With an iconic opera house and bridge, Sydney is a well-known travel destination. But the city is also famous for something a little less obvious: its ocean pools. In fact, it has more than any other city in the world – and many of them are still open to swimmers today. But what’s the story behind them?
Krisztina Varga lives at Wolli Creek and has swum in most of the city’s ocean pools. She’s never seen them in other cities she’s visited, which got her thinking: why were they built?
The answer is complex. While they were built to improve swimming conditions, they’re also a reminder of the area’s colonial past. In Australia’s coastal cities, where rips and shark attacks are common, ocean pools were built to improve safety. They were created to protect swimmers from the surf, and provide a safe space for recreational and competitive swimming, before the existence of surf lifesaving, when volunteers trained in life saving patrolled beaches to keep them safe.
One of the most famous of Sydney’s ocean pools is Bronte Baths, which first opened to the public in 1887. It was designed to reflect the local landscape, and was shaped to fit the coastline. It was built to address the same issues as other ocean pools – it had a rocky bottom, so swimmers could swim to the edge, and there were concrete platforms for people to stand on, as well as lifeguard towers, which helped to improve safety.
These days, the pools are still popular with swimmers, and they often feature on lists of “must-see” or “best outdoor pools” online. But they have a much more interesting history than meets the eye.
In addition to providing a safe swimming environment, the pools were also a place where the community came together. Many of the city’s earliest residents were Indigenous Australians, and many of them used the pool as a gathering place. The pool was also a hub for social and sporting events, including the first women’s swimming carnival, which was held in 1908. The carnival became an annual event after the end of gender segregation in 1911. Today, the pool is managed by the City of Sydney and is a much-loved icon of the city.