Bondi Icebergs, SydneyCredit: Destination NSW
Woman out for a morning swim at Bondi Icebergs, Bondi Beach.
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Hooray! Swimming pools are set to reopen across Sydney and NSW from Monday 27 September. The therapeutic and transformative powers of water could be the perfect antidote for our bodies and minds to wash away the woes of recent weeks and leave us feeling refreshed and energised. Here’s our pick of top pools to make a splash in:
In Sydney Harbour
Running along the edge of The Domain - 34 hectares of parkland on the eastern fringe of the city centre - the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool looks out over wharves of Woolloomooloo. The saltwater Olympic pool is popular with both serious lap swimmers and those who prefer to laze about on stylish wooden deckchairs. Depending on the time of year, the facility also hosts alfresco yoga, so you can stretch out then dive in.
Within a picturesque parkland setting in Sydney’s CBD, Cook + Phillip Park Pool features a 50m pool, as well as hydrotherapy and leisure pools. The pools are heated so ideal for swimming all year-round and if you’re looking to improve your technique and learn how to race, they have a range of competitive squad levels you can join. Kids will love the water slide and jets.
There are many idyllic sandy beaches lining the shores of Sydney Harbour, including Redleaf Beach in Double Bay, a 10-minute drive east of the city centre. Pack your swimming gear for a dip in the Murray Rose Pool, a netted sea enclosure which is a favourite among locals. After a few laps, take a stroll along the wooden boardwalk that forms the perimeter of the enclosure while soaking up views of the harbour beyond.
Just 5km from the city centre, Balmain’s Dawn Fraser Baths is the oldest harbour pool in the southern hemisphere and was the home of Australia’s first swimming and water polo clubs. The pool was built in the early 1880s and the still water is surrounded by Victorian wooden pavilions painted cream and green.
And on Sydney’s North Shore you’ll discover Maccallum Pool, cut into the coast on the western side of the waterside suburb of Cremorne Point. These historic 33m-long seawater baths ringed by a wooden boardwalk, with plenty of shady nooks to gaze over the harbour (including the Sydney Harbour Bridge) after you’ve had a splash about. It’s within easy reach as well - just a 7.5km drive north of the city centre.
Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Harbour views from Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
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Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Harbour views from Murray Rose Pool, Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Maccallum Pool, Cremorne Point Credit: Destination NSW
Students relaxing beside Maccallum Pool in Cremorne Point.
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Maccallum Pool, Cremorne Point Credit: Destination NSW
Students relaxing beside Maccallum Pool in Cremorne Point.
In Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
Start the morning with an invigorating early morning dip in the world’s most famous ocean pool, Bondi Icebergs on Bondi Beach, a 20-minute drive from the city centre. Named after its winter swimming club, the bright white pool dates back to 1929 and is an Instagram favourite.
From Bondi, take the coastal walk around to Bronte Baths, built in 1887. Climb across the rocky headland to find the perfect place to spread your towel, before cooling off with a dip in the crystal-clear water of Gordons Bay. Divers and snorkellers can follow the Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail, marked by concrete-filled drums and a chain and with information displayed on steel plaques.
Enjoy a casual swim followed by lunch at the café, or join onsite yoga and Pilates classes at Wylie’s Baths in Coogee, a 15-minute drive south of Bondi. It’s one of Sydney’s most beautiful tidal pools, with raised decking and views over the Pacific Ocean and Wedding Cake Island.
Relax at the only ocean pool in Australia open exclusively to women and children, McIver’s Ladies Baths in Coogee which has been attracting swimmers for almost 150 years. The McIver family ran the baths from 1901 until 1922, when the Randwick Ladies Amateur Swimming Club was formed and took over the lease. The club still runs the pool, funded by a nominal charge, tossed into a bucket on entry.
Soak in the views at Maroubra’s Mahon Pool, a five-minute drive south of Coogee and accessible along the coastal walking track. Cut into the inter-tidal rock platform, the pool is set among exposed rocky outcrops, providing spectacular seascapes and a sense of seclusion.
Wylie's Baths, Coogee Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Wylie's Bath, Coogee.
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Wylie's Baths, Coogee Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Wylie's Bath, Coogee.
Mahon Pool, Maroubra Credit: Destination NSW
Swimmers enjoying Mahon Pool, Maroubra.
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Mahon Pool, Maroubra Credit: Destination NSW
Swimmers enjoying Mahon Pool, Maroubra.
Further south at Cronulla
There are several ocean pools along Cronulla’s beaches and surrounding coastline in southern Sydney, 30km from the city North Cronulla Rock Pool, on the flat rocks between South Cronulla Beach and North Cronulla Beach, is smaller and shallower, while the adjacent South Cronulla Beach Rock Pool is a full-size 50m pool with eight lanes, perfect for lap swimming. Head south along the popular coastal walk from South Cronulla Beach and you’ll find Shelly Beach, which is home to an incredible ocean bath. With a sandy shallow bottom that gets deeper further out, the Ocean Bath is a great spot for kids to splash about. Further along the coastal walk towards Port Hacking you’ll find Oak Park Rock Pool, which like Shelly Beach’s Ocean Bath, is perfect for kids.
On Sydney's Northern Beaches
Find true north in the seaside pools north of the harbour, starting at Manly, a 30-minute drive or ferry ride from Sydney city. Triangular Fairy Bower Pool lies between Manly and Shelly beaches on the Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Walk; The Sea Nymphs sculpture sits on the pool’s outer edge. Around the next headland is the first ocean pool to be built on the North Shore, the 50m Freshwater Rock Pool, which opened in 1925.
Get into the swim of things at the Warringah Aquatic Centre in Frenchs Forest and the Manly Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre in Manly, which both offer lap swimming, and swim programs for children and adults, of all ages and all levels.
Take the kids to Curl Curl Beach’s ocean pool, which includes a shallow natural beach area, making it a firm favourite with young families - about 15 minutes’ drive north of Manly. A little further up the coast, North Narrabeen Rock Pool has a distinctive boardwalk that encloses a 50m pool with a wading pool for children. Other popular pools in this area include Mona Vale, Collaroy and Dee Why.
Luxuriate at Sydney’s most northerly beach, Palm Beach, where the ocean pool offers views up towards the Central Coast, and is overlooked by Barrenjoey Headland with its famous sandstone lighthouse. Lined with ocean pools a Avalon, Newport and Bilgola, this narrow peninsula starts about 40km north of the centre of Sydney.
Cronulla Rock Pool, Cronulla Credit: Destination NSW
Bird's eye view over Cronulla Rock Pool, Cronulla in Sydney's south.
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Cronulla Rock Pool, Cronulla Credit: Destination NSW
Bird's eye view over Cronulla Rock Pool, Cronulla in Sydney's south.
North Curl Curl Rockpool, North Curl Curl Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking North Curl Curl Rockpool in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
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North Curl Curl Rockpool, North Curl Curl Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking North Curl Curl Rockpool in Sydney's Northern Beaches.
More Inspirational Stories
The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.