In April, 2009, I decided to swim in all the rock pools and tidal baths along the coastline of Sydney. My conceit was that I would adapt the idea behind Roger Deakin's book, "Waterlog", (itself adapted from an idea contained in John Cheever's story, "The Swimmer"), that is to cover a given geographical distance by swimming bodies of water situated along that distance. Essentially, I would swim along the Sydney coastline from South to North (therefore from Port Hacking to Broken Bay), using the ocean pools and saltwater public baths on the beaches, and in the bays and the rivers. My only rule was that I must swim at least one length in the direction of completing the overall swim.
Almost two years later, I finally completed (with certain exceptions) my swim trek. The eighty swimming enclosures along the route are listed below. Ten of these enclosures have been closed completely or have had the shark nets removed. In five of these I was unable to swim at all, but in five I swam the original area without the shark nets. One pool was being cleaned on the day I was there, and I will return at a later date to swim there. One pool is restricted to women and children, so that leaves seventy-three tidal swimming enclosures that I actually swam. Here they are:
Port Hacking
1. Gymea Bay Baths
2. Lilli Pilli Baths
3. Gunnamatta Bay Baths
Cronulla Beaches
4. Oak Park Pool
5. Shelley Beach Pool
6. Cronulla Ocean Pool
7. Cronulla Rock Pool
Botany Bay
8. Kurnell Tidal Baths
The Georges River
9. Como Baths
10. Oatley Bay Baths
11. Jewfish Bay Baths
12. Carss Point Baths
Botany Bay
13. Sandringham Baths
14. Dolls Point Baths (closed) (did not swim)
15. Ramsgate Baths
16. Monterey Baths
17. Brighton-le-Sands Baths
18. Kyeemagh Baths (closed) (did not swim)
Eastern Suburbs Beaches
19. Little Bay Rock Pool
20. Malabar Rock Pool
21. South Maroubra Rockpools
22. Mahons Pool (Maroubra)
23. Ivo Rowe Rock Pool (South Coogee)
24. Wylies Baths (Coogee)
25. McIvers Baths (Coogee) (women and children only) (did not swim)
26. Ross Jones Pool (Coogee)
27. Giles Baths (Coogee)
28. Clovelly Bay
29. Clovelly Pool
30. Bronte Baths
31. Bronte Bogey Holes
32. Bondi Icebergs Pool
33. Wally Weekes Pool and Children's Paddling Pool (Bondi)
Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson)
34. Watsons Bay Baths
35. Parsley Bay Swimming Enclosure
36. Nielsen Park Swimming Enclosure
37. Redleaf Pool (Double Bay)
The Parramatta River
38. Balmain (Dawn Fraser) Baths
39. Chiswick Baths
40. Henley Baths (closed) (swam within the original area)
The Lane Cove River
41. Woolwich Baths
42. Tambourine Bay Tidal Pool (closed) (did not swim)
43. Lucretia Baths (Woodford Bay)
The Parramatta River
44. Greenwich Baths
45. Balls Head Tidal Pool (closed) (swam within the original area)
Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson)
46. McCallum Pool (Cremorne)
47. Clifton Gardens (Chowder Bay)
Sydney Harbour (Middle Harbour)
48. Balmoral Baths
49. Balmoral Beach Swimming Enclosure (shark net removed) (swam within the original area)
50. Northbridge Baths
51. Garrigal National Park Swimming Enclosure
52. Guerney Crescent Baths (Pickering Point)
53. Sangrado Baths (closed) (swam within the original area)
54. Clontarf Pool
Sydney Harbour (North Harbour)
55. Forty Baskets Beach Pool
56. Fairlight Beach Pool
57. Manly Cove Swimming Enclosure
58. Little Manly Cove Pool
Northern Beaches
59. Fairy Bower Rock Pool (Manly)
60. Queenscliff Pool
61. Freshwater Pool (yet to swim here)
62. Curl Curl Pool
63. North Curl Curl Rock Pool
64. Dee Why Rock Pool
65. Collaroy Rock Pool
66. North Narrabeen Rock Pool
67. Mona Vale Rock Pool
68. Newport Rock Pool
69. Bilgola Rock Pool
70. Avalon Rock Pool
71. Whale Beach Rock Pool
72. Palm Beach Rock Pool
Pittwater
73. Avalon Baths
74. Taylors Point Baths
75. Salt Pan Cove Baths (closed) (did not swim)
76. Winji Jimmi Baths (closed) (did not swim)
77. Bayview Wharf Baths
78. Scotland Island Swimming Enclosure
The Hawkesbury River
79. Illawong Bay (Kur-ring-gai Chase National Park) (shark net removed) (swam within the original area)
80. Brooklyn Baths
