Mettams Pool

Mettams Pool is a crescent of limestone reef on West Coast Drive enclosing a lagoon less than two metres deep, and it is now closed to fishing. The City of Stirling banned it by local law in August 2026, so what follows is a record of a fishery rather than an invitation to one. It was never a big-fish mark — herring and sand whiting through the sand channels, tarwhine and skippy around the rock, squid over the weed — but it had the most forgiving access of any reef spot in the northern suburbs, which is what made it worth knowing about. Anglers heading this way should read the alternates below instead.

None of this is currently legal at Mettams Pool and it is recorded for reference only. The productive water was the sand channels between the reef fingers rather than the rock itself, fished with light baits and small lures drifted through the gaps. Squid jigs worked slowly over the weed edges at dawn and last light were the most reliable proposition through spring and summer. The outer edge of the reef held fish on a bigger tide and also held the surge, which is the one hazard that outlasts the fishing ban.

Herring and sand whiting were the mainstays through the lagoon and the sand between the reef. Tarwhine and skippy worked the rock edges and took small baits readily. Southern calamari held over the weed from late winter through summer. It was a light-tackle fishery with a modest ceiling, and since 11 August 2026 it has not been a fishery at all — the same species are catchable a kilometre either side at Watermans Bay and North Beach jetty.

The useful advice for Mettams Pool now is to fish somewhere else — Marmion Marine Park has plenty of shore access that carries no local-law prohibition, and the alternates below are all within a few minutes. If you are visiting for the snorkelling rather than the fishing, low tide exposes the reef structure and the lagoon is at its clearest early, before the summer crowds arrive. Anyone who fished here before August 2026 and has not heard about the change is the person this page exists for.

A sloping concrete walkway and stairs drop from West Coast Drive to the beach, and a water access ramp rebuilt by the City of Stirling in 2024 runs directly into the lagoon with a continuous handrail down its full length. That combination puts the water within reach of an angler who cannot manage stairs, which is rare for a reef mark anywhere on this coast. Flushing toilets, showers, changerooms, shade shelter and picnic tables sit at the top. Parking is on West Coast Drive and fills early on warm weekends. No dogs are permitted. The short walk and shallow, protected water make it a strong option for young children.

Fishing at Mettams Pool is prohibited. Clause 2.10 of the City of Stirling Local Government Property Local Law lists "Mettams Pool Beach" at item (y), by name and by both coastal reserve lots, among the properties where a person must not undertake fishing or any fishing activity. The Council made the amendment on 7 July 2026, the common seal was affixed on 9 July, it was published in Government Gazette No. 94 on 28 July 2026, and it commenced fourteen days later on 11 August 2026. The prohibition attaches to the reserve rather than to a water line, so shore fishing — the only kind this beach ever offered — is exactly what is banned, with no carve-out. State fisheries law would still permit it; local law does not, and local law is the one that applies standing on the sand.

The crescent reef takes the swell and leaves the inner lagoon calm — under two metres deep and often glassy when the beaches either side are unworkable. Clarity is the defining feature and the reason snorkellers come. The surge along the outer reef edge gets strong quickly and that is where the water moves fastest, which matters to swimmers and snorkellers now rather than to anglers. Morning is cleaner and quieter before the afternoon sea breeze. The same swell and wind pattern governs the alternates listed below.

The surge along the outer edge of the reef is stronger than the calm inner lagoon suggests and is the main way people get into trouble here. Cobblers sit in the weed close to shore and carry venomous dorsal and pectoral spines — a painful injury that is easy to avoid by watching where you put your feet and never handling one carelessly. Wet limestone is slippery and the reef is sharp; footwear is not optional. The hazards that remain are swimming and snorkelling hazards — the fishing ones stopped mattering here on 11 August 2026, and the casting etiquette this beach used to need is now beside the point.

No. Fishing at Mettams Pool Beach is prohibited under clause 2.10 of the City of Stirling Local Government Property Local Law, which names the beach at item (y) by name and by both coastal reserve lots. It was gazetted on 28 July 2026 and commenced on 11 August 2026. State fisheries law would allow shore fishing here — Mettams sits inside Marmion Marine Park but outside its three sanctuary zones — but the local-law ban applies regardless, and it attaches to the reserve rather than to a water line, so there is no part of the beach it does not cover.

North Beach jetty is a kilometre north and gives you a platform over deeper water. Watermans Bay is the same Marmion Marine Park reef system with more rock and no local-law prohibition. Trigg Beach is a kilometre south for open-beach gutters and tailor. All three carry the species Mettams used to — herring, sand whiting, tarwhine, skippy and squid — and none of them is on the City of Stirling list.

For kids, yes — the lagoon is under two metres deep, protected by the reef, and a short walk from sealed parking, with flushing toilets, showers, changerooms and shade at the top. For anyone with limited mobility it is the best-served reef mark on this coast: a sloping concrete walkway and stairs reach the beach, and a water access ramp rebuilt in 2024 runs directly into the lagoon with a continuous handrail. The City of Stirling describes it as safe water entry rather than as wheelchair access, so check it suits before relying on it. Dogs are not permitted.

The surge on the outer edge of the reef, which is much stronger than the calm inner lagoon suggests. Beyond that, cobblers sit in the weed near shore and their dorsal and pectoral spines are venomous, and wet limestone is slippery and sharp — wear proper footwear and watch where you stand.