All posts by Simon Duffin

Born in Yorkshire, now living on the beautiful south coast of NSW. Have lived and worked in eight different countries over the years and swum in nearly all of them. Now in Australia, I want this website to reflect a new life, where swimming takes centre stage and there's a pool in nearly every small community.

Avalon Rock Pool – Avalon, NSW 2107

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Named after the island in Celtic mythology My experience in the pool I liked Avalon Rock Pool as soon as I saw it. It was not just its unorthodox shape – a kind of parallelogram jutting out towards the surf – but also its clear water which looked temptingly fresh and deep as I walked along the pool edge taking my shots for the blog. It’s only about 22m long, but when a pool is as beautiful as this, who cares about serious 50m lap swimming? Its depth does help with Avalon Pool; Read more [...]

Balmoral Baths – Balmoral, NSW 2088

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Named after the Royal Estate in Scotland My experience in the pool Apparently Balmoral Beach was my family's favourite when we lived in Sydney's northern suburbs in 1967-8. When I got there on a warm Friday morning in March 2016, I have to confess I had no recollection of the place. A whole bunch of people were doing leisurely freestyle up the beach when I arrived, and I passed the time with a few of them. They seemed more interested in the fact that I now live in Kiama since we had Read more [...]

Watsons Bay Baths – Watsons Bay, NSW 2030

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The bay is named after an early 19th century harbour pilot and harbour master My experience in the pool Wow, lap swimming in proper Sydney Harbour water with views of the Harbour Bridge just out on the horizon. What a nice spot, Watsons Bay Baths. This is a great space. It's all very securely shark-netted, it has a 50m laned section, disabled ramp and pontoons to sunbathe on or pause and hold on if you want to catch your brief between laps. On a warm March morning, there was a trickle Read more [...]

Mollymook Bogey Hole – Mollymook, NSW 2539

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Possibly named after a type of albatross: the mollymawk My experience in the pool It took several visits to Mollymook Bogey Hole before I actually got in the water. This was partly because I did a reccie of the area after swimming in the ocean pool at nearby Ulladulla some months ago, and had no plan to strip off for a second time that day. But also because if you want to swim at Mollymook Bogey Hole, you have to get the tide right. Don’t bother going at low tide because the water Read more [...]

Palm Beach Rock Pool – Palm Beach, NSW 2108

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Named for the cabbage-tree palms which grow around here. My experience in the pool Palm Beach is as far north as you get within Sydney's official boundaries. Palm Beach Rock Pool sits at the southern end of the beach, so you can look back up the curve of the bay towards Barrenjoey Lighthouse and out to sea where the next bit of land becomes the NSW Central Coast. This is multi-millionaire territory, the home of film stars and other celebs, not just from Home & Away, which is set Read more [...]

Helensburgh Memorial Pool – NSW 2508

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Probably named after the Scottish birthplace of the local coal mine's manager. My experience in the pool There's something uniquely Australian about local council-run outdoor pools like this that are completely free to enter. Helensburgh Memorial Pool may only be 25m long but who's complaining when it costs nothing to swim here? On a fine, sunny morning in March, with the heatwave going into what must be its sixth successive week, it was no surprise to find a fair few people in the water Read more [...]

Bondi Icebergs – Bondi, NSW 2026

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Named after the winter swimming club which began here in 1929. My experience in the pool You need to pick your time well if you want a quiet swim at Bondi Icebergs, with maybe a lane to yourself. According to the manager on duty as I left, the best time for that is between 8am and 9am on Monday or Wednesday. It certainly wasn't quiet on a warm Friday morning in March, with lots of lane swimmers ploughing up and down by 9.15, when I arrived. But it's not just the 50m pool that fills Read more [...]

Bilgola Rock Pool – Bilgola, NSW 2107

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Named after an Aboriginal term meaning 'swirling waters'. My experience in the pool For one of the swimmers who contacted me since I began this tour of NSW ocean pools, Bilgola Rock Pool is the best. So I was keen to see what made her make this claim. The pool was a lot busier for a weekday morning than any other I have been in, so Bilgola certainly has a sizeable fan base, and most of those I chatted with made the same claim: it's got to be the best rock pool in Sydney, they all said. It Read more [...]

Ivo Rowe Rock Pool – South Coogee, NSW 2034

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Named after a local resident who worked to improve the pool from the 1930s onwards. My experience in the pool The waves were crashing into this tiny, round rock pool south of Coogee when I first arrived, so for a change I decided to go for my coffee and cake before the swim instead of afterwards. By the time I got back there around midday on a hot February day, there were already two other guys in the water, and that makes this pool pretty full. That’s how small it is. They squeezed Read more [...]

Newport Rock Pool – Newport, NSW 2106

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I couldn't see any evidence of the times when this place got its name, as Sydney's new port on the northern beaches. My experience in the pool The surf was strong enough to close Newport Beach on the February morning I turned up for my rock pool swim. The pool was perfect, though, with warm water - over 20C - and no sign of bluebottles or beached whales (a reference back to the dead hump back found in the rock pool after a big storm in 2012).  I love Newport Beach Rock Pool for its simplicity. Read more [...]