Tag Archives: open all year round

Gosford Olympic Pool – Gosford, NSW 2250

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Named after an Earl's estate in County Armagh My experience in the pool It's that time of year in Australia when you need to get to your swimming destination in good time to beat the class-loads of kids arriving for their spring and summer term swimming squads and comps. At Gosford Swimming Pool, I just made it before coach loads of teenagers arrived looking efficient with stop watches and tote bags, and I guess they were about to take over at least half the Olympic Pool here, but I had Read more [...]

Waves Fitness & Aquatic – Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153

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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 [...]

MacCallum Pool – Cremorne Point, NSW 2090

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Named after Hugh MacCallum whose local work helped establish the pool in its current form in the 1930s My experience in the pool It was a damp, grey morning in February when I turned up at MacCallum Pool. At first there was nobody else there so I had the pool to myself, though I had taken the precaution of checking what time the coffee shop back at the wharf closed so I knew I only had half an hour or so in the water, if I was to get that cherished post swim coffee. This is a little Read more [...]

Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Manly Swim Centre – NSW 2095

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1920s swimmer Boy Charlton grew up in Manly so it’s apt that the pool is named after him My experience in the pool With fantastic beaches nearby and two rock pools at either end of Manly’s main beach, you might wonder why have such a massive pool complex in Manly? But this is a great asset to the community. As another swimming blogger points out (see links below), this is only one of two pools like this in the northern beaches area, and as I found out in April after Sydney’s big Read more [...]

Roselands Aquatic Centre – NSW 2196

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Named after a garden centre on the site of this suburb before the shopping centre was built My experience in the pool There was a bitterly cold wind blowing on the early August afternoon I came to Roselands Pool. The water was heated, which helped, but it took me about 15 laps before I stopped feeling the goose pimples on my back as I swam freestyle up and down. The pool was very quiet on this grey, wintry afternoon. There were only two others in the pool when I began, and after I Read more [...]

Leichhardt Pool – Leichhardt, NSW 2040

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Named after a 19th century Prussian explorer who disappeared! My experience in the pool I was here with fellow swimming blogger Therese, who is a regular at Leichhardt Pool so seems to know everyone round the place. Therese has also blogged about this pool regularly, so check out the links below for her take on its people and its history. There was major upgrading work going on when we turned up in late July, meaning the shallow end of the Olympic Pool was screened off (you could still Read more [...]

Ashfield Municipal Pools – NSW 2131 – CLOSED FOR RENOVATION 2018-2020

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Home of 19th century tea room owner Mei Quong Tart My experience in the pool Another cold winter’s day for this swim, but with bright sunshine, it’s always a nice experience. The water was cooler than in many of those I’d swum in over the previous weeks, but I always tell myself: it’s still warmer than Ilkley Lido (unheated) at the height of summer, so if you can swim in that… For mid-morning on a working day, the pool was relatively busy and there were no lanes completely Read more [...]

Canterbury Aquatic Centre – NSW 2193

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People swam in the Cooks River until this centre was built My experience in the pool It was a bit overcast for much of my swim and the air temperature was in the low teens. I guess I understand that most people chose to swim in the indoor pool next door, but I don’t really get it, coming from northern England, as I do.  I just feel that Australia has such fantastic swimming resources and they are perhaps taken for granted by many people here. Even with school holidays (yes, the kids Read more [...]

Caringbah Leisure Centre – NSW 2229

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Its name is an Aboriginal word for a type of wallaby My experience in the pool Another bright, but cold winter’s morning for this swim. The board at the entrance gate claimed the water temperature at 31C. Thankfully it was nowhere near that warm. On a winter’s day, even with full sunshine, this pool is half shaded and that makes a big difference when your back is going in and out of sunshine. At this time of year, with the air temperature nearer 10C than 20C, you welcome the warm Read more [...]

Engadine Leisure Centre – NSW 2233

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Named after a valley in the Swiss Alps…for some reason! My experience in the pool Only three lanes out of nine were in use when I arrived at about 11am on a bright, sunny morning in July for my swim. So there was lots of room for relaxing laps, and even though a few others had come along by the time I was out, we were still few enough to have a lane each, and that always feels like a real privilege. It was a cold morning, though. As I swam my freestyle, I could feel an icy touch on Read more [...]