The Eastern Beach swimming enclosure is one of the gems of 1930s public-works architecture in Australia — a curving Art Deco bathing pavilion and a sheltered tidal pool extending into Corio Bay. The original baths opened in 1939; after years of decline they were comprehensively restored in the early 1990s and now form the centrepiece of the waterfront.
The water is calm and shallow, perfect for children. Lawns, picnic tables and lifeguard towers ring the enclosure. The promenade above runs the length of the Geelong Bollards walk. Free entry. The 1892 Cunningham Pier juts out into the bay just to the north.