If you’ve spent a summer in Maroubra with kids, there’s a good chance you already know Mahon Pool.
Tucked into the rocks just north of Maroubra Beach, this beautiful ocean pool is one of those local spots families return to again and again.
And it’s easy to understand why.
Why We Love Mahon Pool With Kids
One of the big attractions for families is that Mahon Pool isn’t particularly deep, making it a lovely place for kids who are confident in the water to enjoy an ocean swim without heading directly into the surf.
There’s plenty of space to splash around, swim and explore, while parents get to enjoy one of the most beautiful coastal settings in Sydney’s east.
Of course, it is still an ocean pool and conditions can change quickly, particularly when there is a big swell, so children always need close supervision.
Another big tick for parents: toilets are nearby.
Anyone who has taken young kids to the beach knows just how important that little detail can be!
And then there’s coffee.
The Pool Cafe is conveniently located just across from the pool on Marine Parade, making it very easy to grab a coffee before or after your swim.
Pool, toilets and coffee all within easy reach? That’s a pretty good combination for an Eastern Suburbs family outing.
But there’s another reason to appreciate this much-loved Maroubra swimming spot.
Mahon Pool is celebrating 90 years — and the story behind its name is one many locals may never have heard.
Who Was Mahon Pool Named After?
Mahon Pool takes its name from Patrick “Pat” Mahon, a Randwick alderman and passionate advocate for working-class families in the southern part of the Randwick area.
Born in Gympie, Queensland, on 13 January 1892, Mahon grew up during difficult economic times before later moving to Sydney.
His Catholic upbringing, Irish roots and experience of financial hardship helped shape his commitment to improving life for ordinary families.
During the Great Depression, Mahon became a familiar voice for people living in the makeshift settlements that had developed around the area.
His involvement with the Liquor Trades Union and the Australian Labor Party eventually led him into local government.
Although his time on Randwick Council was tragically short, he would leave a lasting legacy.
A Big Vision for Maroubra’s Coast
After being elected to Council, Mahon began pushing for improvements to beaches and public spaces along the Randwick coastline.
One of his ambitious proposals sought £13,500 a year for seven years from the NSW Government to fund foreshore improvements and work on beach reserves.
There was another important reason behind these projects.
Australia was living through the Great Depression, and public works provided desperately needed employment.
Mahon saw an opportunity to improve local facilities while simultaneously creating jobs for people who needed them.
He also advocated for coastal safety, including shark nets at Coogee and Maroubra, which were among the protective measures being pursued at the time.
And he supported another idea that would eventually become very familiar to generations of Maroubra families:
an ocean pool at the base of what is now Jack Vanny Reserve.
From Natural Swimming Spot to Mahon Pool
Long before today’s pool existed, swimmers were already using the natural rock formations along this stretch of coastline as informal bathing spots.
Mahon recognised the potential for a proper ocean pool that could make swimming safer and encourage more people to enjoy the area.
Sadly, he would never get to see the lasting impact of the idea.
Tragedy at a Council Meeting
On 27 August 1935, Mahon attended a special meeting of Randwick Council.
The Council was discussing issues including the Coogee Improvement Scheme, unemployment relief funding and beach bathing projects.
The surviving Council minutes give little indication that anything extraordinary happened.
But by the next regular Council meeting on 3 September, Patrick Mahon was dead.
Newspaper reports from the time recorded that the 43-year-old alderman had collapsed during a Council meeting and died shortly afterwards in hospital.
His family later revealed that his health had been deteriorating. His eyesight was failing, and his son, Brother John Mahon, later wrote that his father died from kidney failure.
Pat left behind his wife, Ellen, and their nine children.
Ellen Mahon and Nine Children
Patrick Mahon’s death didn’t just leave a vacancy on Council.
It left a family facing an extraordinarily difficult future.
His son John later wrote about the hardship that followed his father’s death.
The family had always had little money, but Ellen was now faced with raising nine children on her own.
John remembered his mother going through a period of intense grief after losing Pat, with her faith helping her through the tragedy.
Friends and some of Pat’s former colleagues stepped in to help the family. Assistance included helping to pay the mortgage and even providing discounted haircuts.
Despite their poverty, John recalled that the children never went hungry or lacked clothing, shoes or other necessities.
His mother, he said, was a remarkably good provider and manager.
Randwick Council also established a community fund to help the family.
Years later, John asked his mother whether she had ever considered marrying again.
Her emotional response said everything:
“But I loved Pat!”
A Huge Community Farewell
Patrick Mahon’s funeral was held at Botany Cemetery on 4 September 1935.
The turnout reflected the impression he had made during his relatively short period in public life.
Prominent political figures from Sydney’s eastern suburbs were among the mourners, including Bob Heffron, William McKell, Harry Moverly and Roscoe Jones.
John later recalled an interesting detail about his childhood.
The children weren’t told where their father had been buried.
It wasn’t until John was in his late 30s that he finally visited his father’s grave.
His mother’s view was that it was better to pray for Pat while those still living got on with life.
A Maroubra Legacy That Continues 90 Years Later
Following Patrick Mahon’s death, the ocean pool he had supported became permanently connected with his name.
Mahon Pool was named in his honour.
And what a legacy it has become.
For 90 years, generations of locals have swum here.
Today you’ll find early-morning swimmers doing their laps, families arriving with towels and kids in tow, locals cooling off on hot summer days and visitors stopping to admire one of Maroubra’s most beautiful pieces of coastline.
For many of us, Mahon Pool is simply somewhere we’ve always known.
But the next time you’re sitting beside the pool watching the kids splash around — perhaps with a coffee from Crosby’s in hand — it’s worth remembering the local family story behind the name.
Patrick Mahon died at only 43 years of age and never got to see generations of Eastern Suburbs families enjoying the ocean pool he had championed.
Ninety years later, they’re still swimming there.
Mahon Pool
📍 Marine Parade, Maroubra
📍 Below Jack Vanny Reserve
🚻 Toilets nearby
☕ Crosby’s Coffee across from the pool on Marine Parade
Remember: Mahon Pool is an ocean pool. Conditions can vary with tides, swell and weather, so always supervise children closely and check conditions before entering the water.
Historical information for this article is based on Randwick City Council records and recollections from Patrick Mahon’s son, Brother John Mahon.
