Sydney’s century-old Dawn Fraser Baths reopen to public

The sun didn’t rise until 6am but that did little to deter more than a dozen keen swimmers making a splash at Sydney’s oldest and most iconic harbourside pool.

Matilda Dillon, 10 enjoys a Covid-safe dip at the refurbished and newly reopened Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain in Sydney’s inner west. Picture: John Feder

As NSW hit another vaccination milestone with three quarters of the state having received a first dose, Sydney got a glimpse of what summer might look like when the city’s oldest harbourside pool reopened.

The pandemic had kept the ­famous Dawn Fraser Baths shut even after long-running renovations were completed, but on Wednesday swimmers were at the gates by 6am after Health Minister Brad Hazzard issued a public health order allowing it to open.

The dawn of “the new Dawnie” provided welcome news on an otherwise grim day, with the state recording nine deaths and 1480 new Covid-19 cases. The fatalities included a man in his 20s with underlying health conditions.

Deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale said seven of the nine people who died were not vaccinated.

There are 1136 cases in hospital, with 194 patients in intensive care, 78 of them on ventilators.

In western NSW, there were 27 cases recorded, including 17 in Dubbo, six in Bourke, three in Bathurst, and one in Walgett.

Health authorities are concerned about the rise in case numbers in inner Sydney suburbs such as Waterloo, Redfern, Marrickville and Glebe, the latter bordering on Balmain.

But nothing was going to quell the enthusiasm at the Dawnie, 10km from the nearest beach and a favourite for inner west Sydneysiders wanting to enjoy a swim without the ocean commute.

Making a splash on the first day the bath reopened was 10-year-old competitive swimmer Matilda Dillon and her mother Michelle. Matilda, a Leichhardt local, usually swims at Sydney University – but she has been stuck on dry land since June under the latest hard lockdown.

“I actually really like the new renovations and it’s nice to be able to swim in the salt water” she said.

“Now I’ll have somewhere to go that’s close to home.”

Also out to enjoy the baths’ ­reopening were the Stuarts, with father Craig, mum Jennifer and kids, Alex, 9, Will, 7, and Olive, 4, all enjoying the sandy side of the swimming venue.

“My kids have been waiting for this pool to reopen for two years,” Ms Stuart said. “In summer we come down at least once a week. We were really glad to be able to book a spot on its opening day.”

Under a Covid-safe plan, the pool allows a maximum of 26 pre-booked guests at any one time with guests unable to access the toilets or showers. Sunbaking is also strictly off-limits.