Tag Archives: olympic pool

Parramatta Swimming Centre – Parramatta, NSW 2150 – NOW CLOSED

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The second oldest city in Australia - See the comment posted March 2020 about a new pool open to the public nearby My experience in the pool I was horrified to learn that Parramatta Swimming Centre is under threat from the planned expansion of the stadium next door. Surely they won't rip up a beautiful spot like this with a great combination of social history and community use still today? There is a campaign on to keep this swimming centre open and build the stadium around it or expand Read more [...]

Bondi Icebergs – Bondi, NSW 2026

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Named after the winter swimming club which began here in 1929. My experience in the pool You need to pick your time well if you want a quiet swim at Bondi Icebergs, with maybe a lane to yourself. According to the manager on duty as I left, the best time for that is between 8am and 9am on Monday or Wednesday. It certainly wasn't quiet on a warm Friday morning in March, with lots of lane swimmers ploughing up and down by 9.15, when I arrived. But it's not just the 50m pool that fills Read more [...]

Cabarita Swimming Centre – NSW 2137

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Cabarita is an Aboriginal word meaning by the water My experience in the pool What a great spot for a swim. This is a saltwater pool right by the harbour, though the salt levels didn’t seem high to me, so they’ve achieved the best of both worlds with easier buoyancy but avoiding the nasty taste when a mouthful (or noseful) gets in as it does far too often in a real ocean pool. I also love those pools where the water laps over the sides – it does make for a much easier swim with far Read more [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Dee Why Rock Pool – Dee Why, NSW 2099

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When swimming in public first became legal, this area was all owned by the Salvation Army… My experience in the pool My first ever experience of an Australian beach was at Dee Why, back in 1967 – I was promptly sent flying by an incoming wave as I paddled along the water’s edge, expecting things to be like the North Sea back home in Yorkshire. This was the nearest beach to our home for that year but I only have that first memory still engraved in my brain all these years on… I Read more [...]

50th Birthday Party at Oak Flats Pool

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  Oak Flats Pool first opened its doors on 13 November 1965. My experience at the pool I couldn't resist returning to Oak Flats Pool at the weekend when I heard that Shellharbour City Council were organising a bit of birthday bash to mark the 50 years since Oak Flats Pool opened. The weather wasn't particularly kind to the organisers, with many probably put off by the soaking rain that fell through most of the morning. But by the time I arrived at the pool around 1pm, it had Read more [...]

Freshwater Rock Pool – Freshwater, NSW 2096

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In 1925, Freshwater rock pool became the first ocean pool on Sydney’s northern beaches. My experience in the pool Freshwater Rock Pool is a perfectly-positioned 50m Olympic Pool, with lane markings on the floor. It sits right under the cliff on one side at the northern end of Freshwater Beach, but unlike neighbouring Queenscliff, this doesn’t prevent the sun from warming the pool up pretty quickly in the morning because the cliff isn’t so high here. Its position also leaves you looking Read more [...]