The Grant McBride Baths, still called The Entrance ocean baths by most locals, are a heritage-listed trio of ocean pools: a 50 m lap pool, a 22 m pool and a shallow wading pool. They're free all year, right beside a patrolled beach, and cover every swimmer from squad regular to first-time paddler.
Key facts
- Type
- Ocean pool or baths
- Good to know
- Lifeguards
- Facilities and access
- Patrolled beach with lifeguards; swimming enclosure
- Managed by
- Central Coast Council
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- Beach patrolled in season
- Best time to go
- Calm mornings; check the status before you go
- Water quality
- GoodThe Entrance Ocean Baths, 0.0 km away. Sampled 26 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Each pool closed once a week for cleaning, typically Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on tides and weatherCouncil roster entry: Tue/Wed (weekly pattern). Times change with weather and tides.
- Town
- The Entrance, NSW
What it's like
Three pools sit side by side on the rocks at The Entrance, so you can pick your swim: full-length laps, a shorter pool for a steady paddle, or a wading pool where toddlers can sit in the shallows. Generations of Central Coast kids learned to swim and race here. The baths grew in stages from a simple rock pool between 1938 and 1965. When closure loomed in 2002, a campaign led by the local member, Grant McBride, gathered more than 9,000 signatures; the baths were heritage listed in 2003 and renamed for him in 2018.
When to go
Calm mornings are best. Each pool closes once a week for cleaning, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday depending on tides and weather, and the baths can shut after big storms, so check the status before a special trip.
Getting there and facilities
The baths are at 88 Ocean Parade, The Entrance, a short walk from the shops and cafes of the town centre. The beach beside them is patrolled by lifeguards in season.
Good to know
Entry is free. The Friends of Grant McBride Baths group posts community updates on Facebook.