Black Head Rock Pool at Hallidays Point is a 30 m ocean pool with a separate children's wading pool, opened around 1940 and kept going by local volunteers known as Dad's Army. It is free, with donations welcome.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Length
- 30 m
- Good to know
- Kids area
- Facilities and access
- Separate wading pool for children; no entry fee
- Cost
- Free; donations welcome
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Best time to go
- Calm days, mid to high tide
- Town
- Hallidays Point, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits on the rocks at the southern end of Black Head Beach on the Mid North Coast. The main pool is 30 m long, with shallow steps at one end and metal stairs into the deep end, and a smaller wading pool for children. Waves top it up at high tide.
Locals and holidaymakers pushed for a safe place to swim, and the pool opened around 1940. Local legend says fishermen used it as a lobster pen during the Second World War. In the 1980s the cost of upkeep nearly saw it closed, until a group of local volunteers, Dad's Army, took on the cleaning and care. They still look after it and collect donations for its upkeep.
When to go
Calm days at mid to high tide give the best swim. Summer holidays are the busiest time, as Hallidays Point is a popular holiday spot.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is at the southern end of Black Head Beach, Hallidays Point, about 25 minutes' drive south of Forster and about four hours north of Sydney. Parking and the beach reserve are close by.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards at the pool. Put something in the donation tin: it keeps the pool open.