Bondi Icebergs is the ocean pool on a thousand postcards: a 50 m lap pool at the south end of Bondi Beach, where the surf crashes over the wall and the whole curve of the beach is laid out in front of you. Entry is paid, and the sauna, showers and lifeguards make it worth it for visitors and serious swimmers alike.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Length
- 50 m
- Good to know
- Kids area, Showers, Cafe nearby, Lifeguards
- Facilities and access
- Lap pool and a smaller kids pool; sauna, hot showers, lockers and towel hire; lifeguards during opening hours; cafe
- Managed by
- Bondi Icebergs Club (operator)
- Cost
- Paid entry (about $10 adult)
- Lifeguards
- Yes, during opening hours
- Public transport
- Buses from Bondi Junction station
- Best time to go
- Early morning, not Thursdays
- Water quality
- BadBondi Beach, 0.6 km away. Sampled 28 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Closed Thursdays for cleaning
- Town
- Bondi Beach, NSW
What it's like
Swim a few laps and you understand the fuss. The pool is cut into the rocks below the clubhouse, waves regularly break over the outer edge, and the light off the water at sunrise is extraordinary. There's a smaller kids pool beside the main one, and upstairs the club has a sauna, hot showers, lockers, towel hire and a cafe. The Bondi Icebergs winter swimming club was founded here in 1929 by lifesavers keen to stay fit through the cold months, and members once had to swim three winter Sundays out of four for five years to keep their place.
When to go
The pool opens from 6am on weekdays and 6.30am on weekends, until about 6.30pm, and closes on Thursdays for cleaning, though it opens on some summer Thursdays when the tides allow. Public entry also depends on tides and swimming races. Early morning has the best light and the fewest people.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is on Notts Avenue at the southern end of Bondi Beach, an easy walk from the cafes of Campbell Parade. Buses run from Bondi Junction station to the beach. Parking around Bondi is paid and scarce in summer.
Good to know
Entry is paid, at about $10 for adults, $7 for children and $30 for a family. Lifeguards are on duty during opening hours.