Angourie Blue Pool is a deep, spring-fed swimming hole in an old bluestone quarry near Yamba, filled with fresh water that glows blue on a sunny day, a few metres from the ocean. It's free, open all the time and a short walk from the car park, and it suits confident swimmers who like a bit of adventure.
Key facts
- Type
- Natural pool
- Good to know
- Parking
- Facilities and access
- Free; always open; about 100 m paved path from the car park at the end of The Crescent; saltwater rock pool beside it
- Cost
- Free
- Depth
- Very deep, sheer sides
- Lifeguards
- No
- Parking
- Day car park at the end of The Crescent
- Dogs
- Not allowed
- Best time to go
- Mornings outside school holidays
- Water quality
- GoodSpooky Beach, 0.3 km away. Sampled 9 Mar. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Town
- Angourie (Yamba), NSW
What it's like
Sheer rock walls drop into clear, cool fresh water, with the sea just over the rocks and the sound of the surf in your ears. The pool is very deep, so there's no shallow end to wade in from; a small grassy area gives you somewhere to sit and dry off. Stone cut here in the 1890s went into the Clarence River breakwalls, and when quarrying stopped the hole filled with groundwater. The smaller Green Pool is a short walk further on, and a saltwater rock pool sits beside the quarry.
When to go
Mornings are quieter, while summer afternoons and school holidays bring crowds. In warm weather blue-green algae can build up and close the pool, with signs going up on site when it does. On those days, the ocean rock pool next door is an option in calm seas.
Getting there and facilities
Park at the day car park at the end of The Crescent, Angourie, where there are toilets, then follow a paved path of about 100 m to the pool. Overnight parking isn't allowed. Yamba is about ten minutes' drive away.
Good to know
Nobody patrols here. Jumping from the walls is popular but dangerous, with changing depths and hidden ledges, so climb in instead. No dogs, fires, camping or glass.