Manly Cove: Bid for bigger upgraded Harbour swimming pool knocked back

A bid’s been made to demolish an increasingly dilapidated shark-proof Sydney Harbour swimming spot and replace it with something bigger and better. See what the council decided

Yacht skipper Bruce Munro, with his dog Bailey, at the tidal pool on West Esplanade in Manly Cove on Monday. He reckons a pool with a deck that allow boaties to drop off and pick up people, would be a great asset in Manly Cove. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

A push to upgrade and expand a popular shark-proof ocean pool at the gateway to the northern beaches has belly-flopped.

Supporters wanted to see the existing tidal pool on the western side of Manly Cove demolished and replaced with a bigger structure, complete with a deck around the outside.

And in her motion, debated at Tuesday’s Northern Beaches Council meeting, councillor Candy Bingham wanted it to have facilities for private boats to set down and pick up passengers off the pool deck.

The tidal pool on West Esplanade in Manly Cove on Monday. It is a netted shark-proof enclosure, with no deck. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Money for the upgrade would come from state or federal government grants.

But the council voted agaibnst her motion, with several councillors saying there was no money in the budget for it.

Cr Bingham, who represents Manly Ward, had originally been pushing for the return of the historic Manly boardwalk and pool, which stretched from Manly Wharf to the heritage-listed Dressing Pavilion at the end of West Esplanade.

The original boardwalk, built in 1931 and featuring diving “towers of death”, slippery slides and swimming pontoons, was destroyed by a huge storm in 1974.

The original Manly Harbour Pool and boardwalk on West Esplanade. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

Manly Pool and the Dressing Pavillion in the 1930s. Picture: State Library of NSW.

Manly Harbour Pool in about 1932. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

But Cr Bingham now concedes it would cost too much to recreate that structure and pool and is calling on the council to seek financial grants for an improved tidal pool instead.

Her motion calls on the council to investigates funding opportunities as well as the environmental feasibility and regulatory obligations around expanding the pool.

Debris from the boardwalk litters the beach at Manly Manly Cove in May, 1974. Picture: Frank Violi.

She said an upgraded pool, with a deck, would attract more young families and reduce the large number of bathers visiting Manly Beach.

“All we’ve got down there now is a shark-proof enclosure which you can’t do much with.

The current tidal pool in Manly Cove has to regularly maintained. Picture: Brad Hunter

“The beauty of having a larger, safe harbour pool, where children and teenagers can jump from the deck, or perhaps swim out to pontoons, is distributing the crowds more evenly between the Harbour and Manly Beach.

“It won’t have any of those structures that were part of the original harbour pool, but it will be family-friendly.”

A diving tower on the old Manly boardwalk and pool. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

Cr Bingham said places for recreational boaters to drop off and pick up people in Manly were “sadly lacking”.

Yachtie Bruce Munro, who regularly moors his vessel “Amazing Grace” overnight in Manly Cove, said he and dog Bailey have to come ashore using a rubber dinghy.

“It’s a great idea to have a walkway around the outside of the pool where we can tie up quickly to let people on and off,” Mr Munro said. “It would make things a lot easier for boat owners.”