Fairy Bower Rockpool is a small, triangular sea pool on the walk from Manly to Shelly Beach, built by locals in 1929 and guarded by a ring of bronze sea nymphs. It's free, shallow at one end and a favourite with kids, nervous swimmers and anyone who wants a dip halfway along Manly's best-loved seaside walk.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Length
- 20 m
- Facilities and access
- On Marine Parade
- Managed by
- Northern Beaches Council
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Parking
- None at the pool; paid parking in Manly
- Public transport
- Manly ferry, then about 20 minutes' walk
- Best time to go
- Calm mornings, not Wednesdays
- Water quality
- FairShelly Beach (Manly), 0.3 km away. Sampled 26 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Closed for cleaning every Wednesday
- Town
- Manly, NSW
What it's like
Picture a 20 m triangle cut into the rocks below Marine Parade, with Cabbage Tree Bay glittering beyond it and waves slopping over the outer edge at high tide. It has never pretended to be a lap pool; this is where generations of Manly kids learned to swim and where grown-ups float and people-watch. Residents built it in 1929 for around £500. The bronze figures perched along the rock edge, the Oceanides, are by sculptor Helen Leete, and they turn up in a lot of holiday photos.
When to go
Avoid Wednesdays, when the pool closes for cleaning (signs go up the day before). Mornings are calm and quiet, and summer afternoons fill up with walkers stopping for a swim. In a decent swell the outer edge takes waves, so a flat day is best.
Getting there and facilities
From the southern end of Manly Beach it's about ten minutes' stroll along Marine Parade, or around 20 minutes from Manly Wharf. There's no parking at the pool, so use Manly's paid car parks or, better, catch the ferry. Shelly Beach, a few minutes further on, has toilets and a cafe.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards and the rocks are slippery. Cabbage Tree Bay is a marine reserve, so leave everything that lives there where you find it.