Bermagui's Blue Pool is a 50 m saltwater pool built into the rocks below the cliffs on the Sapphire Coast, with a shallow wading pool beside it for kids. It is free and open all year, reached by a steep set of stairs.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Length
- 50 m
- Good to know
- Kids area
- Facilities and access
- Shallow wading pool for kids beside it
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Parking
- Car park on Scenic Drive
- Best time to go
- Mornings, mid to high tide on a calm day
- Town
- Bermagui, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits in a rocky cove at the foot of the cliffs in Bermagui. The water is fed by the sea and looks bright blue on a sunny day, turning green and turquoise with the light. The main pool is long enough for proper laps, and the little pool next to it is shallow enough for toddlers.
There was a natural swimming hole here, known as the Blue Hole, long before the pool. In 1936 local man Bill Dickinson proposed enlarging it, and the bigger saltwater pool was built over the following years. During the Second World War a coast-watching post stood on the cliff above. A pump was added in the 1990s to help keep the water level up between tides.
When to go
Mornings are calm and quiet. Higher tides refresh the water; big seas can wash over the outer wall. In summer the pool is busy with holidaymakers by late morning.
Getting there and facilities
The car park and amenities block are on Scenic Drive, Bermagui, with toilets, change rooms and showers. From there a long, steep flight of stairs leads down to the pool, so it is hard going for anyone with limited mobility. Bermagui is about five and a half hours' drive south of Sydney, and about three and a half from Canberra.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards. Rocks around the edge are slippery and the stairs are steep, so take care with small children.