Newcastle Ocean Baths or Bogey Hole: Swimming in Newcastle, Australia

The best place for swimming in Newcastle, New South Wales, is either Newcastle Ocean Baths or Bogey Hole. The city does a nice line in open-air saltwater pools.

It’s hard to ignore glorious 1920s art deco façade of the Newcastle Ocean Baths. The baths are ostensibly for swimming, but there are few finer people-watching spots in New South Wales. Ocean Baths are a peculiarly Australian thing, and they’re much more than mere swimming pools. Built into the rocks, they’re all about embracing the sea’s majesty, revelling in its splendour whilst being protected from its worst excesses. The surf crashes feistily against the rocks that provide the Newcastle Ocean Baths’ frame, but no-one’s going to get swept away by the current.

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An Adventure boat cruise along the Hunter coast – with thrills and scenery.
A mobile phone-based scavenger hunt – explore the city differently.
An architecture and street art walking tour – see all the best murals.
A whale-watching tour – get close to the migrating humpback whales.
A two hour city highlights tour by bus – get orientated when you first arrive.
A scenic helicopter flight – see the spectacular coastline from above.
A three hour craft beer and food-matching tour – get a taste of the drinking and dining scene.
A food, drink and history walking tour – hear stories and indulge at the same time.

Swimming at Newcastle Ocean Baths

At the far end of Newcastle Ocean Baths, thundering arms plough on remorselessly, doing laps with dedication and zeal. But aside from that sealed-off section of fierce professionalism, hardly anyone else is pretending to have a swim. They’re all just cooling off or pootling around in the sunshine.

There seems to be a sense of camaraderie at such saltwater pools, too. It’s often unspoken, but people seem to know each other. They’re from disparate walks of life, but they grow to recognise the people they regularly see down at the baths. Once you’re down to your swimming costume or trunks, it doesn’t really matter what you do the rest of the time. It’s fabulously egalitarian like that.

These are not the only Ocean Baths in Newcastle, a 170km drive from Sydney. The Merewether Ocean Baths at Merewether Beach at the end of the Bathers Way is the biggest in the southern hemisphere. But it’s the oldest, rather than the biggest that is truly spectacular.

Bogey Hole ocean pool - the best place to swim in Newcastle? — The crashing surf at the Bogey Hole ocean baths makes it arguably the best place to swim in Newcastle. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Swimming in Newcastle, Australia: Bogey Hole

Bogey Hole was carved out of the cliffs by convicts under the orders of the city’s then Commandant, James Morisset. They were purely for his personal use, but now anyone willing to brave the ocean spray is allowed in.

And it’s that ocean spray that makes Bogey Hole in Newcastle special. The swells crash against the side of the pool with eye-popping ferocity, and the spray goes up like it’s an aquatic fireworks display. It also drenches anyone who happens to be in the pool at the time or foolish enough to stand at the edge.

Want to stay dry in Newcastle? Then pay a visit to Fort Scratchley, one of Australia’s top World War II sites. Other activities include the winter whale-watching tours.