Aslings Beach Rock Pool is a small, cliff-side ocean pool at the end of Aslings Beach in Eden, a short walk from town, built in 1961 as the Eden Memorial Swimming Pool. It is free, little known and best visited at low tide.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Facilities and access
- Short walk from town over the rocks from the beach
- Cost
- Free
- Depth
- Shallow, sand has built up
- Lifeguards
- No
- Best time to go
- Low tide on a calm day
- Town
- Eden, NSW
What it's like
The pool is set into the pink and white rocks at the end of Aslings Beach, and is easy to miss from further along the sand. It was made by deepening a natural pool in the rock platform and opened in 1961 as the Eden Memorial Swimming Pool. It was once about 1.3 m deep, but sand has built up over the years and it is now much shallower, more for a dip and a float than for laps.
Locals have campaigned for years to restore it. The setting is the draw: open sea on one side, cliffs on the other, and very few people.
When to go
Low tide on a calm day is best, when the walk is easier and the water is calmer. At high tide you may wade through ankle-deep water to reach it, and in a storm swell it is best avoided. Seaweed can wash in after rough seas.
Getting there and facilities
Walk along Aslings Beach from town, then pick your way over the rocks at the end of the beach. There are no facilities at the pool. Eden is about six hours' drive south of Sydney.
Good to know
It is not suitable for people with limited mobility, since the only way in is over the rocks. There are no lifeguards at the pool.