Ocean pools are an important feature of the Australian coastline particularly in New South Wales. Ocean pools or ocean baths are defined as public seawater pools sited on a rocky surf coast, so that waves can wash into the pool. The width, length and depth of ocean pools varies and often depends on their location on the coastline. Australia also has many harbour pools and these are usually netted or fenced and located in harbours or river mouths but not regarded as ocean pools.

History

Bogey Hole in Newcastle

Ocean pools date back to the convict era in Australia with Newcastle's Bogey Hole being constructed in 1819 by convicts under the orders of Commandant James Morisset.[1] Construction of ocean pools was generally through community subscriptions or government funded. Two ocean pools were privately built: the Pearl Beach Rock Pool, near Gosford, New South Wales was constructed by a real estate developer in the 1920s to help sell land, and Wylie's Baths in Coogee, New South Wales by entrepreneur Henry Wylie and his sons.[2][3]

Bondi Icebergs Pool

Several ocean pools were once reserved only for the use of men or only for use by women and children and Sydney's Coogee Bay still hosts an ocean pool reserved solely for the use of women and children. Coogee's McIver's Baths constructed in the 1860s seems to now be the only seawater pool in Australia still reserved solely for use by women and children.[4] Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie, who won gold and silver medals in the Women's 100m Freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics trained at this pool.[2] The Beverley Whitfield Pool in Shellharbour is named after another of Australia's Olympic swimmers.

Wylie's Baths established in 1907 at Coogee, New South Wales, by Henry Alexander Wylie, the father of Mina Wylie, was one of the first mixed gender ocean pools in Australia.[2]

Newcastle Ocean Baths in 1953

There are about 100 ocean pools in New South Wales.[2] In Perth, Western Australia there has been impetus to build ocean pools as a result of shark attacks.[5]

List of ocean pools

Name Location Constructed Opened Length Comments
East Ballina Children's Pool Ballina, New South Wales
Yamba Rock Pool Yamba, New South Wales 1969 [6] 33 m [6]
Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool Sawtell, New South Wales 1962 [6]
Black Head Rock Pool Hallidays Point, New South Wales 1941 [6] 100 feet [6] [6]
Forster Ocean Baths Forster, New South Wales 1936 56 m along the northern wall (rear wall), 50 m along the eastern wall and 69 m along the western wall.
Soldiers Baths Newcastle, New South Wales 1883 [7] 180 yards oval [7]
Square Hole Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle Ocean Baths Newcastle, New South Wales 1922 91.44x45.72 m
Canoe Pool Newcastle, New South Wales 1937
The Ladies Bath Newcastle, New South Wales
Bogey Hole Newcastle, New South Wales 1819 [7]
Bar Beach Rock Pool Newcastle, New South Wales
Old Merewether Baths Newcastle, New South Wales
Merewether Ocean Baths Newcastle, New South Wales 1935 [7] 110x90 yards [7]
Norah Head Pool Norah Head, New South Wales
The Entrance Ocean Baths The Entrance, New South Wales 1938-1965 (multiple modifications) [8] 1938 [8] 50m Additional children's pool.[9]
Terrigal Rock Pool Terrigal, New South Wales
Avoca Beach Rock Pool Avoca Beach, New South Wales
Mavis Pool Copacabana, New South Wales
MacMasters Beach Rock Pool MacMasters Beach, New South Wales
Killcare - Putty Beach Rock Pool Killcare, New South Wales
Umina Beach (site) Umina, New South Wales
Pearl Beach Rock Pool Pearl Beach, New South Wales
Palm Beach Rock Pool Palm Beach, New South Wales 50m [10]
Whale Beach Rock Pool Whale Beach, New South Wales 25 m [10]
Avalon Rock Pool Avalon, New South Wales
Bilgola Rock Pool Bilgola Beach, New South Wales 50m [10]
Northern Headlands Rock Pool (site) Newport, New South Wales
Newport Rock Pool Newport, New South Wales 50m Length .[10]
Mona Vale Rock Pool Mona Vale, New South Wales 30m Length 30 m.[10] Also small children's pool.
North Narrabeen Rock Pool North Narrabeen, New South Wales 50m Length 50 m.[10]
Collaroy Rock Pool Collaroy, New South Wales
Dee Why Rock Pool Dee Why, New South Wales 50m Length 50 m.
North Curl Curl Rock Pool North Curl Curl, New South Wales 25m Length 25 m.[10]
South Curl Curl Rock Pool Curl Curl, New South Wales 50m Length 50 m.[10]
Freshwater Rock Pool Freshwater, New South Wales 50m Length 50 m.[10]
Queenscliff Rock Pool Queenscliff, New South Wales 1937 [11] 50m Constructed in 1937. Length 50 m.
Fairy Bower Pool Manly, New South Wales 1929 [12]
Wally Weakes Pool North Bondi, New South Wales
Children's Pool North Bondi, New South Wales
Bondi Icebergs Pool Bondi, New South Wales 1887 [13]
Bronte Bogey Hole Bronte, New South Wales 1916 [13]
Geoff James Pool (Clovelly Baths) Clovelly, New South Wales
Giles Baths Coogee, New South Wales
Ross Jones Memorial Pool (Coogee Beach Pool) Coogee, New South Wales
McIvers Baths (Coogee Women's Pool) Coogee, New South Wales 1886 [13]
Wylie's Baths Coogee, New South Wales 1907
Ivo Rowe Pool South Coogee, New South Wales
Mahon Pool Maroubra, New South Wales 1932 [13]
South Maroubra Rock Pools Maroubra, New South Wales
Malabar Pool Malabar, New South Wales
Little Bay Pool Little Bay, New South Wales
Northernmost Pool Cronulla, New South Wales
Children's Pool Cronulla, New South Wales
Main Ocean Pool Cronulla, New South Wales
Shelly Beach Pool Cronulla, New South Wales
Oak Park Pool Cronulla, New South Wales
Bulgo Pool Otford, New South Wales
Big Marley Rock Pool Royal National Park, New South Wales
Coalcliff Pool Coalcliff, New South Wales
Clifton Baths (site) Clifton, New South Wales
Doctors Pool (site) Wollongong, New South Wales
Scarborough Baths (site) Wollongong, New South Wales
Wombara Baths Wollongong, New South Wales
Coledale Baths Wollongong, New South Wales
Little Austinmer Children's Pool Wollongong, New South Wales
Old Thirroul Baths (site) Wollongong, New South Wales
Collins Point Baths - Woonona Pool Wollongong, New South Wales 50m
Bellambi Pool Wollongong, New South Wales
Towradgi Pool Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong Rock Pool Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong Continental Baths Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong Nuns Pool Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong Ladies Baths (site) Wollongong, New South Wales
Fishermens Beach Rock Pool (site) Port Kembla, New South Wales
Barrack Point Pool (site) Barrack Point, New South Wales
Beverley Whitfield Pool Shellharbour, New South Wales
Pheasant Point Pool Kiama, New South Wales
Blowhole Point Pool Kiama, New South Wales
Werri Beach Pool Gerringong, New South Wales
Men's Baths (site) Gerringong, New South Wales
Currarong Pools Currarong, New South Wales
Mollymook Bogey Hole Mollymook, New South Wales
Ulladulla Sea Pool Ulladulla, New South Wales
Horseshoe Bay Pool (site) Bermagui, New South Wales
Blue Pool Bermagui, New South Wales
Zane Grey Pool (site) Bermagui, New South Wales
Cape Paterson Rock Pool Cape Paterson, Victoria 1960s
Anastasia's Pool Broome, Western Australia
Mettams Pool Trigg, Western Australia
Rainbow beach Pool Coolangatta, Queensland
Hammersley Pool North Beach, Western Australia
Kings Beach Pool Caloundra, Queensland
Aslings Beach Rock Pool Eden, New South Wales 1961
Marrinawi Cove Sydney, New South Wales 9th of January 2023 Constructed as part of the Barangaroo Headland redevelopment which opened 22nd August 2015. [14] It was not legal to swim in until the 9th of January 2023 [15]

References

  1. ^ Keene, Neil (18 January 2014). "Top 10 ocean pools in Sydney and NSW". Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Australia's modern swimmers and ocean baths". Australia.gov.au. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Swim between the rocks". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 March 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Sydney's outdoor pools". Destination New South Wales. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Ocean pool plan shapes up". West Australian. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Sea eagles, Dad's Army and the Black Head Rock Pool". Swimming Pool Stories. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Ocean baths". Visit Newcastle. ((cite web)): Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. ^ a b "Entrance Ocean Pools, The | Heritage NSW". apps.environment.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ "The Entrance Ocean Baths - The Entrance". Destination NSW. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sydney Ocean Pools and Inner Harbour Baths". Sydney Moving Guide. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  11. ^ Cross, Julie (16 October 2014). "Keen swimmers have long wait to swim in Queenscliff heritage pool". Daily Telegraph Northern Edition. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Fairy Bower Rock Pool Manly". Seanasmith.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d Spruhan, Therese (8 September 2014). "Into the deep of Sydney's ocean pools". The Australian.
  14. ^ "Sydney's Barangaroo Reserve 'open to the world': Premier". ABC News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  15. ^ "New harbour swimming spot opens next to Sydney CBD". ABC News. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.

Bibliography

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