The best secret swimming spots around Sydney

At the base of a steep coastal valley studded with cabbage palms, Bilgola is usually a quiet place and one of the Northern Beaches’ most concealed 50-metre swims. We’re sure if you didn’t know it was here, you’d easily drive right past this coastal enclave. From the pool, you can look down the length of the 500-metre beach, where waves roll and crumble over sandbars, making it a mellow place for those escaping the crowds at popular neighbouring beaches.

This is an immaculate beach set against a backdrop of dense native bushland. This tiny cove is part of the Manly to Spit walk, so if you’re coming in via the coastal trail, you will find some respite along the 10-kilometre track at the jungly section between Clontarf Grotto Point. If you’re not walking in, there is some limited parking located on Cutler Road and in the Ogilvy cul de sac. 

Tucked into the cliffs between Coogee Beach and Wylie’s Baths, this is a meditative space to escape and relax. This is the last women’s only swimming pool in Australia, and since 1876 ladies have swum laps and read books in the sun here, with the company of others. It gives women of all swimming abilities and cultural backgrounds a safe way to experience the ocean.

Every day, twice a day, a secret beach emerges from the depths of the Hacking River like a submarine breaching the surface. Lilli Pilli sandbar is a one-of-a-kind island that doesn’t even exist for most of the day. But when timed right and planned perfectly, you can easily swim there from the shore and enjoy a little slice of Sydney's waterfront that few are even aware of.

Erskine Creek at Jack Evans Track is one of the closest Blue Mountains swims to the city, yet also one of the most secluded. The deep gorge is typical of the region, formed over millions of years as the small creek slowly carved through layers of sandstone during its journey to join the Nepean River downstream. It’s a meandering gore with endless pools for swimming, floating and rock-hopping.