Sydney pools are a quintessential summer Sydney experience. Serene at low tide and choppy at high, they are the original infinity pools. They are the place to go if you want to cool off, meet friends and catch some rays.
They are also a great place for families. Sydney is home to 6 outstanding aquatic centres – the Andrew Boy Charlton Pool in Woolloomooloo Bay, Cook + Phillip Park Pool, Sydney Harbour Bridge Pool and Bronte Beach Pool to name just a few. Each is chemically treated sea water and heated to a comfortable 25 degrees. They are also open from September to April, so there is plenty of time to enjoy a swim in a Sydney pool.
The first of Sydney’s ocean pools was Mahon Pool, built by residents in 1929 at Maroubra, and the others were built during the Depression era on Sydney’s northern beaches. The city’s councils couldn’t afford to build them at that time, but community improvement associations raised funds and laboured away at their creation. Ms McDermott says the pools were important socially, culturally and for safety reasons. They protected swimmers from the dangers of surf and the threat of shark attacks.
As time went by, the pools became increasingly popular and more were built. They vary in size and shape – skewed rectangles, triangles or squares – and are dotted along the coastline. Some are tucked into the edge of cliffs, some sit solitary on reefs and others, like Narrabeen, spectacularly hinge off the end of a peninsula. The shapes are as varied as the locations, with some, such as Bronte Baths, featuring beautiful timber platforms, while others, such as Palm Beach’s rock pool, are an abstract abstraction of the bend of the cliff behind.
While some of the pools have changed over time, others remain unchanged and are loved by generations. The Sydney Harbour Bridge Pool was one of the most popular, attracting up to 14,000 people per day during peak periods in the 1950s.
A modern take on the iconic pool can be found at the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pool, which opened in 2012. The pool features a state-of-the-art 295-foot spiral slide and offers free swimming, aqua aerobics and yoga classes.
Michael Easton is a Sydneysider who shares his love of suburban pools with his mates and started documenting his visits on Instagram in 2016. He has now swum in 68 sidney pools and still can’t pick a favourite. He believes we instinctively gravitate to the water to relax. “Maybe it goes back to being in utero, but I think we’re wired for it.” He says swimming is also about connecting with friends and his social media followers have grown into a close-knit community that meets up at different Sydney pools throughout the year.