Sally Tertini, the author of Wild Swimming Sydney Australia, reveals ten of the best wild swimming locations:

Put simply, wild swimming is swimming for pleasure in natural waters. It’s swimming with no particular goal in mind, other than to experience the sheer joy that immersion brings.

For the wild swimmer Sydney really has it all – from hidden beaches to rugged canyons; sparkling rock pools, to pristine waterholes. So go on, get out there and get wet!

1. Leap into the unique Figure Eight Pool, which can only be reached at low-tide in the Royal National Park (caution required).

2. Float in the crystal-clear, babbling Grose River, amid enviable Blue Mountains scenery at Pierces Pass.

3. Follow Bob Turner’s Track for the easiest taste of the pristine Colo River wilderness.

4. Get back to nature by spending a blissful weekend swimming and camping by Erskine Creek at Jack Evans Track.

5. Dive into the clear, deep, green water of Olympic Pool on Kangaroo Creek, a 50m bush waterhole with a kaleidoscopic surface.

6. Head to Dunns Swamp for a family getaway, and splash about in this 3km serpentine stretch of languid river bordered by a bush campsite.

7. One of the best beaches on the South Coast, Long Beach is so little visited that you might get the whole gorgeous 1.8km stretch to yourself!

8. Frolic on wild Flint & Steel Beach, surrounded by national park, before exploring other nearby secret beaches.

9. Location, location, location! Swim in MacCallum Pool with Sydney’s iconic skyline on the horizon.

10. Marvel at the glimmering, turquoise water, and ancient limestone walls of Mares Forest Creek Canyon.

Wild Swimming Sydney Australia by Sally Tertini and Steve Pollard (AUS$32.99, Wild Things Publishing) is available from all good bookshops.

First published on oceanfit.com.au