Other Outdoor Pools

Enfield Aquatic Centre – Enfield, NSW 2136

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Sydney's first freshwater Olympic Pool. My experience in the pool My first lap of Enfield Aquatic Centre's Olympic pool was an absolute delight. It began simply enough, in fairly shallow water for maybe the first 30 metres or so, but then dips away dramatically to form the 5m deep diving area - or rather what was the diving area till they removed the diving board! I love swimming in such deep pools and Enfield must have been a fantastic place when they hosted the national diving championships Read more [...]

Albury Swimming Centre – Albury, NSW 2640

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Wikipedia reckons Albury was named after a village in Kent, but there is only an Albury near Guildford in Surrey! My experience in the pool Albury Swim Centre had a lucky escape in October 2016, just a month earlier than my own visit to the place. It sits right by the Murray River on the NSW/Victoria border and floodwaters crept perilously close to the centre when the river burst its banks a few weeks ago (see the link to the video looking over the area and see the pool sitting just above Read more [...]

Gough Whitlam Leisure Centre – Liverpool, NSW 2170

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Named after the former Australian Prime Minister who was MP for a nearby area. My experience in the pool I first dropped by the Gough Whitlam Leisure Centre pools in Liverpool on a sunny morning in winter when I was desperately trying to find an outdoor pool open and was quickly discovering that in the winter months, you really have to shop around to get an outdoor swim in Sydney, even though the sun may shine and the air temperature may be up in the high teens. Don't waste your time trying Read more [...]

Des Renford Aquatic Centre – Maroubra, NSW 2035

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Des Renford was a marathon swimmer who swam the English Channel a record number of times. My experience in the pool The Des Renford Aquatic Centre sits far enough away from Maroubra Beach to make me think: OK, the beach and rock pools are one thing, but an Olympic Pool and various other swimming facilities are still worth having as an additional resource for the community. On this sunny Friday morning in November, there were crowds all over the complex, with a sprinkling of toddlers in Read more [...]

Batemans Bay Olympic Pool – Batemans Bay, NSW 2536

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Bateman was a ship's captain in the days of Captain Cook. My experience in the pool I’d driven past Batemans Bay outdoor pool lots of times in the past and always thought it’d be worth giving it a go some day. This 50m Olympic Pool is right by the Princes Highway so you can see the blue pool from the road, whereas you have to go a bit further down the coast to see the Bay itself! Things didn’t quite go to plan for us in Batemans Bay, though. The pool was (encouragingly) full of Read more [...]

Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre – Queanbeyan, NSW 2620

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Queanbeyan got its name from an Aboriginal word for 'clear waters'. My experience in the pool Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre was really buzzing on the sunny Saturday morning we turned up in mid-October. The car park was nearly full, making us wonder if there’d even be a free lane in the outdoor pool here or whether we’d have to share our lanes. We needn’t have worried, though. It was the indoor pool that had the heaving mass of bodies in it, as the Nippers and the parents filled the Read more [...]

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 [...]