McIver's Ladies Baths in Coogee is the last women-only seawater pool in Australia, a sun-warmed terrace and sea pool on the cliffs where women and children have swum since the 1870s. Entry is a small fee or donation, and the mood is relaxed, private and friendly.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Good to know
- Kids area, Change rooms
- Facilities and access
- Large concrete sea pool, brick sunbathing area, amenities block, change rooms and a small clubhouse
- Managed by
- Randwick City Council
- Cost
- Small fee or donation
- Public transport
- Buses to Coogee, then about 5 minutes' walk
- Best time to go
- Mornings, not Tuesdays
- Water quality
- GoodCoogee Beach, 0.4 km away. Sampled 28 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Cleaned every Tuesday
- Town
- Coogee, NSW
What it's like
Steps lead down to a large concrete sea pool, a brick terrace for sunbathing and a small clubhouse, all tucked into the cliffs between Coogee Beach and Wylie's Baths. With no men allowed, it's a place where women come to swim, read and lie in the sun without a second thought. Women were bathing here before 1876, and the baths were built in 1886. The McIver family ran them for years, and the Randwick Ladies Amateur Swimming Club has held the lease since 1922; a 1995 exemption from the Anti-Discrimination Act protects their women-only status.
When to go
The baths open from 7am to 7pm from October to March, and 7am to 4pm from April to September. They're cleaned every Tuesday. Mornings are quietest.
Getting there and facilities
Walk south from Coogee Beach on the coastal path, about five minutes past the end of the beach. There are change rooms and an amenities block at the baths. Buses run to Coogee from the city and Bondi Junction.
Good to know
Entry is for women and children only, for a small fee or gold coin. Wylie's Baths, Ross Jones Memorial Pool and Giles Baths nearby are open to everyone.