Sydney stands out among other cities as having one of the greatest selections of rockpools and ocean baths, providing both tranquil low tide swimming pools as well as lively high tide ocean baths – with nearly every beach having at least one unique rockpool or ocean bath, each telling their own unique tale.
Photographer Ignacio Palacios has been visiting rockpools since he was young, and has become fascinated with photographing them all. Here he provides some helpful tips for taking stunning rockpool photographs in part 2 of this two-part series.
Sydney pools hold a special place in Australians’ hearts. They evoke memories from childhood, provide much-needed relief during scorching summer temperatures, and sometimes offer glimpses into past lives of the city. Sydney pools also serve as reminders of just how difficult public infrastructure management is; recently the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reported that local councils can only keep open fewer pools compared to years past.
Cost pressures often dictate pool closures. Sometimes they’re due to lack of funds; whatever the cause, in a city where beaches have been declared unsuitable for swimming during heatwaves, losing one is devastating – Parramatta’s local pool in western Sydney closed abruptly in April 2017 leaving residents without anywhere nearby to swim during summer holidays and school vacations.
The pool in this suburb will be truly one-of-a-kind, the result of months of community input and collaboration with local government. Led by WTI as architect, it was designed to meet diverse needs ranging from providing safe swimming opportunities for young children to accommodating women and seniors during heatwaves who prefer not being immersed in water.
Pools provide more than exercise and socialization; they’re also hubs of community life where children learn how to swim, the elderly find friendship and Indigenous young people can get vital medicinal support. Furthermore, these pools serve as an emblematic symbol of Australia’s multiculturalism – often hosting Muslim women in headscarves as well as pregnant mothers and older adults alike.
Ignacio Palacios explores Sydney’s legendary rockpools and ocean baths – some built by convicts, others by Victorians in the 1880s, and recently by local councils – in this two-part feature. These pools provide vital parts of its coastline while attesting to the diversity of Sydney’s residents.
