NSW has more ocean pools than any other state, from the Mid North Coast to Eden. Beyond Sydney, these are the ones worth planning a trip around.
How we chose: a setting you will remember, room for a proper swim, how easy it is to visit, and the story behind the pool. We have left out places that are only safe in narrow conditions, such as the Figure Eight Pools, which you can read about separately.
1. Merewether Ocean Baths
Biggest · Merewether, Ocean pool or baths
Often described as the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere, with a vast main pool and a learners pool at Newcastle. Free and open around the clock except Thursdays.
2. Blue Pool
Most beautiful setting · Bermagui, 50 m, Ocean pool or baths
Bermagui's 50 m saltwater pool sits in a cove at the foot of the cliffs, reached by a long flight of stairs, with a wading pool for kids beside it.
3. Bogey Hole
Oldest · Newcastle, Natural pool
Cut by convicts around 1820 for Newcastle's commandant and enlarged in 1884, it is on the State Heritage Register. Swim only on calm days.
4. Angourie Blue Pool
Best freshwater · Angourie (Yamba), Natural pool
A deep, spring-fed quarry pool a few metres from the sea near Yamba, free and always open unless algae closes it.
5. Newcastle Ocean Baths
Best city pool · Newcastle, Ocean pool or baths
A 1922 heritage pool with an art deco front, right on the edge of Newcastle's city centre, rebuilt and reopened in 2023.
6. Austinmer Rock Pool
Best Illawarra village pool · Austinmer, Rock pool
Twin pools under a historic pavilion at a pretty beach north of Wollongong, with cafes and the train a short walk away.
7. Coalcliff Rock Pool
Best with a road trip · Coalcliff, Rock pool
The northernmost Wollongong pool, below the escarpment and a few minutes from the Sea Cliff Bridge.
8. Blowhole Point Pool
Best with a sight to see · Kiama, Ocean pool or baths
A hand-cut pool with a shallow side pool for children, next to the Kiama Blowhole and lighthouse.
9. Black Head Rock Pool
Best community pool · Hallidays Point, 30 m, Ocean pool or baths
A 30 m pool at Hallidays Point kept going by local volunteers, Dad's Army, since the 1980s. Put a coin in the tin.
10. Woonona Rock Pool
Best for serious laps · Woonona, 50 m, Rock pool
A 50 m rock pool with lane markings and diving blocks, opened in 1929 after volunteers began digging it.
11. Yamba Rock Pool
Best on the North Coast · Yamba, 33 m, Ocean pool or baths
A 33 m pool cut into the rocks at the end of Yamba's main beach in 1969, with a wading pool and a cafe nearby.
12. The Grant McBride Baths
Best for families on the Central Coast · The Entrance, Ocean pool or baths
Three pools at The Entrance, from a 50 m lap pool to a children's wading pool, heritage listed and free.