Discover the fascinating 150-year history of McIver’s Ladies Baths in Coogee, the last remaining women-only ocean pool in the world, from its origins as a sacred Aboriginal women’s site to its role in women’s swimming and its place in Sydney today.
It’s a sunny spring morning as I stroll down the steps of McIver’s Ladies Baths, located just a couple of minutes away from the south end of Coogee Beach.
Greeted by smiling volunteers, I pay the entry fee and head into the quiet little pocket of paradise. There aren’t many bathers at this time, probably due to the chilly August sea temperature. Some ladies stretch out on the rocks, some brave the cold with a splash.
It’s a big year for this women-only rockpool. In 2026, McIver’s celebrates 150 years since it was formally established as a bathing spot for women and children. Today, it’s the only outdoor swimming venue of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the last remaining in the world.
Perched between the Ross Jones Memorial Pool and Wylie’s Baths, the ocean pool is open year-round and costs just $2.50 per entrant (next door, Wylie’s Baths will charge you $6.50). With a 32.9-metre-long swimming pool, indoor and outdoor changing rooms, a Sunroom, and showers, it has everything you need for a blissful day by the ocean.
The “herstory” of McIver’s Ladies Baths
Looking out over the sparkling pool, 150 years after McIver’s Ladies Baths was officially established, it’s easy to forget just how radical this little pocket of ocean once was.
That being said, it should be noted that the site’s significance to women long predates any formal establishment of the baths.
Before colonisation, the site had long been a bathing area and birthing place for women of the local Aboriginal people, the Muru-Ora-Dial people of the Eora Nation. The McIver’s Ladies Baths website states that the site “has sacred significance for many Aboriginal women who return to this place, as well as many others who honour traditional ways.”
In the 1830s, female colonists started swimming at the McIver’s site, then a naturally occurring swimming spot long before the Baths were formally established. At the time, women had limited access to swimming facilities, with Sydney’s pools largely dominated by men and women restricted to designated days and hours.
It wasn’t until 1876, 150 years ago, that the Baths were officially gazetted as a bathing place reserved for women and children. Randwick Council developed the natural rock pool, excavating it and reinforcing the walls with concrete to create the swimming enclosure we recognise today. The Baths were then officially opened as a private place for women to bathe.
Operators and Olympians
Since then, McIver’s Ladies Baths has continued to hold deep significance for generations of women, particularly those who have dedicated years of their lives to caring for, supporting and preserving this special place.
The ocean bath is named after Robert and Rose McIver, who began operating the site in 1918, developing it into its present form by 1922.
The Baths also played a pivotal role in the early history of women’s competitive swimming, providing ambitious athletes with a place to train at a time when women faced significant barriers to participating in sport.
In 1912, swimmers Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack, who trained at McIver’s, made history at the Stockholm Olympics, winning silver and gold in the 100-metre freestyle. This was the first-ever Olympic Games that allowed women to compete in swimming.
The women are commemorated with pools named in their honour: the aforementioned Wylie’s Baths in Coogee, next door to McIver’s, and the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre in Petersham.
The fight to keep McIver’s women-only
There have been several attempts over the years to open the Baths to the wider public.
In 1946, Randwick Council applied to the Minister for Lands to allow mixed bathing, but the proposal was rejected following objections from the proprietors of Wylie’s Baths, who feared losing patrons. The nearby Brigidine Convent also opposed the move, with the Mother Superior arguing that the convent’s nuns and school boarders would no longer be able to use the Baths if mixed bathing was introduced.
In 1994, McIver’s women-only status was legally challenged by the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board. It received an exemption under the Act in 1995, after successfully arguing that the space was important for women who might not be comfortable bathing elsewhere, whether for cultural or religious reasons. This exemption was made “indefinite” in 2018.
McIver’s Ladies Baths today
Today, a visit to McIver’s Ladies Baths offers the perfect place to relax, swim and lounge, whether you’re a first-time visitor to Sydney or a local who has been returning for decades.
It’s not just the natural beauty of the pool that makes it special. There’s a strong sense of community here, an unspoken sisterhood, from the moment you’re greeted by the volunteers to the friendly smile of a fellow swimmer as you start your laps.
The community spirit also continues on dry land. McIver’s hosts weekly Nature Yoga for women on the Sundeck. Costing $25 for drop-ins, instructor Kathy guides the class through breathwork, meditation, and slow flow vinyasa yoga, all inspired by nature. These sessions take place on Wednesdays at 7am, Fridays at 9:30am and Saturdays at 7:30am.
Another one of my favourite things about the Baths is its little bookshelf, where visitors can borrow a book to read while they soak up the sun and sea air.
McIver’s Ladies Baths is currently holding a raffle competition to celebrate their 150th anniversary, with all proceeds going straight back into maintaining the baths. Pop down for a swim and grab three raffle tickets for $10, with prizes ranging from a high-end coffee machine to a host of fantastic experiences.
McIver’s Ladies Baths
Where: 145-149R Beach St, Coogee NSW 2034.
When: Open year-round, 7am to 4pm (April to September), 7am to 7pm (October to March).
Price: Entry costs $2.50, $22.50 for 10 swim passes; $185 for a year’s pass.
