Tag Archives: open all year

Glenbrook Swim Centre – Glenbrook, NSW 2773

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My experience in the pool Glenbrook Swim Centre has one of the nicest Olympic pools I've swum in since beginning this outdoor swim quest. I always love the way so many outdoor pools in Australia have gum trees lining the edge of the pool or grounds, and with Glenbrook being in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, there are eucalypts all along one side and down at one end. As you walk through the car park towards the pool entrance, you get that wonderful wafting of eucalyptus in Read more [...]

Auburn Aquatic Centre (Ruth Everuss) – Lidcombe, NSW 2141

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Auburn was named after a village in England that features in an 18th century poem. My experience in the pool The Auburn Swim Centre, whose official name is the Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, only reopened in April 2017 after major refurbishment. It was quiet here on a chilly May morning, but the sun was bright and the outdoor Olympic pool looked very inviting, especially with only one other swimmer doing laps when I arrived. The old tiles mentioned and loved by my fellow swim blogger Read more [...]

Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre – Bexley, NSW 2207

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Bexley was named after the south-east London borough of the same name My experience in the pool I like the new aquatic centre in Bexley, not far from Hurstville in Sydney's south. It's named after the local councillor who apparently pushed for a super, modern swimming complex to be built, but very sadly, the lady at reception told me, Angelo Anestis passed away just a few months before the new centre opened its doors again in January 2017. It's still possible to see the sign Read more [...]

Northbridge Baths – Northbridge, NSW 2063

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Northbridge is named for the stone bridge that takes you back towards the Sydney CBD. My experience in the pool Northbridge Baths tick all my boxes. 50m laned swimming in beautiful salty water, with pretty big fish swimming just below you, kookaburras cackling in the trees by the water and if you go in spring, magnificent jacaranda blossoming on the water's edge. Time the visit really well and you'll be here at high tide, when the laned section must be around 4m deep. There's a sandy Read more [...]

Dick Caine Olympic Pool – Carss Park, NSW 2221

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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 [...]

University of Wollongong Aquatic Centre – URAC, NSW 2522

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My experience in the pool Wow, we never had facilities like these when I was at uni! The University of Wollongong Aquatic Centre is not only a great 50m Olympic Pool, but it's in a wonderful leafy setting on the edge of the UOW campus. You don't often get as magnificent a backdrop as this, either, even in Australia. Mount Keira looms in the background, looking almost volcanic and reminding me of a dramatic swim I once had in a lake in Guatemala under the shadow of a volcanic cone. The Read more [...]

Guildford Swimming Centre – Guildford, NSW 2161

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Named after the Earl of Guilford, though he never had a second 'd' in his name... My experience in the pool Guildford Swimming Centre's outdoor pool is not the kind of place you're likely to find Australia's next generation of Olympic champions working out. It's a bit of a miniature pool, being about half the size of your typical Aussie outdoor pool at 25m in length, with only 4 lanes and barely reaching 1.5m at its deepest point. I liked it though. Not least, because of the magnificent Read more [...]

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

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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 [...]

Hornsby Aquatic Centre – Hornsby NSW 2077

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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

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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 [...]