Bar Beach Rock Pool is the natural rock pool in the northern corner of Bar Beach, Newcastle, the formation locals called The Bar and the reason the beach has its name. It's free and the safest place to swim on this stretch of coast, good for a calm family dip.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Good to know
- Lifeguards
- Facilities and access
- Lifeguards daily 8am to 4.30pm at the beach
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- Bar Beach patrolled 8am to 4.30pm in season
- Best time to go
- Calm days, mid tide
- Water quality
- GoodNewcastle Beach, 0.4 km away. Sampled 24 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Town
- Newcastle, NSW
What it's like
The pool is a natural basin in the rocks, sheltered from the surf rolling in along the beach. It's for floating and paddling rather than laps, and on summer days it's full of families. The northern end of the beach is also called Susan Gilmore Beach, after an American clipper wrecked there in 1884.
When to go
Calm days around mid tide are best. Lifeguards patrol Bar Beach daily from 8am to 4.30pm in season.
Getting there and facilities
Bar Beach sits between Merewether and Newcastle Beach on the Bathers Way coastal walk, so you can link it with Merewether Ocean Baths or the Bogey Hole on foot. Parking and amenities are behind the beach.
Good to know
The rocks and floor are natural and uneven. Watch small children closely.