Olympians including Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe have been given a first look at the refurbished North Sydney pool, which is finally set to reopen after years of delays and budget overruns.
The heritage-listed art deco pool under the Harbour Bridge, first opened in 1936, closed for major refurbishment in 2021 and was originally due to reopen in 2022. However, the project has been hampered by delays and ballooning costs, now reaching $122m.
Charity Event and Celebrity Swimmers
The quick glimpse came at a charity event for the Klim Foundation, established by Olympic gold-medallist Michael Klim after his diagnosis with the rare auto-immune disease CIDP. Former teammates, including Ian Thorpe and Daniel Kowalski, gathered to support a fundraising campaign.
Timeline for Public Reopening
North Sydney mayor Zoë Baker said the builders will formally hand back the site in the next two to three weeks, after which it will take eight to 10 weeks to prepare the pool for the public. Baker added that the council will still be dealing with financial and other legacies, but for users, it will be a joy to return.
Recent Setbacks
A recent setback involved the pipes that bring water from the harbour to fill the pools and heat the outdoor pool to a pleasant 26°C, even in winter. Baker explained that there were too many turns in the pipes, so they had to redo them to ensure proper pumping volume.
Heritage Restoration and New Features
Remaining work includes painting heritage stucco seashell reliefs in the bright colours of the original design. Much of the site has been rebuilt, though original sections remain, including the southern wall with its sundeck. The pool's outer rim has a terracotta colour matching surviving bricks from the 1930s, including those in the northern wall behind which the former gym, known as Lane 9, was located.
After excavation into the hillside, a new gym and pilates studio have been added in a basement level underneath the rebuilt grandstand. The new design pays tribute to old elements, such as a frog motif mimicking reliefs on the surviving eastern stair tower. Tiling at the children's outdoor pool has been painstakingly reconstructed from a concrete slab at a council depot. Concrete walls of the new changing area echo the art deco seashell reliefs.
Innovative Pool Transformation
A completely new feature is a hinged wall in the centre of the pool, allowing it to transform from one 50m pool into two 25m pools, creating 16 lanes from eight.
Current Status
Construction fencing taken down for the charity event will be reinstalled while work is completed. The pool has been refilled but awaits its first swimmers; only the team cleaning the filtration system has been in the water so far.
