The Geoff James Pool is a 25 m, four-lane saltwater lap pool on the concrete promenade beside Clovelly Beach, built in 1962. It is free, with toilets, showers and a cafe nearby.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Length
- 25 m
- Good to know
- Toilets, Showers, Parking, Cafe nearby
- Facilities and access
- Toilets, showers and cafe nearby; best parking is the large Clovelly Beach car park on the southern side of the bay
- Managed by
- Randwick City Council
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Parking
- Clovelly Beach car park, south side of the bay
- Best time to go
- Mornings, not Fridays
- Water quality
- GoodClovelly Beach, 0.1 km away. Sampled 21 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Cleaned weekly, mostly on Fridays
- Town
- Clovelly, NSW
What it's like
Clovelly is a long, narrow bay that gets very little surf, and the pool sits on its southern side on the wide concrete promenade. It is a tidy four-lane, 25 m lap pool, while the calm bay beside it is popular for an easy swim. Council uses no chemicals: the pumps draw water from the bay for several hours around high tide when conditions allow, so seaweed can wash in, and the old structure has some stains that cannot be removed.
The pool was built in 1962. Geoff James, then president of the Clovelly surf club, convinced council with his own hand-drawn plans that a pool would save on concrete along the promenade. Council later named it after him.
When to go
Mornings are best for laps. Council cleans the pool weekly, mostly on Fridays, with staff steam-cleaning it when needed. In 2025 the pool closed for a few weeks while new access stairs were built.
Getting there and facilities
The best parking is the large Clovelly Beach car park on the southern side of the bay. Toilets, showers and a cafe are nearby. Buses run to Clovelly from the city and Bondi Junction, and the Bondi to Coogee walk passes the bay.
Good to know
Entry is free. There are no lifeguards at the pool itself.