Wylie’s Baths in Coogee, Sydney
This week, I spoke to award-winning author Helen Pitt about her lifelong connection to swimming in Sydney…
Helen is the Walkley Award winning author of The House (about the Sydney Opera House), former Sydney Morning Herald journalist and lifelong swimmer.
She learned to love Sydney’s chlorinated pools under the tutorage of legendary Olympic coach, Forbes Carlile, and later developed a sunrise ritual of saltwater dipping at Coogee’s McIver’s Ladies Baths - part of a local sisterhood raised in that cliff-edged sanctuary.
Briefly, we talked about a range of local topics, from the history of Wylie’s Baths to sea swimming in the murky wake of a recent shark attack.
JACK: You have a lifelong connection to Sydney. Did you always swim here on the coast? And, how have the ocean pools changed since you remember them from your childhood?
HELEN: “I'm born and bred in suburban Sydney but grew up with a backyard swimming pool. We took family holidays to Palm Beach and swam there but I didn't really swim in ocean pools as a kid. It was only when returning from living in California for a decade, where the ocean water was too cold to swim in even during summer, that I vowed to live near and swim in the ocean.”
“I've lived in Coogee since 2009. I've seen the McIver's Ladies Baths transform from a ratty old change shed where you tossed your 20 cent entry fee through the gate, into a world class facility with the best roller door view Sydney has to offer.”
Helen Pitt (left) swimming in her home suburb Coogee with pal Ali Gripper
JACK: Is it true you were taught to swim by Olympic coach Forbes Carlile? What do you remember from those early experiences of being introduced to the water?
HELEN: “Yes, Olympic coach Forbes Carlile taught me to swim in his backyard in Ryde (western Sydney). I can still smell the chlorine - every time my nostrils are filled with the scent of it I am transported back to his pool where he barked orders at us from the pebblecrete. He was tough but taught many like me - and even Olympic medalists like Shane Gould - a lifelong love of swimming.”
JACK: How have you felt getting back into beach swimming at Coogee after the recent shark attack? I was surprised by how busy the sea was when I visited – even saw a group headed way out towards Wedding Cake Island.
HELEN: “To be honest I haven't been out in the ocean since the shark attack (was overseas at the time). It spooked me a little. And as Coogee has four ocean pools - there are many to keep me entertained until I'm ready for the ocean again.”
Helen at Coogee’s Ross Jones Memorial Pool – photo by Chris Chen (‘Ocean Pools’)
JACK: Do you think Sydney is unique in the extent to which sea swimming has become a part of the city’s identity?
HELEN: “Yes, New South Wales in general (with around 100) and Sydney in particular (with 30-something) has a plethora of ocean pools to choose from. Sydney and swimming go together like fish and chips.”
JACK: I read about your sunrise swims at McIver’s Ladies Baths – do you have a favourite of all the ocean pools on Sydney’s eastern coastline?
HELEN: “My favourite ocean pool is Wylie's Baths at Coogee. It was forged from the rocks in 1907, and was the training ground for Australia's first female Olympic medalists, Mina Wylie and Fanny Durack who took silver and gold respectively at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. There's no better place to dive into the underwater delight of life-filled rock crevices for a few laps, then finish off with a 20 cent hot shower and the best coffee in Coogee on the deck.”
Sign at the entrance to McIver's Ladies Baths
“I’ve seen the McIver’s Ladies Baths transform from a ratty old change shed where you tossed your 20 cent entry fee through the gate, into a world class facility...”
Do you have a favourite ocean pool? Share your own tideland swimming stories in the comments section below…
