The days of queues and wait-lists for outdoor public swimming pools are a long gone. Families are returning to pools and splashing around in the water, as evidenced by claimed increases in visitor numbers at February’s Sydney Pool & Spa Expo and a slew of consumer seminars hosted by SPASA members.
Despite the COVID-19 restrictions that have confined swimming to laps, pools remain popular, as seen by the swarms of families at Sydney’s municipal and community pools. A quick browse of Facebook shows a proliferation of swimming groups offering free pool sessions and social outings for kids, teens and parents.
Swimming pools remain a major investment, however, and many families want to maximise their usage while minimizing ongoing maintenance. One way to do that is by converting their existing pools into saltwater, chemical-free pools using a salt system called a Saltwater Eco System. The system uses a simple salt generator that turns ordinary table salt into chlorine-free water through electrolytic cells and produces a sanitizer that removes bacteria and viruses.
In addition to reducing costs, a saltwater pool is also considered a more environmentally friendly option than a chlorine-based pool. Saltwater pools require significantly less energy to operate, as there is no pumping and filtration process required, and the generators produce very little waste. Saltwater pools are also easier to maintain and can be used year-round, even in the winter.
The city’s other major attraction for swimmers are its spectacular harbour beaches and wild tidal rock pools. Just about every Sydney beach has a safe harbourside tidal pool, usually at the southern end, to provide protection against southerly winds and big seas. Serene at low tide, choppy at high, they’re in many ways the original infinity pools.
Tidal pools are also a feature of Coogee’s beautiful Wylie’s Baths. This corrugated iron and painted cream-and-green Victorian pavilion tucked below the sandstone cliffs is dedicated to champion swimmer Henry Alexander Wylie, who learned to swim here as a young man.
The pool is also accessible via the Cabbage Tree Bay Eco Sculpture Walk on the northern beach’s promenade and hasn’t changed much since it opened in 1929. A roughly triangular shape, it adjoins the promenade and is framed by a Sea Nymphs sculpture that sits on its outer edge.
