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Picnic like no other place with Regina and Mal. Brave Marg swimming in 16 degrees
Whales 🐳 galore breaching and spraying past Mahon pool. The mother and two calves we’re so close that people thought they were going for a swim at the pool 👏
Mahon Pool, Sydney
Mahon Pool is set behind Jack Vanny Reserve at the northern end of Maroubra Beach. Maroubra is the Aboriginal name for “place of thunder”, an accurate description of the strength of the south swells that crash into the ocean pool in stormier weather.
Mahon Pool is exposed to the elements, but can be a calm oasis of clear blue-green waters when conditions are right. You may want to wear swim shoes, as this natural pool collects fish and spiky sea urchins. As such it’s a better pool for laps than lazing, but you can catch your breath and soak up some sunshine on the surrounding dramatic outcrops. Brave locals swim laps here all year round.
Maroubra’s reputation is as a surfing hotspot, its golden sands and serious swells spawning an infamous surfing subculture, but it’s this charming rock pool a short walk from the northern end of the beach which beckons the city-frazzled swimmer.
Like others that dot the coast of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Mahon pool is sandwiched between the Sydney sandstone and the sea. But because of its location several beaches south of the tourist-bustle of Bondi and Coogee, there’s an extra degree of relaxation down here.
Mahon Ocean Pool
Maroubra, NSW, Australia
Shhh, we’re about to make Maroubra residents very unhappy by revealing this secret. Close to some of Sydney’s busiest beaches, Mahon Pool has managed to remain mostly unknown to ‘outsiders’, making it a favourite spot for locals to enjoy a quiet swim. Tucked behind Jack Vanny Reserve at the northern end of Maroubra Beach, Mahon Pool is hidden from the busy signs of city life and exposed to the elements, opening out across the yawning ocean. Wider than most ocean pools, it’s a perfect spot to swim laps while small fish dart about underneath you. As you sink into the blue-green waters you can look up at the jagged rocky crags that protrude the dark rich cliff face, gaze out across the open water or look back to the wide expanse of Maroubra Beach – it’s a spectacular view whichever way you face. When the surf gets big, this pool really turns into a washing machine, so check weather conditions and be extra careful when swimming with kids.
I love an ocean pool, and I know it’s not hidden or off the beaten track, but joining the throngs of people holding onto the rope as the waves crash over the edge of Bronte pool – is there anything better? The excited ahhhhhs and the wallop of deliciously cool water gets me every time. Mahon Pool, which isn’t too far from Maroubra beach, is pretty great too. (Go early so you can catch a spot in the shade.) And then there are the glorious harbour beaches. Camp Cove in Watsons Bay is my go-to, but you could also easily pick Store Beach in Manly. Pack a picnic, find a spot under a tree and settle in for a day of floating interspersed by napping.
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A Bondi resident has defended his proposal to turn 2 per cent of the world-famous beach into a private club, denying the venue – which would charge $80 for a two-hour session – is elitist.
Waverley Council is considering a revised bid by the Amalfi Beach Club company to operate a European-style club on Bondi Beach from November to February after previously rejecting the pitch earlier this year.
Janek Gazecki - ‘Not an extortionate price': Founder defends Bondi private beach club plan
ANALYSIS: TRUE. The desire to fit in is the root of almost all wrongdoing. “Some of history’s greatest philosophers, then, agree that wrongdoing tends to be motivated by self-interest. Alas, I’m not one of history’s greatest philosophers. Although most assume that an immoral person is one who’s ready to defy law and convention to get what they want, I think the inverse is often true. Immorality is frequently motivated by a readiness to conform to law and convention in opposition to our own values. In these cases, it’s not that we care too little about others; it’s that we care too much. More specifically, we care too much about how we stack up in the eyes of others.”