The Sydney harbour bridge, opera house and Bondi beach might be the city’s biggest claims to fame, but there is something even more distinctive about its ocean pools. A lesser-known fact is that Sydney has more of these man-made public seawater pools than any other place in the world, with some 35 of them on its coast and shoreline.
The story of Sydney’s pool culture is not without controversy, however. A major overhaul of one iconic pool has been plagued by council infighting, claims of pork-barrelling and a lack of transparency. It has also been beset by heritage concerns and criticism from health organisations. A project that had been slated to open this year has now slipped back to 2025, if it opens at all.
Despite this, the pools remain much-loved by residents and visitors, who come to swim, walk, sunbathe and admire their beauty. But they’re also threatened by a combination of factors, most notably rising sea levels due to climate change.
These tidal pools are built on rock platforms, so rising water will “change how they work,” Nicole Larkin, an architect who specialises in ocean pools, told Jordan. “The ones that are flushed by the swell will have to be maintained differently, and there will come a point when you can’t do it anymore.”
There is some good news, though. Some of the pools have already been saved, including Cabbage Tree Bay’s Eco Sculpture Pool, which is located on the promenade connecting Manly and Shelly beaches and was built in 1929. The pool is reached via a stroll along the scenic coastal trail that links the northern and southern beaches of Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Further north at Coogee, you’ll find the Wylie’s Baths, built in 1907 by champion long-distance swimmer Henry Alexander Wylie. They feature raised decking built into the cliffs and sweeping views of the ocean, all the way to Wedding Cake Island. Also in Coogee is McIver’s Ladies Baths, the only ocean pool in Australia reserved exclusively for women and children, dating from the 1880s.
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