POOLING OUR RESOURCES MUST BE GOOD
Ocean pools are considered a community asset in New South Wales and are a tradition and facility that deserve to make a Gold Coast comeback
ONE of the great traditions and delights of growing up in coastal Australia is the ocean pool, nestled beside a beach, a safe refuge for those worried about rips and big waves.
As a kid, the ocean pool at Yamba beach in northern NSW was my go to safe haven, popular with young families who could keep an eye on their little ones without the worry of them being dragged out to sea.
In NSW, the tradition of the ocean pool remains as strong as ever, with almost half of all ocean pools in the world, around 70, lying mostly between Newcastle and Wollongong.
The most famous of them all, Bondi Beach’s iconic ocean pool, is still visited and used by tens of thousands of people each year.
It is Sydney’s second most popular tourism drawcard.
On the Gold Coast, the lack of ocean pools is a lost opportunity.
It’s a great example of a city not playing to its strengths.
There was once ocean pools at Snapper Rocks and Burleigh, but for reasons unknown, they no longer exist.
As debate today turns to how the Gold Coast can remember and commemorate Queen Elizabeth II, surely it’s time to rethink decisionmaking around ocean pools.
A beautiful ocean pool at the front of Burleigh could well be named in honour of Elizabeth the Great. What a wonderful tribute that would be, and the freshly minted King Charles III would be a monty to open it.
He’s been to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games, and Royal sources say he was enchanted with our beaches and lifestyle.
Re-igniting the Snapper Rocks facility is another great way to get people connected to the surf through safer, more weather-friendly means.
Ocean pools are a highly valued local asset.
They offer advantages to swimming in the ocean, such as a barrier from sharks, rips and jellyfish.
They provide a defined space for swimming training and it is well established that saltwater is more buoyant for swimmers, and of course its therapeutic values for the skin are well documented.
In NSW, most ocean pools were built from 1850 to 1930 and most have been significantly renewed and restored by local councils.
The last new construction was at Cronulla in the 1960s, undergoing extensive renovation in the 1990s.
New ocean pools are being considered right now for Ballina and Port Macquarie, at a cost of between $5 million and $8 million.
Maintenance and staffing will be about $100,000 a year.
Economic and social studies suggest the benefit to the community of an ocean pool is intangible, and that it would pay for itself within two years.
The Gold Coast City Council looked at reintroducing ocean pools as part of its Gold Coast Beaches Strategy in 2019.
The council was told by report author, Rangi Campbell, that ocean pools provided a wonderful experience for visitors and sites were identified at Miami, Burleigh, Currumbin, Kirra,
Snapper Rocks, The Spit and Narrowneck.
The ocean pool strategy had the support of well known disability advocate, wheelchair -bound Perry Cross, who tendered a petition with 15,000 signatures.
Other advocates included every surf life saving club, state school principals, former chief lifeguard Warren Young and the Kombumerri Saltwater people.
For some inexplicable reason, the council squibbed on it.
Cost should not be an issue.
The coastline is a fragile asset and it is in danger of being loved to death and strategies aimed at protecting and managing increasing volumes of tourists and locals must be encouraged.
If NSW believes ocean pools are a great community asset, so what is the Gold Coast City Council waiting for?
Let’s go back to the future. The QEII ocean pool at Burleigh has a lovely ring to it.
What is the Gold Coast City Council waiting for?