Bogey Hole, Historic sea bath in Newcastle, Australia.
Bogey Hole is a pool carved from rock along Newcastle's coast, nestled beneath cliffs in a bay where swimmers can escape the open ocean. The basin reaches about 1.5 meters deep and provides natural shelter from waves.
British officer James Thomas Morisset ordered convicts to carve this pool from the rock around 1820, making it one of Newcastle's oldest European structures. The effort to create it shows how the colonial authorities reshaped the coastline.
The name comes from a Dharawal word meaning 'to bathe', showing the Aboriginal people's long connection to this coastal area and how they used the sea.
You can visit the pool without paying any fee and reach it via a straightforward path from the shoreline. The site has few facilities, so wear sturdy shoes suitable for rocky surfaces.
Every year since the 1950s, people gather here for Greek Orthodox Blessing of the Waters ceremonies where divers retrieve a submerged cross from the pool. This ongoing tradition has turned the location into a gathering place for the local Orthodox community.
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