6 Stunning Ocean Pools
We’ve rounded up six of our favourite coastal towns with fantastic ocean pools to plan your next beach escape.
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NSW has ocean pools in almost every shape and size: Art Deco baths, rock pools carved into headlands, sheltered family swimming spots and huge saltwater pools beside surf beaches. Some are the main reason to visit a town. Others are simply somewhere to bob around in calm water as a break from the surf.
We’ve pulled together six of our favourite ocean pools that are all attached to towns we would happily use as a weekend base. Each one gives you somewhere memorable to swim, plus enough nearby places to eat, walk and stay that the pool becomes part of a bigger coastal escape rather than a quick stop. All are beloved by locals and have a stalwart group of morning swimmers, even in winter.
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Our favourite NSW ocean pools
- Newcastle Ocean Baths, Bogey Hole and Merewether Ocean Baths, Newcastle
- Bogey Hole, Mollymook
- Blue Pool and Bruce Steer Ocean Swimming Pool, Bermagui
- Continental Ocean Pool, Kiama
- Ourie Pool, Gerringong
- Forster Ocean Baths, Forster
Newcastle
From Sydney: By car, 2 hours and 15 minutes (169 km)
Newcastle is the most city-like (and perhaps surprising) escape on this list, but with three very different ocean pools, it has to make the list. For a weekend in Newcastle, you can base yourself near the CBD or foreshore, walk between beaches, ocean baths and restaurants, and still have the choice of bars, galleries and hotels once you are done swimming.
The coastal walk is the signature Newcastle experience, connecting the city’s beaches and headlands from Nobbys Lighthouse and the breakwater in the north all the way south to Merewether, around 6 km one way. Along that route you can stop at Newcastle Ocean Baths, the Bogey Hole and Merewether Ocean Baths, with cafes, lookouts and beaches all the way along.
The Bogey Hole is one of the most incredible swimming spots in Newcastle: an ocean pool carved by convict labour in the 1820s and one of the oldest man-made ocean pools in Australia. Even if you don’t have a dip, it’s worth a visit just to watch the waves crashing over the rocks.
For a classic ocean-pool stop, head to Newcastle Ocean Baths on Shortland Esplanade. The Art Deco baths were built from 1910, with the pavilion added in 1922, and are a much larger (and calmer) experience than the Bogey Hole. If you have more time, continue south to Merewether Ocean Baths, which sit at the end of Merewether Beach and are enormous, free to access and popular with locals.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
QT Newcastle
QT Newcastle is our pick for a weekend based around Newcastle’s beaches and ocean pools. It is close to the foreshore, Hunter Street restaurants and Darby Street, with large rooms, Jana Restaurant & Bar downstairs and a rooftop bar with harbour and coastal views.
Mollymook
From Sydney: Around 3 to 3.5 hours (236 km)
Mollymook is a relaxed South Coast beach town that works perfectly for a chilled weekend built around swimming, walking and good food. The beach runs for 2 km from Bannisters Point to the golf course, with a patrolled swimming area in the warmer months, a grassy reserve behind the sand and a wide path that is always busy with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists.
The ocean-pool stop here is the Bogey Hole, a large, naturally formed ocean swimming area just to the south of Mollymook. At high tide this is a sheltered and calm place to swim, even with waves breaking against the rocks nearby. There is a small car park close by: navigate to Golf Course Reef Beach, then follow the very short walk north around to the pool.
You can also walk to the Bogey Hole from Mollymook Beach by heading south around the rocks, past Flat Rock. Check the tide and conditions before you go, and bring shoes you do not mind wearing over rock.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
Bannisters by the Sea or Bannisters Pavilion
The two Bannisters properties are the best-known places to stay in Mollymook and work well for a weekend that combines the beach, Bogey Hole and destination dining. Bannisters by the Sea has Rick Stein at Bannisters on site, while Bannisters Pavilion is a short walk away with the Rooftop Bar and Grill.
Bermagui
From Sydney: Around 5 hours and 30 minutes (387 km)
Bermagui is farther from Sydney than the other ocean-pool towns we’ve included here, so it suits a longer South Coast trip rather than a weekend. Once you are there, the town is compact and easy to explore on foot, with the harbour, beaches, headlands, seafood and two very different ocean pools all close to town.
The Bermagui Blue Pool is a historic tidal rock pool on the walk up to Dickinson Point, originally a smaller natural tidal swimming hole and expanded in the 1930s with steps, a rectangular pool and a separate children’s pool alongside it.
Bermagui also has Bruce Steer Ocean Swimming Pool tucked beside the marina. This one is protected, netted and calm, with a sandy beach shore, toilets nearby and ramp access to the pool, which makes it a good option for younger children. Around the pools, add Horse Head Rock, the marina, Fishermen’s Wharf, Sunrise Point and dinner at the Bermagui Beach Hotel to make a weekend of it.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
Bermagui Beach Hotel
Bermagui Beach Hotel is our pick for a central stay close to the town’s beaches, harbour and headland walks. The front rooms look out across a grassy green to the ocean, and the renovation balances the pub’s original character with a comfortable, boutique feel.
Kiama
From Sydney: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours (131 km)
Kiama is one of the easiest South Coast ocean-pool weekends from Sydney, with beaches, the famous blowhole, coastal walks and good restaurants all close to town. It is also walkable once you arrive, which makes it a low-effort choice if you want to park the car and build the weekend around swimming and eating.
There are two ocean pools in Kiama. The larger pool, Continental Ocean Pool, also called Olympic Pool, sits at the northern end of Black Beach Reserve. It is close to the town centre and is large and calm enough to swim laps. The smaller pool sits at blowhole point in amongst the rocks and, in rougher conditions, has waves crashing over the rocks in to the pool. Both have changing facilities and bathrooms nearby.
Kiama Surf Beach is also close by and is patrolled from the October long weekend through to Easter. If you want to stretch the weekend out, use Kiama as a base for the Kiama Coast Walk, heading north towards Minnamurra or south towards Loves Bay and Gerringong.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
Kove Apartments Kiama
Kove Apartments Kiama is our pick if you want a self-contained stay close to the beach. The apartments are spacious, clean and modern, with beach views and a pool, and the location makes it easy to wander between the ocean pool, restaurants, shops and waterfront.
Gerringong
From Sydney: 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes (141 km)
Gerringong is a smaller, slower beach town than nearby Kiama, with Werri Beach, the lagoon, the headland and a compact village centre. It is a good choice if you want a beach and ocean-pool weekend with laid-back surf-town energy and enough cafes, breweries and restaurants for a relaxed couple of days.
Gerringong’s ocean rock pool, Ourie Pool, sits at the southern end of Werri Beach. There is parking and change rooms nearby, and for kids there is a separate wading pool also set out on the (slippery!) rocks.
Werri Beach itself is patrolled and popular with surfers and families, with the southern point of the Kiama Coastal Walk at one end and the lagoon at the other. If you want a longer walk, head north along the coast towards Loves Bay, or keep the day simple with a beach walk and a swim.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
Park Ridge Retreat
Park Ridge Retreat is our pick for a central Gerringong weekend. It is close to the cafes and restaurants, so you can walk to lunch or dinner, and Werri Beach and the ocean pool are around a 15-minute walk away, with a steeper walk back.
Forster
From Sydney: Around 3 hours and 30 minutes (311 km)
Forster is a beach and lake town on the NSW Mid North Coast, set between the Pacific Ocean and Wallis Lake. It works well for a weekend because you can combine the Forster Ocean Baths with the Bicentennial Walk, Forster Beach, The Tanks, lake activities and local seafood.
Forster Ocean Baths, known locally as the Bull Ring, sit near Forster Beach and stay busy through the day, even in winter, with people doing laps or swimming in groups. There are changing facilities close by, and Dorsal by the Sea sits across the road for coffee, breakfast or lunch afterwards.
The pool is emptied and cleaned once a month, so check the current cleaning schedule before you plan a swim. If you want another sheltered swimming spot, The Tanks is a natural rock formation just off the beach that forms a calm, shallow swimming area, well suited to kids.
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OUR FAVOURITE ACCOMMODATION
Dorsal by the Sea
Dorsal by the Sea is the easiest pick for a Forster ocean-pool weekend. It sits directly across from Forster Ocean Baths and Forster Beach, around a 10-minute walk from the restaurants on Memorial Drive, with ocean-view rooms available if your budget allows.
How to choose the right ocean-pool weekend
- For the easiest trip from Sydney: Kiama or Gerringong.
- For the most pools in one weekend: Newcastle.
- For a couples beach-and-dining weekend: Mollymook.
- For a longer South Coast trip: Bermagui.
- For a beach-and-lake base: Forster.
FAQs
Are NSW ocean pools free to swim in?
Yes, all these ocean pools are free to swim in. Most also have good facilities, including changing rooms and toilets, nearby.
Can you visit these ocean pools year-round?
Yes, you can, although they will be very cold for swimming in winter. However, you’ll often find local swimming groups who brave the cold water even in the middle of winter. Even if it’s too cold for a swim, all the pools we have listed above are worth a visit to paddle or watch the waves crash in.