Black Head Rock Pool at Hallidays Point is a 30 m ocean pool with a children's wading pool, kept clean and open for decades by a band of local volunteers known as Dad's Army. It's free, friendly and a good honest lap pool on the Mid North Coast, so drop a coin in the tin.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Length
- 30 m
- Good to know
- Kids area
- Facilities and access
- Separate wading pool for children; no entry fee
- Cost
- Free; donations welcome
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Best time to go
- Calm days, mid to high tide
- Town
- Hallidays Point, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits on the rocks at the southern end of Black Head Beach, with shallow steps at one end, metal stairs into the deep end and a small wading pool beside it for little ones. Waves top it up at high tide. Locals and holidaymakers pushed for a safe place to swim, and the pool opened around 1940. In the 1980s the cost of upkeep nearly closed it, until the volunteers stepped in to do the cleaning and care. They're still at it, and their donation tin is what keeps the pool going.
When to go
Calm days at mid to high tide give the best swim. Hallidays Point is a popular holiday spot, so the summer holidays are the busiest time.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is at the southern end of Black Head Beach, Hallidays Point, about 25 minutes' drive south of Forster and about four hours north of Sydney. Parking and the beach reserve are close by.
Good to know
The pool is unpatrolled. The rocks around it are slippery when wet.