Woonona Rock Pool is a 50 m pool with lane markings, diving blocks and a heritage pavilion on Collins Point, north of Wollongong. It's free, opened on Australia Day 1929 after locals dug it out by hand, and is usually swimmable even at high tide.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Length
- 50 m
- Good to know
- Toilets, Showers, Change rooms
- Facilities and access
- Diving blocks, historic pavilion with viewing platform, toilets, change rooms, showers; Kurraba Road
- Managed by
- City of Wollongong
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Best time to go
- Mornings; usually swimmable at high tide
- Water quality
- GoodWoonona Beach, 0.3 km away. Sampled 24 Oct. Data: NSW Beachwatch, CC BY 4.0.
- Cleaning
- Not stated
- Town
- Woonona, NSW
What it's like
This rock pool behaves like a real swimming pool: 50 m long, marked lanes and starting blocks at the end, with the ocean just beyond the wall. The pavilion and viewing platform above make it easy to watch the swimmers or the sea. The earlier baths here had fallen apart by 1924, so volunteers led by local lifesavers began digging a new one, contractors finished the job, and it opened on 26 January 1929. The current pavilion, with amenities and club rooms, opened in 1986.
When to go
Mornings are best for laps, and even at high tide the pool usually stays good for a swim. Cleaning dates are estimates that move with the sea and weather.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is on Collins Point, off Kurraba Road, Woonona, with toilets, change rooms and showers in the pavilion. Woonona's shops and cafes are a short drive up the hill.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards at the pool. The deck around the blocks is slippery when wet.