Killcare Rock Pool – Putty Beach, NSW 2257

My experience in the pool The best time to come to Killcare ring of stones rock pool is at high tide on a calm day. Then, locals tell me, it's like being in a swimming pool. I almost made it on both counts, so managed a bit of a splash around on my back, but didn't really get to do a lap or even turn those arms over for freestyle or back stroke. I had noted down high tide times but got snarled up in traffic through Sydney so by the time I got to Killcare, I'd missed the high by about an Read more [...]

Sandringham Baths – aka Vanston Baths, NSW 2219

My experience in the pool It was great to be back in the ocean water for my first swim of the new season at Sandringham Baths, which also seem to be called Vanston Baths, judging by the signposts near the pool. This is yet another of those netted enclosures on Botany Bay, but Sandringham is the most southerly (unless you count Kurnell) of that series of bathing areas that starts with Kyeemagh in the north and includes Brighton, Monterey and Ramsgate, with just the Dolls Point enclosure Read more [...]

Lambton Swimming Centre – near Newcastle, NSW 2299

My experience in the pool Lambton Swimming Centre only reopened four days before my visit in late August and I don't think word had got around the locals yet because I had the whole 9-lane 50m pool to myself for the whole 22 laps I did. Ideally all outdoor pools would stay open all year round, but if you do need to close for winter, do it the Lambton way, with only a couple of months shut before the doors reopen in the last 10 days of August. As with any outdoor pool that reopens Read more [...]