Treasured pearls of the past

AS a nation of swimmers, it's not surprising Australia is overflowing with historic pools.

North Sydney Pool

AS a nation of swimmers, it's not surprising Australia is overflowing with historic pools. There are a few survivors from as far back as the 1880s, a number of early 20th-century gems, and many treasures from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

They are in cities and towns all across the nation, carved into the rock face by the sea, near rivers and gorges, in suburban streets and in bays and inlets.

Much more than places to swim a few laps or cool off, these pearls of the past are full of history, character, artistry and atmosphere. They are living illustrations of the changing fashions of architecture and design.

They also tell stories about the evolving role of pools in Australian society, from an early focus on hygiene and health, to sport, recreation and pleasure.

Not all have survived the test of time but where they have they are much-loved and treasured.

Manuka Pool, Canberra: Manuka Pool was the first public swimming pool in the nation's capital. The well-maintained 80-year-old has an understated elegance in the style of Old Parliament House and the Hyatt Hotel Canberra.

Adorning the 1931 facade are motifs of shells, strips of grooved lines and four Roman-like columns set into the brickwork on either side of French-style doors. It's always been popular with public servants and politicians.

In the early days Joe Lyons, Australia's prime minister from 1932 to 1939, and his wife, Enid, often took their tribe of 12 children to the pool.

In the 70s, Billy McMahon, prime minister for almost two years, was known to drop in for a dip, as did Victorian Labor MP John Button in the early 80s.

When I slip into the water of the 30m, six-lane pool, the cream-coloured walls and cantilevered seating surrounding the aquatic space create an intimate feel, like swimming in an open-air room.

As I turn my head to breathe, I catch a glimpse of the magnificent South American redwoods, incense cedars and Arizona pines that tower above, and I feel as if I am immersed in a fresh mountain stream.

Near the "running and spitting strictly prohibited" sign I chat to some of the morning regulars who wax lyrical about their pool. "It's a pristine, perfectly maintained piece of the past with a history and integrity, and it's a beautifully proportioned pool that's open-air," says devotee Tim McNaught.

Spring Hill Baths, Brisbane: The jewel in the crown is the 125-year-old Spring Hill Baths, the oldest indoor pool in the southern hemisphere.

Surrounding the 23m pool are the original timber change cubicles, painted red, yellow, white or turquoise. On the walls are signs reflecting the social customs of the late 19th century: "Men must not loiter on this end of the pool" and "Spitting and smoking are strictly prohibited". In the northeast corner at the deep end is the original foundation stone from 1886.

While the idea of wearing goggles and cap seems a bit serious for this chilled-out space, in its early days the inner-city baths was the venue for Queensland's main swimming competitions.

In 1927 it was one of the first pools in Australia to allow mixed bathing. In 2003 it featured in the film Swimming Upstream, about the 50s swimming champion Tony Fingleton and his family.

As I swim up and down the solar-heated pool, it feels like being cocooned in an exotic cave or in a pool on an ageing ocean liner.

"It's like a jewel," exclaims a fellow swimmer as she breast-strokes past the "Gents Only This Side" sign.

Wylie's Baths, Coogee, NSW: Of the approximately 100 ocean baths in NSW, one with loads of character is the 104-year-old Wylie's Baths at Sydney's Coogee.

Champion underwater and long-distance swimmer Henry Alexander Wylie cut the 35m by 45m pool out of the rock with help from his two sons.

He also built the distinctive yellow and blue timber boardwalk that stands on stilts high above two sides of the pool.

Given a preservation award in 1995, Wylie's has inspired poems, sculptures and paintings, including a 60s series from the artist Jeffrey Smart.

When the seas are big, it's fun to hang out on the wall that divides the baths from the open ocean and let the power of the waves push you back into the safety of the man-made enclosure. Or join the sunbakers stretched out on the hot concrete, or relax with the regulars on the timber boardwalk above.

Tobruk Memorial Baths, Townsville: Further north on the Strand in Townsville, looking out to Magnetic Island, is the Tobruk Memorial Baths.

Like many pools built after World War II, this 1951 complex is in memory of Australian servicemen and women, specifically those who fought and died during the siege of Tobruk in Libya.

As well as having a vibrant blue-and-white art deco facade, this north Queensland landmark is famous as the 1956-64 winter training ground for Australia's swimming team preparing for the Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo Olympics.

The pool's Hall of Champions honours the likes of Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose and John and Ilsa Konrads, who went on to win many medals after training here.

Famous national swimming coach Laurie Lawrence, whose father, "Stumpy", was the manager at that time, says it was at Tobruk Baths that he got his real passion and love for swimming.

Newcastle Ocean Baths, NSW: The pick of the bunch of this city's five ocean beauties is the Newcastle Baths. While not as large as nearby Merewether Baths, at 91.44m by 45.72m with a walkway down the middle, it achieves the first aim of its early planners: of being substantial.

The pool's magnificent art deco pavilion, which was restored in 2006, more than satisfies the planners' second aim of being artistic.

Completed in 1922, about 10 years after the unfinished baths were first opened to the public, the pavilion is highly decorative, with geometric patterns in the brickwork painted in ochres, greens, blues, purple and pink.

Next door to the 1937 children's Canoe Pool, which used to have a map of the world gracing its bottom, Newcastle Baths is a delightful place to take a dip. In keeping with the city's industrial heritage, as you swim along, coal ships line the horizon out to sea.

Dawn Fraser Baths, Balmain: The grand old lady of Sydney's bay baths and the oldest surviving pool in Australia is the Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain.

Opened in 1882, the pool's heritage-listed buildings and tranquil setting beneath Elkington Park take you back to a time when life moved at a slower pace.

And that's what everyone does at this relaxed place, especially the Lizards, a group of 15 local men who swim, chat, joke and play cards here 365 days a year.

Like sea lions gathering on the rocks, the tanned 40 to 80-somethings say their pool is like being at a meditation retreat.

"It's got everything: it's tidal, it's saltwater, it's just what our psychiatrists recommend," they joke.

North Sydney Pool: In a spectacular location by Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Luna Park is North Sydney Olympic Swimming Pool. Known as "the wonder pool" when it opened in 1936, it is the grandest of architects Rudder and Grout's four Sydney pools.

A fast pool where 86 world records have been set, it is full of architectural features of the stripped classical style, which has a focus on symmetry with decorative elements.

Columns, cornices and concrete grills throughout the complex are beautified with patterns and finishes. The brickwork is an ornate tapestry style and adorning the arches by the harbour are shells, dolphins, seagulls and frogs.

Originally painted white, these plasterwork figures are now in shades of pink, red and blue, similar to the colours of the original Roman tiles that surround the periphery of the children's pool.

Melbourne City Baths: The Edwardian-baroque style of these 107-year-old City Baths strikes an imposing presence on the corner of Swanston and Franklin streets.

Designed by J. J. Clark, also the architect of the city's Treasury building, the 1904 complex with its original 15m women's pool and 30m men's pool has recently revived its early bath culture.

One spray bath and eight slipper baths from the original 36 American-imported baths have been restored.

The Jewish ceremonial mikvah bath, more than a century old, is being repaired.

Spa centre operator Mari-ann Miriklis says it's wonderful to return one of the bath areas with separate cubicles to its original intended purpose in a modern way, and for the people of Melbourne to come and enjoy the facility just as they did 100 years ago.

Edithburgh Tidal Pool, South Australia: A local landmark since the early 30s on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula is the Edithburgh tidal pool. Dug out by the hands of unemployed or Depression sustenance workers at a time when Edithburgh was the third largest port in the state, the pool was built to create a safe swimming spot away from the big tankers near the jetty.

With views out to Troubridge Island and its lighthouse, on clear nights swimmers in the 25m pool can see the lights of Adelaide across the Gulf of St Vincent.

First Basin Pool, Launceston: With its dramatic setting at Cataract Gorge, Launceston's First Basin Pool has been the scene of many blossoming romances since it opened in 1937.

It's situated by the shores of the South Esk River, and a local tradition was to promenade down the submerged walkway dividing the shallow and deep areas of the 50m pool, and be pushed in, often clothes and all, by a giggling admirer.

On a warm Tasmanian day, floating in the modernist-inspired pool in such a picturesque location is pure pleasure.

Fonty's Pool and Anastasia's Pool, Western Australia: Fonty's Pool in Manjimup and Anastasia's Pool near Broome have been special places in their communities since they were created in the early 1920s.

With help from his wife and five children, Italian immigrant Archimedes Fontanini transformed a dam on his 186ha property into a pool nearly 0.5ha in size, holding 18 million litres of spring water. It's surrounded by recently restored gardens, and floating around Fonty's Pool on tractor tubes is a relaxing way to experience this idyllic spot.

While Fontanini developed Fonty's Pool for the enjoyment of everyone in the district, Anastasia's Pool on the northern side of Broome's Gantheaume Point was built with one woman in mind.

After purchasing the lighthouse keeper's cottage in 1922, local pearling master Pat Percy enlisted two of his staff to modify a nearby natural rock pool for his wife Anastasia, who suffered from rheumatism. The men concreted the bottom and sides of the pool, which sits on a wide ledge among Gantheaume Point's striking orange-coloured rocks.

At high tide you can relive Anastasia's bliss, luxuriating in the warm Indian Ocean water that fills the small, round pool.

www.manukapool.com.au
www.rackleyswimming.com
www.townsville.qld.gov.au
www.wylies.com.au
www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au
www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au
www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au
www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/
www.yorke.sa.gov.au
www.launcestoncataractgorge.com.au
www.fontyspool.com.au
www.broome.wa.gov.au