All posts by Simon Duffin

Born in Yorkshire, now living on the beautiful south coast of NSW. Have lived and worked in eight different countries over the years and swum in nearly all of them. Now in Australia, I want this website to reflect a new life, where swimming takes centre stage and there's a pool in nearly every small community.

Katoomba Aquatic Centre – Katoomba, NSW 2780

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Katoomba takes its name from a nearby waterfall in the Blue Mountains. My experience in the pool It started drizzling and the temperature gauge dropped to 9C as we parked up at Katoomba Sports & Aquatic Centre on Saturday morning. This was 1 October and the first day of opening for the ‘summer’ season for Katoomba outdoor pool. Minor things such as inclement weather weren’t about to stop the pool opening on schedule or me getting in there for a dip. I did have a moment’s hesitation Read more [...]

Hawkesbury Oasis Aquatic Centre – South Windsor, NSW 2756

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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

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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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]