Tag Archives: ian thorpe

Blacktown Aquatic Centre – Blacktown, NSW 2148

Blacktown's name has its origins in the Stolen Generation as there was a 'Native Institution' here in the 19th century. My experience in the pool Blacktown Aquatic Centre has one of those outdoor swimming pools that look so tempting when you speed past in the train. When I spotted it over the tracks, it looked pristine, with sky blue tiles looking magnificent in the sunshine, and seemingly hardly anyone in it. It proved a bit harder to get an actual swim in Blacktown! My first Read more [...]

Revesby Aquatic Centre – Revesby, NSW 2212

Named after a Lincolnshire village where the first European settler here came from. My experience in the pool My swim at Revesby Aquatic Centre was a classic Aussie experience on so many levels. Actually I should just say the venue is officially called the Max Parker Leisure and Aquatic Centre. I forgot to ask who Max Parker is of course, so I hoped for help from a quick Google search after my swim, only to find that Nicole Kidman's new son-in-law happens to have the same name, and he Read more [...]

Caringbah Leisure Centre – NSW 2229

Its name is an Aboriginal word for a type of wallaby My experience in the pool Another bright, but cold winter’s morning for this swim. The board at the entrance gate claimed the water temperature at 31C. Thankfully it was nowhere near that warm. On a winter’s day, even with full sunshine, this pool is half shaded and that makes a big difference when your back is going in and out of sunshine. At this time of year, with the air temperature nearer 10C than 20C, you welcome the warm Read more [...]