The North Bondi Children's Pool, known to local families as the Mermaid Pool, is a small, shallow ocean pool built for little swimmers at the quiet end of Bondi Beach. It's free, a world away from the surf a few metres off, and comes with a playground and barbecues close by.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Good to know
- Kids area, Toilets
- Facilities and access
- Playground, barbecues and public toilets nearby
- Managed by
- Waverley Council
- Cost
- Free
- Depth
- Shallow, for young children
- Lifeguards
- Not at the pool
- Public transport
- Buses from Bondi Junction
- Best time to go
- Calm mid-morning, not Thursdays
- Water quality
- BadBondi Beach, 0.4 km away. Sampled 28 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Closed Thursdays for cleaning, starting 4 hours before low tideCouncil roster entry: Thursday 29 Oct (weekly pattern). Times change with weather and tides.
- Town
- North Bondi, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits on the rocks at the north end of Bondi, below Biddigal Reserve, and everything about it is scaled for small children: shallow, enclosed and calm while the waves roll in next door. Parents sit on the edge with a coffee while toddlers splash about. Just behind it, the little Walley Weekes Pool fills and empties with the tide.
When to go
It's open daily except Thursdays, when cleaning starts four hours before low tide: from 5am if low tide is in the morning, or 10am if it's in the afternoon. Times shift with weather, tides and surf, so read the notice on the gate. A calm mid-morning suits toddlers best.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is at the northern end of Bondi Beach, off Ramsgate Avenue, with a playground, barbecues and public toilets nearby. Buses from Bondi Junction run along Campbell Parade.
Good to know
Children need watching at all times. Bondi Beach is patrolled, but the pool is not.