Tag Archives: disabled ramp

Birrong Leisure Centre – NSW 2143

Posted by: Simon Duffin on: 15/08/2016

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 [...]

Watsons Bay Baths – Watsons Bay, NSW 2030

Posted by: Simon Duffin on: 19/04/2016

The bay is named after an early 19th century harbour pilot and harbour master My experience in the pool Wow, lap swimming in proper Sydney Harbour water with views of the Harbour Bridge just out on the horizon. What a nice spot, Watsons Bay Baths. This is a great space. It's all very securely shark-netted, it has a 50m laned section, disabled ramp and pontoons to sunbathe on or pause and hold on if you want to catch your brief between laps. On a warm March morning, there was a trickle Read more [...]

Shelly Beach Rock Pool – NSW 2230

Posted by: Simon Duffin on: 15/12/2015

Home of the Brass Monkeys My experience in the pool I don’t normally swim on cloudy days while I’m blogging, not because I have some aversion to cloud cover – I’m used to it being from East Yorkshire, and it’s probably safer here in Australia - but because ocean pools really are only at their best with blue skies, blue water and a sprinkling of white from the surf. There was none of those at Shelly Beach Rock Pool when I pitched up on an early December morning, but that clearly Read more [...]

Bruce Steer Pool - Bermagui, NSW 2546
On 26/12/2017
Bruce Steer was a local personality at the heart of Bermagui's community in the post-war years. My experience in the pool Bruce Steer Pool in Bermagui doesn't get as much publicity as the Blue Pool over the headland, but actually on the right day this is a fantastic spot for a protected swim. The first time I came to Bermagui (to swim in... Continue Reading
Berry Village Pool - Berry, NSW 2535
On 22/12/2017
Berry was named after the first family of white settlers in the area. My experience in the pool Berry Village Pool is one of those charming little 20m pools most villages in Australia seem to have. Yes, if you're a Pom, you heard that right: a village pool. Back in the UK, I can think of only one area where a set... Continue Reading
Epping Aquatic Centre - Epping, NSW 2121
On 19/12/2017
Epping was named after the east London/Essex town of the same name. My experience in the pool Epping Aquatic Centre sits surrounded by bush in this leafy northern suburb of Sydney. It's a wonderful place to swim, with those tall gum trees towering over on all sides, and the bush inhabitants squawking or cooing as you plough up and down your laps. I... Continue Reading
Blacktown Aquatic Centre - Blacktown, NSW 2148
On 11/12/2017
Blacktown's name has its origins in the Stolen Generation as there was a 'Native Institution' here in the 19th century. My experience in the pool Blacktown Aquatic Centre has one of those outdoor swimming pools that look so tempting when you speed past in the train. When I spotted it over the tracks, it looked pristine, with sky blue tiles looking magnificent... Continue Reading
Ballina Wading Pool - Shelly Beach, NSW 2478
On 06/12/2017
Ballina probably has both Irish and Aboriginal connections linguistically My experience in the pool Ballina Information Centre at first shook their heads when I asked about the whereabouts of the ocean pool in town. "Well, there's a local campaign to have a new ocean pool built in Ballina," they said, "but there isn't one yet".. When I pressed them and mentioned a... Continue Reading
Yamba Rock Pool - Yamba, NSW 2464
On 30/11/2017
Yamba is an Aboriginal word for either shellfish or headland. My experience in the pool Yamba Ocean Pool is the most northerly of the real ocean baths along the NSW coast. It may well also be the most recently built - constructed in the 1960s - though it may also be the more modern building methods and materials that made it more vulnerable... Continue Reading