The Bogey Hole in Newcastle is a rock pool cut by convicts around 1820 for the commandant, James Morisset, at the foot of the cliffs below King Edward Park. Heritage-listed, wave-washed and free, it's one of the most atmospheric swims in the state on a calm day and a spectacular show in a big swell.
Key facts
- Type
- Natural pool
- Facilities and access
- Access from King Edward Park
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Best time to go
- Calm days, low to mid tide
- Water quality
- GoodNewcastle Beach, 0.8 km away. Sampled 24 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Town
- Newcastle, NSW
What it's like
The pool is chiselled into a rock shelf where the sea pours over the outer wall, so a calm-day swim comes with surging water and a real sense of history. In heavy swell, many people simply stand in the park above and watch the waves explode over it. Convicts cut the first, smaller pool for Commandant Morisset's private use, and it was known as the Commandant's Baths. It was enlarged to about seven times its size in 1884, and listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2003.
When to go
Only on calm days, ideally at low to mid tide. In heavy swell waves wash right across the pool and platform and it becomes dangerous. Early mornings are quiet.
Getting there and facilities
Walk down from King Edward Park, off the Bathers Way coastal walk below Shepherds Hill, by a path and steps. There are no facilities at the pool itself, but Newcastle Beach and the city centre are a short walk north.
Good to know
There's no lifeguard on duty. The rocks are slippery and the outer wall takes waves without warning, so keep away from the edge in any swell.