MacCallum Pool is a small, free harbour pool on Cremorne Point with a timber deck and a famous view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It is open all the time, a short walk from Cremorne Point ferry wharf.
Key facts
- Type
- Harbour or river baths
- Good to know
- Toilets
- Facilities and access
- Timber deck, no toilets
- Cost
- Free
- Lifeguards
- No
- Public transport
- Ferry to Cremorne Point, then a short walk
- Best time to go
- Early mornings on calm days
- Water quality
- GoodHayes Street Beach, 0.9 km away. Sampled 27 Oct. Source: NSW Beachwatch.
- Town
- Cremorne Point, NSW
What it's like
The pool sits on the rocks at the tip of Cremorne Point, a two-lane seawater pool edged by a timber deck where people sunbake and read. The view across the harbour to the city is the draw; the swimming is short laps in calm, clear harbour water that comes in with the tide.
Around 1915 a local resident, Fred Lane, began moving boulders to make a tidal pool here. Hugh MacCallum then looked after and expanded it through the 1920s, and in 1930 North Sydney Council took it over and named it after him. After an extensive renovation it was reopened in December 1985 by Dame Joan Sutherland, who lived on Cremorne Point.
When to go
Any calm day; early mornings are quietest and summer afternoons are busy. Avoid swimming for a few days after heavy rain.
Getting there and facilities
Take the ferry to Cremorne Point wharf and walk a few minutes along the foreshore path, or walk the Cremorne Point loop. There are no toilets or shops at the pool, so bring water.
Good to know
Entry is free and there are no lifeguards. Space on the deck is limited on hot weekends.