Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool is a 42 m pool set into the rocks of Bonville Headland, sheltered by high stone walls and dedicated as a war memorial in 1963. It's free, calm and a short walk from Sawtell's cafe strip, so it suits laps and lazy floats alike.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Length
- 42 m
- Facilities and access
- High rock walls shelter swimmers from waves
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Best time to go
- Calm days, mid to high tide
- Town
- Sawtell, NSW
What it's like
Tall natural rock walls keep most of the swell out, so the water stays calm while the sea churns outside. At about 42 m it's long enough for laps, and the mouth of Bonville Creek sits just beside it. A granite tablet in the rocks carries the pool's name. Council and a local anglers' club built it around 1960, swimmers began using it in the summer of 1962, and it was dedicated the next year to servicemen and women who died in war.
When to go
Calm days at mid to high tide give the best water. Mornings are quiet.
Getting there and facilities
Walk to the southern side of Bonville Headland from Sawtell's main beach or the headland car park. Sawtell's cafes and the fig-lined main street are a short walk away.
Good to know
No lifeguard watches the pool. The rocks around the edge are slippery.