Sydney residents love swimming, so the City of Sydney provides our community with six outstanding aquatic centres. On Sunday, many pools will host free summer open days; Andrew Charlton Pool and Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre as well as Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Walk will both be open. In-centre events such as Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Walk may also be open. However, not all public swimming pools are experiencing success as many are struggling due to a shortage of lifeguards; instead people may turn to beaches where children may lack proper swimming lessons before being forced into deeper water by other adults. Warnings issued about these beaches resulting in more deaths from drowning deaths since children will lack proper swimming lessons while being forced into more dangerous waters by peers who do not possess proper skills needed in pools compared with pools – which could potentially cause further drowning incidents than otherwise would.
Michael Easton started exploring suburban swimming pools a few years ago, documenting each on Instagram in 10 photos. Since then, he has visited 68 different pools, finding each of them comforting despite their differences – “Maybe it goes back to in utero but there is something intrinsically comforting about water,” says Michael. It provides the ideal setting for laughter and relaxation alike.
Suburban swimming pools may seem appealing at first glance, but not everyone sees their worth as an investment. Their costs of maintenance and running can quickly add up; many pools also suffer from issues ranging from leaky roofs to broken shower heads; some have even closed due to cash-strapped councils cutting opening hours and canceling swim lessons altogether.
While discussions around funding local infrastructure continue, there is growing agreement that the pool system needs significant revamp. Royal Life Saving Australia has expressed concern that rapid urban development has left people living in densely and diversely populated suburbs without access to pools – not only posing an inconvenience for communities but also harming health since children lack swimming lessons due to not having one nearby; instead they’re swimming alone into rivers, lakes or dams due to not having pools nearby, according to RJ Houston of Royal Life Saving Australia who serves as their general manager for capability and industry at Royal Life Saving Australia.
For those nostalgic for old-school swimming halls, there’s an extensive listing of over 80 historic pools across Australia on one website. Some are in perfect condition like North Sydney Olympic Pool built in 1929 – it can be reached from Manly and Shelly beaches via Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Trail promenade, where its original opening can still be witnessed!
Other pools have more significant issues, like Cabbage Tree Bay Pool on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Accessible on foot from its promenade and situated close to rocky coastline just a few metres from Sydney Harbour Bridge, its problems began in April 2019 when they won a $10 million grant intended for regional and remote pools – an unexpected windfall which shifted the inner-city project faster and complicated what should have been a straightforward renovation of an historic asset.