North Curl Curl Rockpool is a 25 m pool near the tip of the headland at the northern end of Curl Curl Beach. At high tide it can only be reached by the coastal walk, and council does not clean it, so it feels wilder than most Sydney pools.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Length
- 25 m
- Managed by
- Northern Beaches Council
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Parking
- North Curl Curl surf club car park
- Best time to go
- Low tide, calm day
- Water quality
- PoorNorth Curl Curl Beach, 0.3 km away. Sampled 26 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Not cleaned by council because of the difficult access
- Town
- North Curl Curl, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits out towards the end of the headland, with open sea around it. Because access is awkward, it is usually quiet, and the water is refreshed only by the waves. The National Trust listed it in 1994 for its setting near the tip of the headland.
It was built in 1937 with Depression-era relief funds, by deepening a natural pool and adding a retaining wall. A timber walkway was added in 1938 but did not last. Heavy seas wrecked the pool in 1947, and it was rebuilt about ten years later.
When to go
Go at low tide, when you can walk out along the rocks from the beach, and on a calm day. At high tide the only way in is the cliff-top walk from the surf club car park. Big seas wash right across it.
Getting there and facilities
Start at the North Curl Curl surf club car park. At low tide walk around the rocks; at high tide take the coastal walk over the headland. There are no facilities at the pool itself.
Good to know
Council does not clean this pool, so expect seaweed and sand. There are no lifeguards. Wear shoes for the walk.