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The reinstatement of the famous harbour pool and boardwalk came closer this month with a $100,000 NSW Government grant received by the Council to undertake a Masterplan for the area. For years Good For Manly has been advocating for the pool to be reinstated, with plans drawn up by eco architect Maurice Patten. Now, thanks to the support of Local Member James Griffin, this community-lead project is back on the agenda. The Masterplan will include extensive community consultation and consideration of this environmentally sensitive area. First, here's a reminder of how things used to be. SEVEN MILES FROM SYDNEY - AND A THOUSAND MILES FROM CARE ... Picture the excitement as families rushed off the Manly ferry, hurried over the boardwalk and jumped into Sydney’s biggest harbour pool. Crowds of happy people would be eating ice-cream on the walkway, diving from the pontoons and high boards and spilling off the slippery dips and treadmills; shrieking and splashing. From the early 1930’s locals and tourists alike flocked to the free public pool, dubbed the ‘best swimming pool in Australia’. Thrill-seekers sought out the high dive platforms and 15m waterslide and a generation of Sydneysiders swam and played in the protected waters behind the shark nets. There were spacious changerooms and plenty of tearooms for afterwards. At night, from 1932, floodlights above and below the water lit the promenade and turned the water green. At its peak, over 250,000 visitors came to the baths every year, boosting local businesses which offered fun rides and speed-boat trips, as well as food and drink. The pool justified Manly’s famous slogan: ‘Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care’, and the village revelled in its prime holiday destination status. Originally constructed in 1931 by the Port Jackson Steamship Company, the boardwalk survived the wartime years but, by the mid ‘60s, maintenance needs were rising and there was talk of demolishing the structure. In May 1974 a severe autumn gale pre-empted the decision and destroyed the boardwalk so thoroughly that then owners, Brambles Industries, had no choice but to remove everything. YOU CAN VIEW A WONDERFUL SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON THE HISTORY OF THE POOL, produced by local Marian Hambly, HERE And here's our video of ideas for a new green, family friendly harbour pool precinct. More details here.
11 Comments
Paul
29/8/2018 11:00:06 am
If Manly needed the boardwalk it would have been rebuilt sometime over the last 44 years.
Claire O'Dwyer
29/8/2018 11:33:48 am
Hi Mandy, I agree, I remember Manly as a child and it was fantastic even tough we lived in the western suburbs we would trek to Manly by train and bus and it was a wonderful day. Loved the pontoons you culd swim out to and the baoard walk.
Candy Bingham
30/8/2018 12:15:20 am
I remember swimming to the pylons was your right of passage. The first summer you did it was a great achievement
Meg
29/8/2018 02:17:23 pm
I well remember the old pool, I spent many hours down there in my childhood. I remember collecting empty bottles and returning them to the shop and buying an ice block.
Candy Bingham
30/8/2018 12:13:53 am
Yes, this provides a great opportunity for more facilities for boaties too. Public wharf for drop off & pick up is sadly lacking in Manly
Doug Sewell
30/8/2018 03:39:42 pm
Essential to any Master Plan is the need to consider how the beautiful Spanish Mission heritage architecture of the old Manly Pavilion building and surrounds, which have been obscured behind the unfortunate bulk of the former Manly Marineland, aka Sea Life Sanctuary, can be brought back into full public view and prominence when seen from Manly Wharf, the nautical gateway to Manly.
Ken
31/8/2018 10:34:27 pm
Agree with you entirely, Paul. The grant is for a West Esplanade Masterplan, NOT a Boardwalk Masterplan. One person’s pet project. Don’t need it, don’t want it. Our rates ought to be spent on improving the amenity for residents.
Marie reeson
2/9/2018 01:04:52 pm
This is a favulous idea and I bet there would be plenty of people who remember swimming in the pool and going on the speedboat rides on Lets go and Let's go two would be happy to contribute to such a project to help it along. Maybe with the broad walk back also the aquarian maybe able to reopen and also we have the art gallery for more people to visit.
Beverley
5/9/2018 02:30:40 pm
Beautification and improved amenity, with attention to environmental factors, at West Esplanade sounds great. However, extra boat traffic must have speed restrictions and a speed camera installed at the Wharf. (Boat strike is a major killer of Little Penguins). An additional boardwalk near the penguin nesting area must be designed to prevent human interference there. The old Pavilion and Moorish architecture is quite lovely and should be a feature once Sea World is removed. As a local, I hope the area is not too loved to death by extra hoards arriving on the ferries, but the area certainly is in need of an environmentally sympathetic upgrade.
Scott
1/10/2018 01:07:21 pm
Why ruin the beautiful outlook from the beach and ocean with a boardwalk. Its such a lovely outlook from the beach down the harbour, and now you will be looking at an unsightly timber structure. Public liability will also stop you from doing anything like what use to be there which was the draw of the crowds. By all means improve the netted area and install ends to promote lap swimming. Remove the aquarium and install public areas with cafes serviced from the pavillion which will promote people down the existing promenade.
brian close
18/1/2022 02:22:49 pm
Totally agree with Scott. Please, no vanity projects. Why do we need this environmentally destructive and costly folly? More seating for Hugos? Its a relic that belongs in the past. We have a beautiful bay. Lets keep it that way. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorCandy Bingham, Manly Ward Councillor on Northern Beaches Council posts what's making news and issues relevant to Manly on this blog. Categories
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