At low tide, Sydney beaches create shallow pools known as Sydney Dam or Sdy pools which allow swimmers to gently enjoy the sea. Our nation has long loved swimming in these ocean pools – their origins beginning with convicts carving (and then blowing up!) the first man-made pools built by convicts in Newcastle but Sydney Dam remains our beloved playground.
As you explore Sydney’s rocky platforms and decks of its Sydney Pools, you will experience an idyllic blend of natural and built elements. Surrounded by ocean pools that are defined by sandstone headlands while fitting right in among its cliffs and outcrops that give this city its name “Sandstone City”, you will experience harmony between natural elements and built elements.
The southern two-thirds of NSW coastline typically consists of short to medium-length sandy beaches tucked between rocky headlands. These beaches and ocean pools in Sydney are the ideal blend of sandstone headlands that provide easy excavation while remaining stable over human timescales, creating the perfect atmosphere for swimming and bathing. Sydney’s famous ocean pools were formed as a result of this combination; perfect conditions exist for both swimming and bathing in Sydney waters and beaches alike. Sandstone headlands play an integral role in creating these beaches as they provide excavation while maintaining stability over human lifetimes – creating ideal swimming and bathing conditions in air temperatures and water temperatures to provide ideal swimming and bathing spots – perfect for bathing and swimming environments; providing tolerable air temperatures and warm water temperatures to allow bathers to swim or bathe comfortably in Sydney waters and beaches perfect for bathing and bathing experiences alike! Sandstone headlands play an essential role in creating Sydney ocean pools because they provide ideal balance between excavation and stability over human timescales while providing excavation capabilities over human timescales while being stable enough for human timescales to remain stable over human time scales!
Headlands on islands can often be formed by cliff falls, erosion of rocks and sandstone deposited by shifting sea levels, or both, creating ocean pools and lagoons in their wake. This natural architecture is enhanced by buildings designed to complement its surroundings – like Elkington Park Baths with their corrugated iron shell, cream paint finish and green trim – or deliberately created like Elkington Park Baths which were deliberately constructed by humans themselves.
Wylie’s is Sydney’s oddball ocean pool: with no marked lanes, swimmers know to expect crazy dumping waves at high tide and an underwater adventure with sea urchins and orange-rust-red arms of an octopus shifting slowly on a sandstone edge; fantastic flitting bream grabbing at your stroke, and pearl-adorned turban snails shimmering around every corner.
Barrier Reef Pools Sydney South is an established family business run by Dean and Amanda Teirney. Both owners possess different skill sets but share an unbridled enthusiasm for ocean pools and understand customer requirements perfectly, creating an impressive team to work with.
Sydney’s Sydney Pools provide one of the finest opportunities to witness Australia’s remarkable marine life and picturesque coastal environment. As part of Australia Coastal Sanctuary Network – over 200 national parks and reserves recognised for their ecological value – these pools are important wildlife havens protected since 1907 thanks to National Parks and Wildlife Act protection measures. Open year round and equipped with changing rooms and toilet facilities.