Fairy Bower Rockpool is a small, triangular rock pool on the coastal walk between Manly and Shelly Beach, built by local residents in 1929 and lined with the Sea Nymphs sculptures. It is free and open daily except Wednesdays.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Length
- 20 m
- Facilities and access
- On Marine Parade
- Managed by
- Northern Beaches Council
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Parking
- None at the pool; paid parking in Manly
- Public transport
- Manly ferry, then about 20 minutes' walk
- Best time to go
- Calm mornings, not Wednesdays
- Water quality
- FairShelly Beach (Manly), 0.3 km away. Sampled 26 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Closed for cleaning every Wednesday
- Town
- Manly, NSW
What it's like
The pool is about 20 m long and roughly triangular, cut into the rocks below Marine Parade with Cabbage Tree Bay in front of it. Waves spill over the outer edge at high tide. It has always been a pool for children and for people who would rather not swim in the surf, and generations of Manly kids learned to swim here.
Residents built it in 1929, at a cost the council of the day put at around £500. The bronze figures along the rock edge, known as the Sea Nymphs or the Oceanides, are by sculptor Helen Leete.
When to go
Council closes the pool for cleaning every Wednesday, with signs up 24 hours before. Mornings are quiet; on summer afternoons it is busy with walkers stopping for a swim. Calm days are best, as the outer edge takes waves in a swell.
Getting there and facilities
Walk about ten minutes south along Marine Parade from the southern end of Manly Beach, or from Manly Wharf in about 20 minutes. There is no parking at the pool; Manly's paid car parks are the nearest. Toilets and cafes are at Shelly Beach and along the Manly beachfront.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards. The rocks are slippery. Cabbage Tree Bay is a marine reserve, so leave marine life where you find it.