Monday 20 February 2012

Pool postcard: Manly, NSW

Let's change continents for a while and have a look at some Australian pools. My collection of vintage Australian postcards is not as large, and I'd love more!


This harbourside pool was built in 1931 by the Port Jackson Steamship Company. It opened in December that year and was described as "the finest swimming pool in Australia." It was the largest.

I swam here once, in January 1967. The boardwalks still existed, but I think the diving boards and waterwheels had disappeared by then. Does anyone else have any memories of swimming here?

It was destroyed in a huge storm in 1974. Cost defeated a 1984 proposal to rebuild the boardwalks.

2 comments:

Pennie said...

I swam here sometime in the late 1950's, early 1960's, I was never brave enough to go down either slippery dips though, I really wanted to but... just wasn't brave enough I guess or maybe it was all the macho boys who hung around them.

Anonymous said...

I am looking for images from the Manly harbourside in the 1950's for a documentary I am putting together. Could anyone here point me in the right direction?
My name is Tom and my email address in griffin248@hotmail.com