Swimming Around the World: Wylie‘s Baths, Sydney

Dies ist keine Jahreszeit für Schwimmer. Die Freibäder haben geschlossen, und nur die Härtesten von uns gehen jetzt noch im See/Fluss/Meer schwimmen. Allen anderen bleibt das Hallenbad und mit etwas Glück ein beheiztes Außenbecken. Während ich meine Bahnen ziehe, träume ich oft von all den Orten, an denen ich noch schwimmen möchte. Ganz oben auf der Liste steht dieser Rockpool, von dem mir unser Guide Lizzie auf meinem ersten Swimtrek erzählte. Damit ihr euch mit mir dorthin träumen könnt, habe ich Lizzie gebeten, mir ein paar Fotos zu schicken und ein bisschen was dazu zu erzählen:

My name is Elizabeth (Lizzie) De Bono. I’m 44 and live in Melbourne Australia. I have been swimming all my life, but mostly in the open water, although I have done a lot of training in pools. My favourite pool is Wylie’s Baths in Coogee, Sydney. I discovered it in 2011 when I was on a short holiday in Sydney visiting a friend. It was around Christmas/New Year and the beach was so busy that when I discovered it, it was like a little haven. It is an ocean rock pool that is 50 yards long so that you can still have a decent swim whilst looking at the sea life. I started working there in 2012 and was there for 4 years, so I swam there most days. Now I just swim there when I visit Sydney, which isn’t often enough.

I love this pool and this place as it is a beautiful little oasis hidden away in a very busy beachside suburb. It is ever changing and can be calm and serene, or wild if the weather and ocean is wild. I always have a good swim there, and I love the atmosphere and the people that swim their daily and cherish it like it is a very important part of their family. It has a beautiful deck on stilts and is also a great place to sit quietly and read or just stare out to the horizon. Whilst working there I made many friends and also learnt about the strong swimming traditions associated with it. Those baths mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people and I enjoyed being a part of that. As I’m writing this I am kind of planning a trip back there, as I really miss it.

Danke Lizzie! Mehr Infos findet ihr hier, unter anderem zur Geschichte des Pools, der 1907 erbaut wurde und einer der ersten für Männer und Frauen in Australien war.