Tag Archives: 50m pool

Hawkesbury Oasis Aquatic Centre – South Windsor, NSW 2756

My experience in the pool The outdoor Olympic Pool at Hawkesbury Oasis Aquatic Centre in South Windsor only opened for the season last weekend, so the guy in the changing room before I got into the water itself warned me it was a bit chilly, but at 25C it was more than enough for me and certainly warmer than my swim last week! It was a perfect day for a swim, in bright sunshine but at that time of year when the sun still isn't at its burning height of intensity. And in this pool, you'd Read more [...]

Dick Caine Olympic Pool – Carss Park, NSW 2221

Named after the swimming coach and pool owner for 50+ years My experience in the pool I don't think Dick Caine's War Memorial Olympic Pool at Carss Park can have changed much in the last 40 years or more. Some might find the place tired and a bit frayed at the edges, but I liked it and the amateur social historian in me found it fascinating. The first thing you see as you enter the complex is Elvis Presley. Dick, it seems, is a big fan and as with many followers of Elvis, it's all a Read more [...]

West Pymble Pool aka Ku-Ring-Gai Aquatic Centre, NSW

Ku-Ring-Gai is named for the original inhabitants of the area; Pymble was an early European settler. My experience in the pool A visit to West Pymble Pool aka Ku-ring-gai Aquatic Centre is the kind of experience that makes me wish we could afford to live in Sydney's leafy northern suburbs. I could probably cope with the feeling of suburbia if I had all this wonderful parkland and bush all around me. It's not the easiest place to get to by public transport, but as I found out when I began Read more [...]

Waves Fitness & Aquatic – Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153

Named after hills in Scotland which were home to an early settler in the area. My experience in the pool Waves War Memorial Swimming Centre in the wonderfully named The Hills Shire sits half way between Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill, about a mile from both so very much part of Sydney North West suburbia. I hadn't got beyond the reception desk before someone engaged me in conversation, though - my tee shirt with the map of Scotland drew quite a bit of interest, and before I'd even got Read more [...]

Hornsby Aquatic Centre – Hornsby NSW 2077

Named after a convict turned constable who arrested bush rangers round here before the area was settled by Europeans. My experience in the pool It's a lively place is Hornsby Aquatic Centre. From the tai chi class going on with about 20 participants right in front of the entrance, through the indoor pool area packed with parents and toddlers on this sunny August morning, through to the Olympic pool outside, with three lanes devoted to some sort of aqua gym class and at least two people Read more [...]

Birrong Leisure Centre – NSW 2143

Aboriginal word meaning star. My experience in the pool After my unsuccessful attempt to swim in Enfield Olympic Pool last week (closed till October), I was pleased to get back into the water at Birrong Leisure Centre's wonderful Olympic Pool, which stays open all year round. This pool is either a fairly modern build (maybe 1960s or 1970s judging by the architecture of the entrance) or has undergone some major facelift in recent years (or maybe both), with its Spray Park something Read more [...]

Palm Beach Rock Pool – Palm Beach, NSW 2108

Named for the cabbage-tree palms which grow around here. My experience in the pool Palm Beach is as far north as you get within Sydney's official boundaries. Palm Beach Rock Pool sits at the southern end of the beach, so you can look back up the curve of the bay towards Barrenjoey Lighthouse and out to sea where the next bit of land becomes the NSW Central Coast. This is multi-millionaire territory, the home of film stars and other celebs, not just from Home & Away, which is set Read more [...]

Bondi Icebergs – Bondi, NSW 2026

Named after the winter swimming club which began here in 1929. My experience in the pool You need to pick your time well if you want a quiet swim at Bondi Icebergs, with maybe a lane to yourself. According to the manager on duty as I left, the best time for that is between 8am and 9am on Monday or Wednesday. It certainly wasn't quiet on a warm Friday morning in March, with lots of lane swimmers ploughing up and down by 9.15, when I arrived. But it's not just the 50m pool that fills Read more [...]

Bilgola Rock Pool – Bilgola, NSW 2107

Named after an Aboriginal term meaning 'swirling waters'. My experience in the pool For one of the swimmers who contacted me since I began this tour of NSW ocean pools, Bilgola Rock Pool is the best. So I was keen to see what made her make this claim. The pool was a lot busier for a weekday morning than any other I have been in, so Bilgola certainly has a sizeable fan base, and most of those I chatted with made the same claim: it's got to be the best rock pool in Sydney, they all said. It Read more [...]

North Narrabeen Rock Pool, NSW 2101

Narrabeen beach gets a mention in a Beach Boys song… My experience in the pool North Narrabeen rock pool is something of an icon among Sydney's regular rock pool swimmers, and it's easy to see why. The 50m laned pool is separated from the rest of the pool area by a wooden boardwalk which has apparently been there since the pool was built in the 1930s. I think you can swim under the boardwalk to get from the general swimming area to the main pool, though nobody seemed to be doing that Read more [...]