# Ocean pools in Australia

Ocean pools are an important feature of the Australian coastline particularly in New South Wales. Ocean pools or ocean baths are defined as public seawater pools sited on a rocky surf coast, so that waves can wash into the pool. The width, length and depth of ocean pools varies and often depends on their location on the coastline. Australia also has many harbour pools and these are usually netted or fenced and located in harbours or river mouths but not regarded as ocean pools.

## History

Ocean pools date back to the convict era in Australia with Newcastle's Bogey Hole being constructed in 1819 by convicts under the orders of Commandant James Morisset. Construction of ocean pools was generally through community subscriptions or government funded. Two ocean pools were privately built: the Pearl Beach Rock Pool, near Gosford, New South Wales was constructed by a real estate developer in the 1920s to help sell land, and Wylie's Baths in Coogee, New South Wales by entrepreneur Henry Wylie and his sons.
Several ocean pools were once reserved only for the use of men or only for use by women and children and Sydney's Coogee Bay still hosts an ocean pool reserved solely for the use of women and children. Coogee's McIver's Baths constructed in the 1860s seems to now be the only seawater pool in Australia still reserved solely for use by women and children. Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie, who won gold and silver medals in the Women's 100m Freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics trained at this pool. The Beverley Whitfield Pool in Shellharbour is named after another of Australia's Olympic swimmers.
Wylie's Baths established in 1907 at Coogee, New South Wales, by Henry Alexander Wylie, the father of Mina Wylie, was one of the first mixed gender ocean pools in Australia.
There are about 100 ocean pools in New South Wales. In Perth, Western Australia there has been impetus to build ocean pools as a result of shark attacks.

## List of ocean pools

| Name | Location | Constructed | Opened | Length | Comments |
| East Ballina Children's Pool | Ballina, New South Wales | | | | |
| Yamba Rock Pool | Yamba, New South Wales | | 1969 | 33 m | |
| Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool | Sawtell, New South Wales | | 1962 | | |
| Black Head Rock Pool | Hallidays Point, New South Wales | | 1941 | 100 feet | |
| Forster Ocean Baths | Forster, New South Wales | | 1936 | 56 m along the northern wall (rear wall), 50 m along the eastern wall and 69 m along the western wall. | |
| Soldiers Baths | Newcastle, New South Wales | | 1883 | 180 yards oval | |
| Square Hole | Newcastle, New South Wales | | | | |
| Newcastle Ocean Baths | Newcastle, New South Wales | | 1922 | 91.44x45.72 m | |
| Canoe Pool | Newcastle, New South Wales | | 1937 | | |
| The Ladies Bath | Newcastle, New South Wales | | | | |
| Bogey Hole | Newcastle, New South Wales | | 1819 | | |
| Bar Beach Rock Pool | Newcastle, New South Wales | | | | |
| Old Merewether Baths | Newcastle, New South Wales | | | | |
| Merewether Ocean Baths | Newcastle, New South Wales | | 1935 | 110x90 yards | |
| Norah Head Pool | Norah Head, New South Wales | | | | |
| The Entrance Ocean Baths | The Entrance, New South Wales | 1938-1965 (multiple modifications) | 1938 | 50m | Additional children's pool. |
| Terrigal Rock Pool | Terrigal, New South Wales | | | | |
| Avoca Beach Rock Pool | Avoca Beach, New South Wales | | | | |
| Mavis Pool | Copacabana, New South Wales | | | | |
| MacMasters Beach Rock Pool | MacMasters Beach, New South Wales | | | | |
| Killcare - Putty Beach Rock Pool | Killcare, New South Wales | | | | |
| Umina Beach (site) | Umina, New South Wales | | | | |
| Pearl Beach Rock Pool | Pearl Beach, New South Wales | | | | |
| Palm Beach Rock Pool | Palm Beach, New South Wales | | | 50m | |
| Whale Beach Rock Pool | Whale Beach, New South Wales | | | 25 m | |
| Avalon Rock Pool | Avalon, New South Wales | | | | |
| Bilgola Rock Pool | Bilgola Beach, New South Wales | | | 50m | |
| Northern Headlands Rock Pool (site) | Newport, New South Wales | | | | |
| Newport Rock Pool | Newport, New South Wales | | | 50m | Length . |
| Mona Vale Rock Pool | Mona Vale, New South Wales | | | 30m | Length 30 m. Also small children's pool. |
| North Narrabeen Rock Pool | North Narrabeen, New South Wales | | | 50m | Length 50 m. |
| Collaroy Rock Pool | Collaroy, New South Wales | | | | |
| Dee Why Rock Pool | Dee Why, New South Wales | | | 50m | Length 50 m. |
| North Curl Curl Rock Pool | North Curl Curl, New South Wales | | | 25m | Length 25 m. |
| South Curl Curl Rock Pool | Curl Curl, New South Wales | | | 50m | Length 50 m. |
| Freshwater Rock Pool | Freshwater, New South Wales | | | 50m | Length 50 m. |
| Queenscliff Rock Pool | Queenscliff, New South Wales | 1937 | | 50m | Constructed in 1937. Length 50 m. |
| Fairy Bower Pool | Manly, New South Wales | 1929 | | | |
| Wally Weakes Pool | North Bondi, New South Wales | | | | |
| Children's Pool | North Bondi, New South Wales | | | | |
| Bondi Icebergs Pool | Bondi, New South Wales | 1887 | | | |
| Bronte Bogey Hole | Bronte, New South Wales | 1916 | | | |
| Geoff James Pool (Clovelly Baths) | Clovelly, New South Wales | | | | |
| Giles Baths | Coogee, New South Wales | | | | |
| Ross Jones Memorial Pool (Coogee Beach Pool) | Coogee, New South Wales | | | | |
| McIvers Baths (Coogee Women's Pool) | Coogee, New South Wales | 1886 | | | |
| Wylie's Baths | Coogee, New South Wales | 1907 | | | |
| Ivo Rowe Pool | South Coogee, New South Wales | | | | |
| Mahon Pool | Maroubra, New South Wales | 1932 | | | |
| South Maroubra Rock Pools | Maroubra, New South Wales | | | | |
| Malabar Pool | Malabar, New South Wales | | | | |
| Little Bay Pool | Little Bay, New South Wales | | | | |
| Northernmost Pool | Cronulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Children's Pool | Cronulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Main Ocean Pool | Cronulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Shelly Beach Pool | Cronulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Oak Park Pool | Cronulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Bulgo Pool | Otford, New South Wales | | | | |
| Big Marley Rock Pool | Royal National Park, New South Wales |
| Coalcliff Pool | Coalcliff, New South Wales | | | | |
| Clifton Baths (site) | Clifton, New South Wales | | | | |
| Doctors Pool (site) | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Scarborough Baths (site) | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Wombara Baths | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Coledale Baths | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Little Austinmer Children's Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Old Thirroul Baths (site) | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Collins Point Baths - Woonona Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | 50m | |
| Bellambi Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Towradgi Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Wollongong Rock Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Wollongong Continental Baths | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Wollongong Nuns Pool | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Wollongong Ladies Baths (site) | Wollongong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Fishermens Beach Rock Pool (site) | Port Kembla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Barrack Point Pool (site) | Barrack Point, New South Wales | | | | |
| Beverley Whitfield Pool | Shellharbour, New South Wales | | | | |
| Pheasant Point Pool | Kiama, New South Wales | | | | |
| Blowhole Point Pool | Kiama, New South Wales | | | | |
| Werri Beach Pool | Gerringong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Men's Baths (site) | Gerringong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Currarong Pools | Currarong, New South Wales | | | | |
| Mollymook Bogey Hole | Mollymook, New South Wales | | | | |
| Ulladulla Sea Pool | Ulladulla, New South Wales | | | | |
| Horseshoe Bay Pool (site) | Bermagui, New South Wales | | | | |
| Blue Pool | Bermagui, New South Wales | | | | |
| Zane Grey Pool (site) | Bermagui, New South Wales | | | | |
| Cape Paterson Rock Pool | Cape Paterson, Victoria | 1960s | | | |
| Anastasia's Pool | Broome, Western Australia | | | | |
| Mettams Pool | Trigg, Western Australia | | | | |
| Rainbow beach Pool | Coolangatta, Queensland | | | | |
| Hammersley Pool | North Beach, Western Australia | | | | |
| Kings Beach Pool | Caloundra, Queensland | | | | |
| Aslings Beach Rock Pool | Eden, New South Wales | 1961 | | | |
| Marrinawi Cove | Sydney, New South Wales | | 9th of January 2023 | | Constructed as part of the Barangaroo Headland redevelopment which opened 22nd August 2015. It was not legal to swim in until the 9th of January 2023 |