feature
Places We Swim, Sydney
I
BELOW: The famous Boy Charlton pool in Woolloomooloo Photographer: Dillan Seitchik-Reardon
n terms of swimming pools alone – lap pools to ocean pools, harbour pools to natural bush pool and waterfalls (without even mentioning beaches, rivers and coves), Sydney is one of the best cities in the world for swimming. Some of these locations include where the Australian crawl was supposedly first demonstrated and where Olympic champions have trained since they were nippers. Places We Swim Sydney covers the very best of the city’s famous and hidden swimming spots. After the success of their first book, Places We Swim authors Caroline Clements and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon followed up with a deep dive into Sydney in this ultimate city guide to the aqueous outdoors. This guide could make an ideal Christmas present for a pool-loving local or someone from interstate who – covid permitting – plans to visit the city in the future. But be quick. When Places We Swim was published in 2018, it was the summer book and the perfect Christmas present. It sold out quickly and expectations are similar for this title. Places We Swim Sydney is divided into six city regions, encompassing walks and swims
within two hours of the CBD – from Manly in the north, to Maroubra in the east, the Royal National Park in the south, and out to the Blue Mountains in the west. You’ll discover just what makes each swimming spot unique, learn the best time to go, gain some useful local knowledge and find out the most delicious things to eat nearby. With destinations ranging from neighbourhood city pools to gorges that feel like the outback, Places We Swim Sydney is a celebration of not just these magnificent swimming locations, but of the diverse landscapes and water-loving communities that make up Sydney. In their first book, Clements and Seitchik-Reardon had a goal – to discover Australia’s best places to swim. But in many ways it was an informal search for their next place to live. Sydney is an active, energetic, optimistic and water-loving city. It is now their home and the subject of their second book. The Australia-wide book only included a handful of places to swim in Sydney, so this new book features mostly fresh content. Clements is a writer and content producer and was the founding editor of Broadsheet. She has produced cookbooks and produce guides in Melbourne and Sydney. Seitchik-Reardon is an environmental scientist and photographer and has co-written gardening books for the Little Veggie Patch Co. Together they have written and photographed all entries in the book with contributions from Benjamin Law, Aquabumps, Giovanni Pilu, Remy Gerega, Hetty McKinnon, Jane de Graaff, Helena Dolby, Luisa Brimble and Nikki To.
Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Pool, Woolloomooloo
A seasonal swimming retreat nestled between The Royal Botanic Garden and Woolloomooloo Wharf. Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Pool (ABC) is our go-to place for an inner city swim. ABC is where we have ‘business meetings’ with our office-worker friends and colleagues. It’s an island of calm, heated to 25°C, overlooking the Woolloomooloo Wharf and nestled into the furthest corner of The Royal Botanic Garden. Immersed among Moreton Bay fig trees and towering palms, with a soundtrack of tropical birds, it is hard to imagine that you are in the middle of Australia’s largest city. And yet, where else but in Sydney could a pool like this ever exist? Woolloomooloo Bay has had almost as many swimming facilities over the years as it has ‘Os’ in its name. However, this site didn’t December 2020/January 2021 SPLASH! 27