Other Outdoor Pools

Bowral Swimming Centre – Bowral, NSW 2576

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Don Bradman’s childhood home but he was 63 by the time this pool was opened My experience in the pool It was a cool, cloudy Sunday at the end of the summer holidays when we pitched up at Bowral’s lovely swimming centre. I couldn’t help remembering that in country South Australia, they wouldn’t even open an outdoor pool like this on a day when the air temperature is only 19C, but they’re a hardier lot in New South Wales. This is a lovely swimming complex, with a 50m Olympic Read more [...]

Nowra Aquatic Centre – Nowra, NSW 2540

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A real 21st century swimming pool My experience in the pool Nowra’s new state-of-the-art aquatic centre only opened its doors in October 2015 after being closed for complete overhaul for two years. This really feels like the future of outdoor swimming pools, with fun facilities like the kiddies’ splash-about area with lots of water spouts and stairs to climb plus the soon-to-be-opened water slide, which should be fun for adults and kids alike. For me, it was a chance to return to Read more [...]

Warilla Olympic Pool – Warilla, NSW 2528

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Only open 5 months of the year My experience in the pool I first swam here before I knew that this blog would end up covering freshwater outdoor pools as well as ocean pools. That was towards the end of the ‘season’ – Warilla Pool closes for seven months of the year. But I needed to come back to review the place, and I jumped at the opportunity when I got a message from fellow swim blogger – Kenton who writes 1000pools.com – to say he’d be down in Warilla and did I want to join Read more [...]

Albion Park Pool – Albion Park, NSW 2527

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Only open 5 months of the year My experience in the pool I arrived mid-morning on a sunny day in mid-November. There was only one lane set up for lap swimmers and one lady in there already. But lots of schoolkids were being herded about the premises so I knew something was up. Actually unlike on those school carnival days in January/February, when the public really can’t get into the water, the swimming lessons and tests for young schoolkids worked well with a couple of lap swimmers Read more [...]

Gordon Fetterplace Aquatic Centre – Campbelltown, NSW 2560

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“Australia’s First Green City” My experience in the pool My first visit to Campbelltown Aquatic Centre was in September on a bright, sunny day with the pool looking immaculate. Sadly, it was still closed to the public although the water looked perfect. So I had to make the most of a return visit to Campbelltown in November to actually get in the water. I arrived on a cool, cloudy morning to find the pool deserted apart from a few water polo players having a throw around at the Read more [...]

Berkeley Swimming Centre – Illawarra, NSW 2506

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Named after an estate in Gloucestershire My experience in the pool I really enjoyed myself in this pool. I’m not sure how many Poms they get in here because the lifeguard kept me chatting about Lancashire and Yorkshire connections for about 15 minutes before I could actually start my laps. When I began my swim, I was sharing the entire Olympic pool with just one seagull, though he (or she) was joined by two others as I ploughed up and down my lane. Mind you, I say lanes, but there Read more [...]

Western Suburbs Pool – Unanderra, NSW 2526

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Aboriginal word for junction of two creeks My experience in the pool I initially came here when I didn’t know I would be blogging also about freshwater open air pools, so didn’t take any notes. But I do remember being delighted by the views of the bush-covered mountains in the distance behind the pool, and relishing the swim even more because these excellent facilities – with Olympic Pool, 25m pool and toddlers pool – are totally free to use. Hats off to Wollongong Council for this. I Read more [...]

Oak Flats Pool – NSW 2529

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Home of Australia’s test cricketing brothers Shane & Brett Lee My experience in the pool My first visit here coincided with the local schools swimming carnival so I wasn’t able to use the 50m Olympic Pool and had to switch to a few laps of the 25m pool. My second visit came just two days after the pool had reopened for the spring in mid-September. The 25m pool was busy with kids and a few lap swimmers so I plumped for the totally empty 50m pool. I quickly found out why it was Read more [...]

Granville Swimming Centre – NSW 2150

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Once known as the ‘Wimbledon of diving in Sydney’ – even Crocodile Dundee dived here as a teenager My experience in the pool The swim is only a small part of the pleasure of Granville Pool. But since this blog is about my swimming experiences, I’d better begin with that… It was a bright, sunny spring morning. The Olympic pool was quiet so they had kept four lanes covered and just five were being used. I chose the narrowest lane which bordered the edge of the tarpaulin cover Read more [...]

Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Manly Swim Centre – NSW 2095

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1920s swimmer Boy Charlton grew up in Manly so it’s apt that the pool is named after him My experience in the pool With fantastic beaches nearby and two rock pools at either end of Manly’s main beach, you might wonder why have such a massive pool complex in Manly? But this is a great asset to the community. As another swimming blogger points out (see links below), this is only one of two pools like this in the northern beaches area, and as I found out in April after Sydney’s big Read more [...]