The sea, the mountains, sand and sky might define Sydney, but its tidal pools and swimming spots offer an equally alluring alternative. Tucked in coves and beneath cliffs, they offer a glimpse of Australia’s famous beauty and a chance to cool off without the hassle of sunscreen and crowds. And while some of Sydney’s iconic pools are a bit run down, others — such as the venerable McIver’s Ladies Baths in Coogee, Australia’s only women-only pool – are more than a century old.
For those who can’t make the trek to the beach, locals can head to Prince Alfred Park Pool in Surry Hills for a slice of summer. Buttercup yellow umbrellas adorn the grassy area, and the 50-metre pool is always at that jump-right-in temperature.
But the pools’ popularity has also led to overcrowding, resulting in a wait list to swim. And some councils have started to cut opening times as a cost-saving measure, a decision criticised by swimming experts who say it could push people to risky waters.
Despite all the hiccups, many swimmers still love Sydney’s pools. “I think there’s something intrinsically comforting about water,” says Krisztina Varga, 41, who lives at Wolli Creek and has swum in most of Sydney’s public pools. “Maybe it goes back to being in utero or something,” she says. “I feel at home in the water.”
In the inner city, the sand and sun-drenched decking of the Waverley pool offers a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. But it’s the views, the lush trees and the fact that children can safely wade in, that have made the pool a favorite among families.
A short walk north takes you to the Palm Beach tidal pool, a secluded spot where the wealthy enclave’s movie stars and moguls vacation. The pool was built into the cliffs in 1907 by Henry Alexander Wylie, a champion long-distance and underwater swimmer. It’s the only pool in Sydney with a view of Wedding Cake Island, an offshore rock formation that resembles the dessert.
Other ocean and harbourside pools have their charms too, including the rock-faced Elkington Park baths in Balmain, designed in 1883. Their Victorian elegance, and a location above the waves, helped earn them a place in the National Trust’s Heritage Register of Australia.
But rising sea levels are a looming threat. The pools are all on rock platforms, so higher water levels will mean they have to be raised — and eventually that might not be possible.
The tidal pools also pose other challenges, including the difficulty of keeping them clean. Water can seep under the surface and cause algae blooms, and some are tidally flushed with saltwater, meaning they need more frequent cleaning and treatment with disinfectants than other pools. Some are at risk of being eroded by the swell, and climate change is already raising the height of the cliffs that they sit on. That might eventually force them to be redesigned altogether.