Gentlemen's Pool is one of the oldest rock pools in the Illawarra, set in the rock platform just north of Continental Pool in North Wollongong. Once a men-only bath, it is now open to all, reached by a new ramp and free.
Key facts
- Type
- Rock pool
- Facilities and access
- Cliff Road, North Wollongong
- Managed by
- City of Wollongong
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Public transport
- Wollongong station, 15 to 20 minutes' walk
- Best time to go
- Calm days, low to mid tide
- Water quality
- GoodNorth Wollongong Beach, 0.4 km away. Sampled 24 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Cleaning
- Not stated
- Town
- North Wollongong, NSW
What it's like
The pool is a simple rock pool cut into the platform below Cliff Road, a short walk from the city and the harbour. It is best on calm days, when the water is clear and still; in a swell waves wash right across it.
People have swum here since at least the 1850s. In the 1890s a contractor blasted out the old Clarke's Hole to make the Gentlemen's Baths, at a time when local laws kept men and women bathing in separate places.
When to go
Calm days at low to mid tide. Council publishes estimated cleaning dates that can change with the weather and sea.
Getting there and facilities
The pool is just north of Continental Pool on Cliff Road, North Wollongong, on the Blue Mile foreshore path. A new ramp makes it easier to reach. Toilets and change rooms are at Continental Pool next door. Wollongong station is about 15 to 20 minutes' walk.
Good to know
There are no lifeguards at this pool, though Continental Pool next door is lifeguarded in its opening hours.