Redleaf Beach in Double Bay is a small harbour beach on New South Head Road, and Murray Rose Pool is the netted tidal enclosure at its western end. It’s free, it’s open all year, and you reach it down a flight of stairs beside the Woollahra Council building. Here’s what you need to know before you go.
Redleaf Beach, Murray Rose Pool, Redleaf Pool: what’s the difference?
This trips people up constantly, so let’s sort it out.
The sand is Redleaf Beach. Older records call the same stretch Seven Shillings Beach. The swimming enclosure sitting at the western end of that sand is Murray Rose Pool.
It was Redleaf Pool until August 2012, when Woollahra Council resolved to rename it after Murray Rose, the Olympic swimmer who trained there as a boy. Plenty of locals still call the whole place Redleaf and always will. If someone tells you to meet them at Redleaf, they mean here.
The pool isn’t a concrete pool. It’s a section of Sydney Harbour fenced off with a net, so the water moves with the tide and sits at whatever temperature the harbour is sitting at. Council lists the swimming area at roughly 90 metres by 60 metres, which is a lot more room than the word “pool” suggests.
One correction while we’re here. It isn’t heated. You’ll see that claim floating around online and it’s wrong. Harbour water in July is a long way off harbour water in February, and nobody is warming it up.
How to get to Redleaf Beach in Double Bay
The address is 536 New South Head Road, Double Bay. That’s the Woollahra Council Chambers, and the beach sits directly below it. Signage from the road is easy to miss, so use the council building as your landmark.
On foot from the Knox Street shops it’s about 900 metres, so 10 to 12 minutes. Head east along New South Head Road and look for the council building on the harbour side.
Double Bay Wharf is roughly 600 metres west along the foreshore and is served by Sydney Ferries. Check the Transport for NSW timetable for current routes and times before you plan around it.
Edgecliff is the nearest train station, but it’s about 1.3 km away and closer to 20 minutes on foot, most of it uphill on the way back. Buses run along New South Head Road if you’d rather not walk it.
Driving is where most guides give the wrong advice. Council says street parking nearby is limited during the week, and that off-street parking is available in the adjacent Council Chambers on weekends. So the rule runs backwards from what you’d assume: driving here is easier on a busy Saturday than on a quiet Tuesday.
Access and stairs
Access from New South Head Road is by stairs, and it’s a decent flight of them. The NSW Government’s own listing for Redleaf Beach records that the site does not cater for people with access needs. If mobility is a factor for anyone in your group, ring Woollahra Council on 02 9391 7000 and ask before you plan the trip, rather than turning up and finding out.
What you’ll find down there
Council lists the facilities as public toilets, change rooms, showers and a kiosk. There are park benches, shaded areas and a wrap-around boardwalk circling the enclosure.
Two floating pontoons sit out in the water. Kids swim out and jump off them all day through summer, and they’re just as popular with adults who want somewhere to lie in the sun away from the sand.
The shower matters more than it sounds. You’re swimming in saltwater, and rinsing off before you climb back up those stairs makes the trip home considerably better.
A few rules worth knowing so you don’t get caught out:
- No fishing, line or spear.
- No smoking.
- Dogs are prohibited from the pool, the beach area and the adjoining Blackburn Gardens. On-leash dogs are permitted around the Council Chambers down to cafe level only.
No lifeguards, so read this bit
Council states plainly that no lifesaving services are provided at Murray Rose Pool. There’s no flagged area and nobody on a tower watching the water.
That isn’t a reason to stay away. The enclosure is calm and netted, and it’s one of the gentlest swimming spots in the eastern suburbs. It does mean supervision of your kids sits entirely with you, and it means the “safe swimming” language you’ll read on other sites needs that asterisk attached.
Council also warns to beware of shallow water when diving. The pontoons tempt people into jumping in without checking depth first. Check.
Check the water before you swim
Here’s the tip that will save your day, and almost no guide to Double Bay bothers to mention it.
Harbour swimming spots are fed by stormwater drains. After heavy rain those drains push contaminated runoff into the water, and harbour enclosures flush more slowly than open ocean beaches do. Woollahra Council’s advice is to avoid swimming during, and for at least three days after, heavy rain at harbour swimming areas.
Three days. Not overnight.
Before you head down, check the current rating for Murray Rose Pool on Beachwatch, the NSW Government service that monitors water quality and publishes daily pollution forecasts by site. You can also ring the Harbourwatch information line on 1800 036 677.
If Sydney has had a wet week, go to an ocean beach and come back to Redleaf once it’s dried out.
The best time to visit
Council notes the pool gets busy on weekends in summer, which will surprise nobody who has tried it in January. If you want the place closer to yourself:
- Early morning on a weekday is the sweet spot. The regulars who swim here every day have worked this out already.
- Late afternoon in summer, from about 5pm, the day crowd thins out and the light across to Darling Point and the Harbour Bridge is at its best.
- Weekends get you the parking, not the peace. Take the off-street car park and accept the company.
- Winter is quiet and the enclosure stays open all year but remember there’s no heating. It’s for the hardy.
What to bring
Given what’s there and what isn’t:
- A towel, and sunscreen or a rash vest. There’s shade, though not much of it over the sand.
- Something soft to sit on. There’s more grass here than sand, so a picnic rug beats a towel.
- Your own water bottle.
- Cash or card for the kiosk and check its hours before you rely on it.
- Goggles. Visibility is better than people expect on a clear day.
Leave the dog at home and leave the fishing rod with it.
Where to eat nearby
Redleaf Cafe sits right at the beach at 536 New South Head Road, with tables looking across the water toward Darling Point. It’s the obvious choice and it earns the position.
The catch is the hours. It opens at 7:30am daily but closes at 2pm Monday to Friday, and 3pm on weekends. If you were planning a long swim followed by a late lunch, you’ll miss it. Worth confirming current hours before you count on it.
For anything later, walk back into the village. Knox Street, Cross Street and Bay Street are lined with cafes and restaurants running from a quick coffee through to a long dinner, and it’s a flat walk once you’re back up the stairs. There’s more on the area in our guide to exploring Double Bay.
Other swimming spots in the area
If Redleaf is off after rain, or you want a change, Woollahra Council manages several other harbourside swimming spots close by. Double Bay Beach is the nearest. Parsley Bay in Vaucluse has a larger enclosure at roughly 150 metres by 95 metres. Watsons Bay Baths is another tidal enclosure and, unlike Redleaf, council describes it as fully accessible. If you’re travelling with children, our guide to family activities in Double Bay covers more of the area.
Making a weekend of it
Redleaf rewards you for not rushing it. Swim in the morning, eat at the kiosk, wander up through Blackburn Gardens, and let the afternoon go wherever it goes.
Double Bay Hotel sits about 10 minutes’ walk from the beach, in the middle of the Knox Street shops and a few minutes from the ferry wharf. We have family rooms and a range of room types to suit different groups. Book direct for a summer stay and you’ll be down at the water before the weekend crowd finds a park.
