We've all been waiting for this day for nearly two years – the Newcastle Ocean Baths are reopening on Thursday December 21 at 7.30am.

Stage 1 of the upgrade to the iconic ocean pool is nearly completed, meaning the baths can open back up for swimmers just in time for a hot summer.

The City of Newcastle announced the news today, with a community swim event being held next Thursday morning to celebrate the reopening. There’ll be music, free coffee, and the chance to snap a summery Santa photo on the newly restored blue bleachers.

We were treated to a sneak peek earlier this morning – rest assured, the pool is looking mint.

New features at the baths include an accessible ramp into the main pool, a shade sail on the upper promenade, an extra set of stairs into the lap pool, more seating on the southern end of the lower promenade, and a new lifeguard hut.

The iconic bleachers have been freshened up, as have the curved Art Deco stairs and starting blocks. It's retained all the iconic features we loved, just with a much-needed spruce up.

And, although the pool has a new coating, don’t fret – there’s still a sandy bottom. 

We’re already picturing ourselves spending plenty of our summer here – along with the rest of Newcastle of course.