---
title: "Port Kembla Olympic Pool | Have Goggles, Will Travel"
description: "Another fantastic free Aussie ocean pool swim.. 50m outdoor pool. Located in Port Kembla, Australia. Rating: 75/100."
canonical_url: "https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/pool/port-kembla-olympic-pool"
meta:
  "og:description": "Another fantastic free Aussie ocean pool swim.. 50m outdoor pool. Located in Port Kembla, Australia. Rating: 75/100."
  "og:title": "Port Kembla Olympic Pool"
---

![Port Kembla Olympic Pool pool photo](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=1280,h=544,f=webp,q=30,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-square.webp)

234

# Port Kembla Olympic Pool

Port Kembla, Australia

Saturday, 25 October 2025

![Port Kembla Olympic Pool pool photo](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=1856,h=788,f=webp,q=75,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-square.webp)

## Another fantastic free Aussie ocean pool swim.

Fifteen minutes south of Wollongong, I head for Port Kembla. The drive passes the Port Kembla Steelworks, a huge industrial site and a reminder of Australia's often hidden industrial economy.

The pool is seasonal and has just reopened after the winter shutdown.

I park by the beach and watch a few overs of cricket on the open pitch a couple of hundred metres from the sand, then wander down to the pool.

Another free-entry ocean pool, and the facilities are fantastic for a freebie: full changing rooms, showers, an enclosed pool with a well maintained deck, tiered grass banks for sunbathing, and lifeguards on duty. Australia has many free-to-use ocean pools, but not many come with this level of kit.

The 50 m, eight-lane pool is quiet. Clouds roll in and without the sun it's chilly on the exposed deck. Half a dozen people in wetsuits are in the beachside lane doing some kind of freediving or lifesaving training. Apart from a couple of kids braving the cold, I pretty much have the pool to myself.

The pool sits right on the beach. The entrance pavilion and changing rooms line two sides, with a tiered grassy bank on the hillside opposite. On a sunny summer day I can imagine this place is busy. It's ocean-fed: water is pumped in from just yards away at one end and skims back to the sea at the other.

I jump in and set off for 1600 m in the same format as earlier: 1200 m straight, then 4x100 m.

The water is freezing. I'd guess 18-19°C. Not bad by home standards, but with warmer air it feels even crisper. The water is impressively clear and the pool spotless — probably thanks to the season's first clean. The cold seems to help my shoulder issue, or maybe it just numbs it.

Swim done, I feel fresh and even tempted by another stop on the hour and a half drive back to Sydney.

- ![Port Kembla Olympic Pool gallery image](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=640,h=480,f=webp,q=75,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-square.webp)
- ![Port Kembla Olympic Pool gallery image](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=640,h=480,f=webp,q=75,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-entrance.webp)
- ![Port Kembla Olympic Pool gallery image](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=640,h=480,f=webp,q=75,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-sign.webp)
- ![Port Kembla Olympic Pool gallery image](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/cdn-cgi/image/w=640,h=480,f=webp,q=75,fit=cover/pool/234/port-kembla-olympic-pool-beach.webp)

### Pool Review

(75 / 100)

Another great Aussie ocean pool. Impressive facilities, lifeguards on duty, super clean water and a tidy pool deck — and it's free. Brilliant.

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### Swim Stats

- 1600m swim distance
- 01:35 pace / 100m
- Garmin Forerunner 965

### Pool Details

- Outdoor pool
- Pool length 50m
- 8 lanes

[Visit pool website ↗](https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/places/beaches-and-pools/pools/pools/saltwater/port-kembla-pool)

Port Kembla Olympic Pool

[LOT 1 Olympic Blvd, Port Kembla NSW 2505, Australia](https://havegoggleswilltravel.com/map?pool=234)

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