Kiama rock pools, from Blowhole Point to Cathedral Rocks

Compare the Kiama rock pools at a glance

Kiama has two ocean pools in town and two more in Gerringong, about 10 minutes' drive south. They are built into the rock shelf and filled by the sea, so the water is salty, cool and changes with the swell. None has a lifeguard.

North of town, the rock platforms around Cathedral Rocks hold natural rockpools you can only reach safely around low tide. Bombo Headland, next door, is the place to see the columns of volcanic rock that much of this coast is made of.

Kiama Council posts an open or closed notice for every pool, including cleaning closures. Check the council's public pools and rock pools page on the day you plan to swim.

Swim laps at the Continental Pool on Black Beach

The Continental Pool sits at the north end of Black Beach Reserve, just across the harbour from Blowhole Point. Kiama Council lists it as 50 metres long, which makes it the pool locals use for laps. You will also hear it called the Olympic Pool or the Old School Flat Pool.

The cliff face behind it throws shade over the water. Council notes that makes it a cool, sheltered swim in summer and noticeably colder the rest of the year. There are amenities with child changing facilities and disability access, and parking on Shoalhaven Street.

From Kiama Ridge Waters it is a 34-minute walk (2.8 km) or about 4 minutes by car. Open the Continental Pool in Google Maps.

Bring the kids to Blowhole Point rock pool

Blowhole Point rock pool is the smaller of the two town pools and the one most visitors find first. It sits on the north side of Blowhole Point, reached from the harbour road, beside the Kiama Blowhole and the Kiama Lighthouse on Blowhole Point.

The pool has an irregular shape, a natural rock floor and water of varying depth, with a shallow wading area off to the side for young children. Council lists change rooms, toilets and parking on site. The independent site Ocean Rock Pools puts the pool at about 29 m by 20 m and says the showers are cold, open-air ones.

Visit NSW says the pool does not cater for people with access needs, and Ocean Rock Pools mentions a few steps down to the water. If you need step-free access, choose the Continental Pool.

The reserve around the point has barbecues, a playground, picnic tables and a cafe, so it is easy to turn a swim into a morning out. It is a 34-minute walk (2.9 km) or about 6 minutes by car from the apartments. Open Blowhole Point rock pool in Google Maps.

Head south to the Gerringong ocean pools

Gerringong's two council pools are about 10 minutes' drive from Kiama Ridge Waters and close to each other, so you can try both in one trip. See our Gerringong guide for cafes and the rest of the village.

Boat Harbour rock pool

Tucked away at 20 Jupiter Street, Boat Harbour pool is reached by a walkway about 50 metres long from Boat Harbour (Cooke Park) Reserve. The floor is natural rock with a sandy beach at the shallow end, and Destination Kiama recommends it for snorkelling. The reserve has a barbecue, picnic area, amenities and plenty of parking.

Kiama Council lists the pool as closing for maintenance from Monday 26 October 2026, with no reopening date given yet, so check the council page before you drive down. Open Boat Harbour rock pool in Google Maps.

South Werri (Ourie) rock pool

At the southern end of Werri Beach, the South Werri pool, also known as Ourie, is built into the rock shelf, with access from Pacific Avenue or Geering Street. It has a smooth, sloping concrete floor and a separate concrete wading pool for children nearby, plus change rooms, toilets and ample parking.

Destination Kiama notes the pool and the shelf around it take natural wave action at high tide. Plan your swim for the lower half of the tide if you have small children with you. Open South Werri (Ourie) rock pool in Google Maps.

Find natural rockpools at Cathedral Rocks

For rockpooling rather than lap swimming, go north to Kiama Downs. The rock platforms around Cathedral Rocks, the jagged stacks between Jones Beach and Bombo Headland, hold pools that empty and refill with every tide. See our Cathedral Rocks guide for more on the stacks themselves.

The walking blog Walk My World suggests about 1.5 hours either side of low tide in a slight swell for a dip. It describes two routes:

• From Jones Beach: park at the Jones Beach car park and walk south along the sand to the headland. The first pool is about 650 m each way.
• From Cliff Drive: park on Cliff Drive and follow a short grassy track down, then rock-hop to a small, shallow, sandy pool about 150 m from the road.

The same guide warns of a narrow channel with strong currents and says rogue waves are possible even on calm days. Stay out of pools on the outer edge of the platform, and turn back early if the tide is rising.

Leave the creatures where you find them. Look closely without lifting them out, put any rock you turn back the way it was, and take your rubbish home. The Jones Beach car park is about 9 minutes' drive from the apartments. Open Cathedral Rocks in Google Maps.

Walk among the basalt columns at Bombo Headland

Bombo Headland is a short drive south of Cathedral Rocks and one of the strangest landscapes on the coast. Destination Kiama says walking among the columns feels like walking on the moon. The headland is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register as the Bombo Headland Quarry Geological Site.

Kiama Library's local history notes that the hexagonal basalt columns formed about 270 million years ago, as lava cooled and cracked. Quarrying began in 1880. A jetty was built in 1883 on the northern side of the headland, at the spot now called the Boneyard, and steam crushers and the railway arrived in 1887. The Railways Commissioners bought the quarry in 1890. Its stone filled the roadways between tram and train tracks, and crushed blue metal went to Sydney as road base. The quarry reopened briefly for the last time in 1944.

Kiama Council's reserve is off Cliff Drive, with parking off Hutchison Street, Kiama Downs, about 9 minutes' drive from Kiama Ridge Waters. There are unpaved walking tracks, an accessible toilet and an off-leash dog area overlooking Bombo Beach. Look north to Cathedral Rocks, Jones Beach and Minnamurra Headland, and south to Bombo Beach and Kiama.

Photographers come for sunrise at Bombo Headland. Keep well back from the ledges, which are exposed to swell. Open Bombo Headland in Google Maps.

Check closures, tides and the weather before you go

The rock pools are cleaned regularly and close while that happens. Blowhole Point, for example, was closed from 4pm on 1 September to 9 September 2026 for cleaning. Three quick checks before you leave:

• Pool status: the Kiama Council pools page shows whether each pool is open.
• Tides: the Bureau of Meteorology tide predictions tell you when low tide is, which matters most for Cathedral Rocks and Ourie.
• Surf and swell: Beachsafe has conditions and safety advice from Surf Life Saving Australia.

On a cold or stormy day, swim indoors. Kiama Leisure Centre has a 25-metre heated pool, a heated toddlers pool, a spa and a sauna, about 5 minutes' drive from the apartments. In summer, the outdoor Jamberoo Pool on Allowrie Street opens from December to March each year, with paid entry. For more wet-weather ideas, see rainy day things to do in Kiama.

Stay safe on Kiama's rock platforms

Ocean pools feel calm, but the sea is only a wall away. Kiama Council calls Blowhole Point one of its drowning black spots, and has installed an Emergency Relay Beacon there with Surf Life Saving NSW. Pressing it connects you straight to the Surf Life Saving NSW Operations Centre and sends a text alert to the nearest lifesaver or lifeguard.

• There are no lifeguards at any of the rock pools, so swim with someone.
• Watch the waves for several minutes before you go in, and look for sets washing over the pool wall.
• Visit natural rockpools around low tide on a calm day, and leave before the tide turns.
• Wear shoes with grip. Wet rock and weed are slippery.
• Keep children within arm's reach, even in the wading pools.
• Never turn your back on the ocean.
• In an emergency, call 000.

If you plan to fish off the rocks as well, read our notes on rock fishing safety in Kiama.

Stay close to the rock pools at Kiama Ridge Waters

From Kiama Ridge Waters you can swim in a different rock pool each morning. The Continental Pool is about 4 minutes away by car, Blowhole Point about 6, and Cathedral Rocks and the Gerringong pools about 9 to 10. Each of our three-bedroom apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps six, with secure parking for two cars. For a swim on foot, Easts Beach, a 15-minute walk from the apartments, is the closest beach.

If you are travelling with children, see our family accommodation in Kiama and things to do in Kiama with kids. Most of our apartments take pets, with a $200 cleaning fee, so the dog can come to the Bombo Headland off-leash area too: see pet-friendly accommodation in Kiama.

Browse the three-bedroom apartments in Kiama or check availability. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am.