The North Bondi Children's Pool, also called the Mermaid Pool, is a small, shallow ocean pool for young children at the northern end of Bondi Beach. It is free, closed on Thursdays for cleaning and has a playground, barbecues and toilets nearby.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Good to know
- Kids area, Toilets
- Facilities and access
- Playground, barbecues and public toilets nearby
- Managed by
- Waverley Council
- Cost
- Free
- Depth
- Shallow, for young children
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Public transport
- Buses from Bondi Junction
- Best time to go
- Calm mid-morning, not Thursdays
- Water quality
- GoodBondi Beach, 0.4 km away. Sampled 21 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Closed Thursdays for cleaning, starting 4 hours before low tideCouncil roster entry: Thursday 29 Oct (weekly pattern). Times change with weather and tides.
- Town
- North Bondi, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits on the rocks at the north end of Bondi, below Biddigal Reserve, and is made for small children: shallow, enclosed and much calmer than the surf. Behind it, the smaller Walley Weekes Pool fills and empties with the tide.
Council built it as a safe place for young children to swim, most accounts say in 1947.
When to go
Open daily except Thursdays, when cleaning starts four hours before low tide: from 5am if low tide is in the morning, or 10am if it is in the afternoon. Times vary with weather, tides and surf, so check the notices on the gate. Mid-morning on a calm day suits toddlers.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is at the northern end of Bondi Beach, off Ramsgate Avenue. There is a playground, barbecues and public toilets nearby. Buses from Bondi Junction run along Campbell Parade.
Good to know
Children need to be supervised at all times. Bondi Beach is patrolled; the pool is not.