Taking off your cossie or boardies and wading straight into Sydney Harbour is one of the city’s great summer pleasures. It’s a long-established tradition – but how do you know whether the water is safe? UNSW epidemiologist Marylouise McLaws recently told the Sydney Morning Herald that chlorine was not a guarantee of safety and that pool owners need to consider rapid antigen testing as well as double vaccination. She said a combination of these measures would help to ensure swimmers’ health and that the public pools were not “poisoning people”.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of Sydney’s most iconic ocean and harbourside pools and explore why they’re such a magnet for locals and tourists alike.
The saga of North Sydney Olympic Pool is a classic example of local government pork-barrelling and infighting – not to mention heritage concerns, health issues and cost blowouts. The project is now over $100m and its opening date has been pushed back to 2025. It’s a sore indictment of a council and state government that can’t get its act together on major infrastructure projects.
It’s also a lesson in why the community shouldn’t just take their money and run with it, especially on a major waterfront project. The North Sydney pool is one of Australia’s most beloved, iconic and historic swimming spots, but its future is looking bleak after years of mismanagement and infighting.
When Mike Baird was premier and Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey were treasurers, North Sydney Council went cap-in-hand to governments for $25 million to redevelop the site as Australia’s most spectacular harbour pool. The resulting project has been beset by council infighting, claims of pork-barrelling and a lack of transparency, along with heritage concerns and criticism from health organisations.
Originally a rock pool built by locals in the 1880s, it was reconstructed in the 1920s above the high-water mark to allow swimmers to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. It’s small and narrow, but it’s long enough for laps and ringed by a wooden boardwalk where swimmers can sit down and enjoy the stunning views after a dip. There are even shaded spots for a picnic. It’s a great place to spend a sunny day in the water and take some time out from the hectic pace of city life.