Marrinawi Cove

Came here in a Sunday, jazz playing with the harbour views and cute dogs everywhere.

Being able to swim in the harbour as the bridge looms close to you is a real treat! They've done a great job of making this available to the public, without making it feel sterile. Seeing fish and jellyfish in the water is amazing. My only issue is the lack of a real changeroom - only cramped toilets which isn't super pleasant.

We finally had our first swim at Marrinawi Cove, a year after it first opened. It’s better than we imagined or hoped… a truly beautiful and sheltered swim spot, at the northern end of Barangaroo Reserve, the landscaping, design and functionality are next level. And it looks like it’s been there forever. We felt a bit foolish for leaving it so long, we were so impressed. Marrinawi is the Sydney Aboriginal word for large canoe, and was used to describe the vessels of the First Fleet into Sydney Harbour. For thousands of years the Gadigal people used this area for swimming, bathing, canoeing and fishing. Now we’re so lucky to be able to enjoy it too. There’s no entry fee, a cute heritage amenities block, an outdoor shower and the (expensive) metered street parking is still cheaper than the various parking stations nearby. A keeper.

Beautiful swimming spot very accessible to the city. Way back in the day, Marrinawi was an Indigenous swimming hole, more recently back in the day, it was too polluted to swim in. Now it's back to how it should be, a delightful clean spot to swim in. This was the first spot for swimming to open West of the Harbour Bridge (2023), although now there are more. 🚻 Toilets immediately adjacent 🚲 Right on the Barangaroo bike/pedestrian paths ❗ The rocks can be slippy. Use caution.

It’s enchanting. Recently they added some better accessibility n the form of a ramp with rails which helps a lot although I did like the rugged sandstone as the only option because it was adventurous and you had to think about each step. But happy that more people can access now. It feels cleaner and fresher at higher tides than low tides when it can get that low tide smell. But surprisingly clean. Just a charming and imaginative spot, heaps of room, all kinds of people and often a local dog or two having the time of its life. About 250m flat walk to and from Barangaroo Metro through the big tunnel, or maybe a kilometre if you walk around the outside. Maybe a 15 min walk to Brangaroo ferry and some great variety of good food that is cheaper and better than your average city food and a much better alternative to the overpriced train feting of circular quay if you can hold out. Check out Rivereno for the best gelato in Sydney, or Bourke Street bakery for great baked everything. Showers so you can wash off too, and a stunning view of the harbour with a lot of varied boat traffic to see.