Hallett Cove sea pool proposal gets $25k funding boost

WHAT was a far-fetched pipe dream to make an Adelaide beach like Bondi — with its very own sea pool — is now a step closer to reality, after the State Government pledged $25,000 for a feasibility study.

Joshua Harkness is running a campaign calling for a seapool at Hallett Cove. Picture: AAP/Morgan Sette

A TIDAL pool at Hallett Cove has moved from pipe dream to possibility after the State Government flagged $25,000 for a study into the project – if the local council puts up the same amount.

Environment Minister David Speirs wants his staff to investigate with the Marion City Council whether the pool might help improve sand levels at the rocky cove.

He has asked Marion to set aside $25,000, with the government matching that amount.

Josh Harkness, who started an online petition calling for the Hallett Cove pool – now signed by more than 4500 people – said the funding proposition was “exciting” news.

He suggested building it at the water’s edge, possibly just south of the Boatshed Cafe, to help people swim without having to worry about sharks or scrambling over dozens of rocks.

“I’m still getting people talking about it ... (and) haven’t had any backlash yet,” Mr Harkness said.

One of Australia’s best known tidal pools is the famous home of the Icebergs swimming club at Bondi Beach. There is another at Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula, and there used to an open-air saltwater pool at Henley Beach from the 1930s until the 1970s.

Marion councillor Ian Crossland, who supported the study, said a tidal pool might help protect the shore from erosion by acting as a wave buffer zone.

“There are sections of Hallett Cove beach covered by rocks and sections that historically have been cleared with a bulldozer,” he said.

The cleared parts of the beach were more eroded, he said, because rocks slowed down wave movement.

However, Cr Crossland said even if the study’s results were positive, the council would need to take a close look at whether the foreshore could accommodate extra cars.

Mayor Kris Hanna agreed, saying parking space was already at a premium during warm weather.

In a letter to Marion Council, Mr Speirs said ahead of the election the Liberals committed $5.2 million for coast management and protection works.

“I am interested in whether a suitably designed sea pool could provide sand retention to improve beach levels at Hallett Cove, and be a worthwhile investment for the local community,” he said.

Marion Council is expected to decide whether to set aside money for the study at a meeting on June 12.