Petersham Pool In The Rain

For the first time in many years, I didn’t swim on Christmas Day or Boxing Bay. I had badly cut my foot on oyster shells a few days earlier and it was still very painful. Then on Christmas Day it started to rain heavily. Even though my foot was healing, it wasn't a good idea to swim at the beaches or in the harbour because of possible stormwater pollution leading to infection.

So, off to one of the local Marrickville pools. This is Petersham Pool in Petersham Park.

When I arrived, in the pouring rain, there was only one other swimmer. Although it was raining, it was still very warm, and it felt great to be back in the water (chlorinated or not).

Petersham Pool is also (officially) known as the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre after a champion swimmer from the early years of the 20th century who lived in the area. It's reported that she was the most accomplished (woman) swimmer in the world from 1910 to 1918, holding all the women's swimming records from 100 yards to the mile. She was also the first Australian woman to win an Olympic swimming gold medal.

Marrickville's other pool at Enmore Park is also named after a champion swimmer from the local area. It's the Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre. In 1902 Annette held all the women's swimming records in the world. She went to Europe to give swimming demonstrations: swimming 42 kilometres down the Thames in 5 hours; racing 17 male swimmers down the Seine (finishing 3rd); and becoming the first woman to attempt to swim the English Channel. Annette pioneered synchronised swimming, and promoted women's rights to wear unrestrictive swimwear (being arrested for indecency in Boston for wearing a one piece swimsuit). She later had a successful career in Hollywood.

The pool is closed for rebuilding at the moment. Originally an indoor 33 metre pool, it will now (controversially) be extended to 50 metres. I remember that, on summer days, two sides of the enclosed pool could be opened, allowing the breeze to pass through. I hope that this facility will be retained in the new pool building.

Sources:

http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/community/history/fannydurack.htm

http://www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au/community/history/annettekellerman.htm

Swimming In An Onsen

The last week or so, temperatures in Sydney have been incredibly hot, and it's been great to swim in the ocean and the harbour in cool saltwater. On Sunday it reached 41 degrees Celsius, and we complained again and again about the heat (except when we were splashing about in cool seawater).

I was remembering a holiday in Japan during their cold, snowy winter. We spent quite a lot of time (especially after skiing) soaking in onsens (volcanic thermal mineral springs). These baths, indoor and outdoor, are always over 40 degrees - precisely the air temperatures we're grumbling about here and now. Still, they felt rather special after the snow.

Most onsen, and outdoor rotemburo, were small, deep baths, with just enough room for a couple of people to sit comfortably. Sometime, they were large enough to do a bit of floating. But in Beppu, there was an onsen complex, Kitahama Termas Onsen, with an outdoor swimming pool sized hot spring. This was just great to swim around in, then we would vary this routine with the huge outdoor spa, the hot waterfall, the mist baths and the (very) cold "squall" shower and bath.

Another Lazy Swim At Balmain Baths

What a way to spend the morning. Lazing in the early sunshine after swimming slow lengths in the cool seawater. I can't believe I didn't try Balmain (Dawn Fraser) baths before last year. It's one of my favourite swimming spots now.

I was lazing on the old wooden deck on a beach towel sipping a mug of tea. I could watch the water for hours.

The tide is ebbing and you can almost see the "beach" where the little kids play in the summer.

Winter Swimming in the UK

I went swimming at Wylie's Baths today. The seawater temperature was 16.5 degrees celsius, and the air temperature was around 12 degrees. Hearty stuff, I thought, until I remembered going for a winter walk around Hyde Park's Serpentine when I was in London in January. The weather was bitterly cold - sections of the lake were frozen. As we walked past the Serpentine Lido, I thought about how cold winter swimming in the UK would be.

Yes, apparently, they really do break the ice to go for a swim.

And it's a very cold shower afterwards.

Have a look at some of the photos of the Sepentine Swimming Club. They have an annual Christmas Day Race when the water temperature is below 4 degrees celsius.

Website: http://www.serpentineswimmingclub.com/

Birrong Pool In Winter

This is Birrong Pool, in Sydney's western suburbs, just a couple of days short of the Winter solstice. I usually swim here mid-week after work and, on the weekends, I swim at one of the ocean pools . Birrong is really convenient as it's a short walk from the railway station when I'm travelling home from Cabramatta to Marrickville. The outdoor pool is heated and there are hot showers, so it's not exactly winter swimming. Today I was breaststroking through heavy rain.

London Fields Lido In January

While I was on holiday in England, I went to London Fields Lido a couple of times. It's open air but is heated all year round. The week I spent in London in mid-January was bitterly cold, but I was determined to have a swim here. I'd forgotten to bring a swimcap with me, and they had run out of them at the kiosk, so I was a bit worried about getting cold ears. The water was really warm though and I never once felt cold in the water. The dash from the pool to the changing sheds was a different story.

I did several lengths of breaststroke, but also spent ages swimming on my back looking up at the grey, drizzly winter skies and the bare trees. I absolutely loved this pool.

There are still several lidos (open air pools) in the London area. Only two (I think: here and Hampton) are heated during the winter. I'm keen to return in summer one year, and, as a friend suggested, swim my way across London via the lidos and swimming ponds. I'd really like to swim in the ponds on Hampstead Heath again. It's been 25 years since I last had a swim there.

There is an excellent website all about lidos in London and other lidos, pools and sea baths in the UK. It's hosted by Oliver Merrington, and there is a link at the top right of this page.