Sydney Pools

Sydney may be best-known for its opera house and bridge, but the city also features several ocean pools – perfect if you need to ease jetlag or swim laps in the ocean without braving its powerful surf. Furthermore, these aquatic venues can serve as an escape from Sydney’s oppressive heat.

Many of them are free! Sand-bottomed pools provide the ideal place for relaxation and feature lifeguards and amenities to provide a safe environment. You’ll even find pools as old as Australia itself as well as newer ones with shorter histories – some smaller than you may expect!

There are dozens of swimming pools throughout Sydney, from Olympic-sized Olympic-sized pools built for the 2000 Olympic Games to intimate beachfront spots like Dawn Fraser Baths and McIver’s Ladies Baths. But one of the most iconic is North Sydney Pool which reopened earlier this month after extensive repairs with an estimated bill of more than A$40 Million (PS24 Million).

Though its maintenance costs will be significant, the new pool should attract tourists and generate revenue by hosting fashion shows, production companies, and private parties – thus helping recoup some of its initial bill over time. But ultimately it takes much more to make it work than that alone.

Regulations for Construction, Installation and Location of Private Pools in accordance with SS 185-5

All pool construction and operation must adhere to state and local laws and regulations. Pools should only be constructed, installed and used as an accessory structure of residential buildings used for residential purposes and used exclusively by their occupants and guests; any exceptions require special permit compliance with Chapter 215, entitled “Zoning.”

Building pools required considerable effort and money that local councils couldn’t afford; government unemployment relief programs provided an avenue of encouragement in the 1930s. Unemployed workers contributed their skills on projects throughout Sydney suburbs such as Mahon Pool at Maroubra and Whale Beach’s northern beaches of Queenscliff and Curl Curl, among others. Yet since that era ended few new pools have opened or been planned due to water-saving technology or no longer having as much magical appeal.