Lucretia Baths – Woodford Bay, Longueville NSW 2066

Lucretia is just the name of the nearby street in Longueville. No Roman connections here. My experience in the pool Lucretia Baths! Even the name somehow conjures up 1920s glamour (although the original Lucretia was apparently a woman in Roman times who had water sprinkled on her belly by one Sextus!), and given the pool’s heritage status, there may well be tales to be told of daring costumes showing a bit more than an ankle or collar bone in the early days of the baths. There was Read more [...]

Lilli Pilli Baths – Lilli Pilli, NSW 2229

Lilli Pilli was named for the native tree that grew here on the point. My experience in the pool Our visit to Lilli Pilli Baths on Port Hacking didn't quite go to plan, but when we did finally get into the water here, we loved it, and will surely return before too long. We had underestimated the traffic levels heading towards Cronulla on this hot Sunday morning in February, and by the time we got near to Lilli Pilli, we realised we wouldn't have time for swim followed by post swim coffee, Read more [...]

Aslings Beach Rock Pool – Eden, NSW 2551

My experience in the pool A swim among the fish in the clear waters of Aslings Beach Rock Pool at Eden started our day off perfectly, with an audience of black crabs looking on from every wall and crevice along the sides of the pool. This must be one of my favourite ocean pools yet, for the setting as much as the pool itself. As NSW ocean pools go, Aslings Beach rock pool is a relative newbie, having been built only in the 1960s. It doesn’t always get the best reviews, either from locals Read more [...]

Eden Olympic Pool – Eden, NSW 2551

Eden was named after a 19th century politician, not after anything biblical... My experience in the pool We were in Eden to swim in the ocean pools, but when you drive past a superb 50m Olympic Pool on your way into town, it's hard to resist popping in to stretch out and do a few laps as well as jumping in the rock pools. Eden's War Memorial Pool was built in the 1970s to give local kids an opportunity to swim when the local rock pool filled up with sand and meant proper lap swimming Read more [...]

Thompson’s Point Baths – Eden, NSW 2551

My experience in the pool We'd never have found Thompson's Point Baths in Eden on the NSW Sapphire Coast without the help of this site. Well, actually, local gent Rob Whiter found me via my ABC Radio interviews last year and got in touch to make sure I didn't miss his hidden gem, which was the first rock pool in Eden - built very early in the 20th century - but fallen largely into disuse since the old wooden ramps that used to link it to the main cliff tops crumbled away with termite infestation Read more [...]

Temperatures Rising over Petition for Parramatta Pool

When I wrote about my experience in Parramatta Olympic Pool last year, I also mentioned the plans to demolish the pool when the nearby stadium gets expanded. There's been a petition up to show local support for the pool in Parramatta, based not only on its heritage (1950s architecture), and its unique facilities (not many diving boards left in NSW pools these days), but also on its vital role as a resource for the local community. This weekend, as temperatures are expected to rise above Read more [...]

Como Learner’s Pool – Como, NSW 2226

Como was named for its similarity to the city on Italy's lakes. My experience in the pool I hadn't planned a swim in Como Pool on this particular Friday in February, but the grey skies over Sydney put me off going into the water at the harbour baths I'd hoped to visit, and in any case sea water really needs blue skies to bring it out best in photographs, so I changed my plans and decided to do a drive around to check the location and facilities at the next tidal baths I plan to swim in. This Read more [...]

Paradise Beach Swimming Enclosure – Avalon, NSW 2107

My experience in the pool I really envy the two blokes I saw sauntering down the road to Paradise Beach swimming enclosure, towel in hand, ready to take the plunge presumably just a couple of hundred yards from their home. I drove down to the end of Paradise Road and saw the beautiful baths from the car, but then had to drive half a mile back up the hill before I could find a reasonable place to park. There are at best 6 parking spots by the baths at Paradise Beach and on a hot morning Read more [...]

Greenwich Baths – Greenwich, NSW 2065

Greenwich is named after its namesake on the River Thames in London My experience in the pool Greenwich Baths sit on the north side of Sydney harbour, with great views back to the Sydney CBD skyline. Greenwich Point, next door to the baths, lies just round the corner from where the Lane Cove River meets the Parramatta River, hence the briney water mentioned by one of the other swim bloggers I link to below. This was my first swim on the NSW ocean pools (and harbour baths) quest since Read more [...]