Coledale Rock Pool is a main pool and a separate toddlers pool on a wide rock platform at the southern end of Coledale Beach, north of Wollongong, next to a beachside camping reserve. It is free.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Good to know
- Kids area
- Facilities and access
- Separate toddlers pool; Northcote Street
- Managed by
- City of Wollongong
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Public transport
- Coledale station, a walk from the beach
- Best time to go
- Low to mid tide, calm day
- Water quality
- GoodColedale Beach, 0.5 km away. Sampled 12 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Not stated
- Town
- Coledale, NSW
What it's like
To reach the pool you walk out across a broad, flat rock platform, which gives it a remote feel even though the village is right behind you. The main pool is good for a proper swim, and the small toddlers pool beside it is sheltered and shallow, which makes it a favourite with families. Waves wash in at high tide.
Like many of the northern Illawarra pools, it is tied to the area's coal-mining history; accounts of exactly when it was built differ, but local families have used it for generations.
When to go
Low to mid tide on a calm day, when the walk across the platform is easiest and the water is settled. Mornings are quiet. Council publishes estimated cleaning dates that can change with the weather and sea.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is at the southern end of Coledale Beach, reached from Northcote Street. Coledale Beach Camping Reserve, run by the surf club, sits behind the beach with toilets and hot showers for campers; bookings are essential. Coledale station is on the South Coast line, a walk up the hill from the beach.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards at the pool. The rock platform is slippery and waves can surge across it, so watch the sea.