the swimming environment any safer. Most remote rivers, lakes and waterholes are unpatrolled, and help may be a long way away.

Before entering, take a few minutes to assess the location. Look for currents, depth changes, submerged objects, steep or slippery banks and a safe place to get out. Enter unfamiliar water slowly rather than jumping or diving. Avoid swimming alone and stay within your ability, particularly after a long hike when fatigue may already be affecting you. Australian water-safety guidance also warns that inland water can be much colder than expected and that currents may exist beneath an apparently calm surface.

Think about what happens after the swim as well. If you still have several hours of walking ahead, getting clothing or critical equipment wet can create another problem, particularly in cool, windy or alpine conditions.

Unexpected immersion and cold water

Falling unexpectedly into cold water can create an immediate problem before hypothermia has time to develop. Cold water shock can trigger an involuntary gasp and rapid, uncontrolled breathing, while continued immersion progressively reduces the effective use of your hands, arms and legs. This can affect even strong swimmers, particularly when the person enters the water unexpectedly or is also dealing with current, waves or an injury.

If someone gets out safely, reassess the situation before continuing. Replace wet clothing where possible, add insulation, protect the person from wind and consider whether the group still has enough dry clothing and equipment to safely complete the route. An accidental immersion may be enough reason to turn around, particularly in cool, windy or alpine conditions.

For a detailed explanation of what happens during sudden immersion and what to do during the critical first minutes, see Cold Water Shock and the Gasp Reflex.

Camping near water

Rivers, lakes and beaches are attractive places to camp, but the water level you see when you arrive may not be the water level you experience overnight.

Avoid pitching on dry creek beds, drainage channels, flood-prone flats or immediately beside waterways where rising water could reach the site. On the coast, consider the expected tide, swell and weather rather than using the current waterline to decide where it is safe to camp.

Also think beyond the tent itself. A campsite can remain completely dry while rising water cuts the track, floods an access point or makes tomorrow’s river crossing impossible. Consider how you would leave if conditions changed overnight.

I cover drainage, exposure, widowmakers, environmental impact and other campsite considerations in my Campsite selection for overnight and multi-day hikes guide.

Check conditions before you leave

Water hazards are much easier to manage while you still have choices. Before a hike involving rivers, gorges, canyons or exposed coastline, check the weather forecast and warnings, recent rainfall, river or creek conditions where information is available, tides and coastal conditions.

Look beyond the exact location of the track when weather elsewhere could affect the catchment. If thunderstorms are forecast, consider where they may develop and what drains into the terrain you plan to enter. On coastal walks, check swell and weather as well as tide times.

Track notes and trip reports are useful for identifying where water hazards occur, but descriptions of a crossing being ankle-deep, an estuary being easy at low tide or a waterhole being calm describe conditions at another time. They should help you anticipate the decision you may need to make, not make that decision for you.

Keep watching once the hike begins

Conditions observed before departure are only the starting point. Watch what is happening around you as the day progresses.

Rain beginning upstream, increasing creek flow, changing water colour, rising tides, larger waves, approaching storms and deteriorating visibility can all affect a route that was reasonable when you started. So can changes within the group. Fatigue, cold, injury or slower progress may mean reaching a tidal section or river crossing much later than planned.

When something important changes, reassess the plan while you still have useful alternatives. Waiting, turning around, taking a higher route or abandoning a planned swim may be inconvenient, but those decisions are much easier while you still have somewhere safe to go.

Water is part of the landscape, and on many Australian hikes it is one of the things that makes the place worth visiting. Treat it as something that changes with weather, terrain and time. Check what may affect it before you leave, keep watching it while you are out there, and be prepared to change your plans when the conditions you find are different from the ones you expected.