Harbour Pools

Chiswick Baths – Chiswick, NSW 2046

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Chiswick is named after the riverside suburb of London My experience in the pool Chiswick Pool in south west London is where I finally learnt to do front crawl, or freestyle as they call it in Australia. That was back in the 1990s. But I couldn’t help thinking of those swimming lessons as I strode into the water at Chiswick Baths. The name is about where the similarities between the two Chiswicks end, though. And the Thames is a very different beast from Sydney Harbour. Chiswick Baths Read more [...]

Brooklyn Baths – Brooklyn, NSW 2083

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My experience in the pool Brooklyn Baths up on the Hawkesbury River have really useful depth markers against the shark fence on the riverside of the pool and along one of the sides in the shallower waters. These are essential for swimmers as the tides can vary the water depth enormously, and with the water being a bit murky - at least on the December morning I pitched up - there'd be no other way of knowing how deep you're getting, or more importantly, whether you have enough depth to swim Read more [...]

Manly Cove Swimming Enclosure – Manly, NSW 2095

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My experience in the pool I'd never seen the swimming enclosure at Manly Cove so busy as on the hot morning I visited in mid-December 2016. With overnight temperatures barely falling below 28C and a daytime high of 38C forecast, the waters by the Manly Ferry wharf suddenly became popular. I've walked past this shark-netted enclosure hundreds of times over the years and hardly ever seen anyone in the water. I was here myself just a week earlier and had stared at the choppy waters for a good Read more [...]

Little Manly Baths – Manly, NSW 2095

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Holiday excursion steamers used to dock at Little Manly from 1861 My experience in the pool They don't make shark-protected swimming enclosures like the baths at Little Manly any more. There's no shark net here. Rather, they keep the big fish out with a row of snugly fitting vertical wooden sticks in this bathing area not far from Manly that was first built as long ago as 1879! I wasn't at Little Manly at the best of times, though. The tide was out, so the swimmable area was much reduced Read more [...]

Pickering Point Baths – Seaforth, NSW 2092

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George Pickering was an early settler in the area near these baths. My experience in the pool Pickering Point Baths on Middle Harbour near Seaforth are an idyllic place for a dip on a hot afternoon. I came here on the bus from Manly after sitting for twenty minutes looking at the swimming enclosure next to Manly Ferry wharf and deciding it was just too windy and the water not tempting enough for my swim that day. It’s a ten minute walk down steeply-winding streets from where the bus Read more [...]

Forty Baskets Swimming Enclosure – NSW 2093

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Forty Baskets name came from the quantity of fish caught locally for soldiers at the Quarantine Station nearby in 1885. My experience in the pool Forty Baskets pool across the harbour from Manly is best at high tide, I'm told. It's not the easiest harbour baths to get to on public transport, so I had postponed my visit several times after checking the tides on days I was free. But I finally made it on this warm morning at the end of November and the tide was just an hour past high. I 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 [...]

Clontarf Baths – Clontarf, NSW 2093

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Clontarf is named after a suburb of Dublin, where there also used to be an ocean pool. My experience in the pool Clontarf Baths were apparently one of my favourite places to come when we lived in Sydney 50 years ago and I was just a little primary school kid, who couldn't even swim at that point. Coming here 50 years on, with the water a delicious 20C at least and the sky a cloudless blue, I can see why. Funnily enough, when I was looking up who had written blog posts on Clontarf Baths, Read more [...]

Woolwich Baths – Woolwich, NSW 2110

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Woolwich is named after the area of London on the Thames, famous for its arsenal. My experience in the pool Woolwich is a sleepy but beautifully-preserved part of Sydney, with wonderful old 19th century houses and cottage gardens. Woolwich Baths are half way along the peninsula along the Lane Cove River that keeps the NSW version of Woolwich so little changed, apparently, from how it must have felt decades ago. It's a far cry from its London namesake! The baths are best at high tide, Read more [...]

Taylors Point Baths – Clareville, NSW 2107

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Taylor was an early settler at a time when only access to the area was by boat. My experience in the pool OK let’s get the confession out of the way, first: I didn’t actually swim in Taylors Point Baths near Clareville on Pittwater. I did get into the water – upto my knees – and waded for a while, so it does count in my book for an exercise which is more to do with mapping the pools and checking they exist still rather than me trying to do any number of laps or even get my head Read more [...]