Friday 4 September 2009

Down at 'Drummy' the seasons turn turn turn


Drummoyne Swim Centre is one of the best-known outdoor pools in Sydney. You can view it from the Iron Cove Bridge as you travel from Rozelle to the other side of Parramatta River.

On my regular bus trips home from work in the city, I observe the pool as the seasons change.
On a hot summer's day it's packed with sunbathers and families; in the evenings under lights the water polo team trains there.
In January and February it's booked out during the day for school swimming carnivals.
By autumn the numbers of swimmers have dropped off, but early in the morning the pool Nazis (mostly boofy blokey ocean swimmers) brave the chill to do their laps.

'Drummy', as the locals call it, closes after the summer season in April. This year the filtered salty water pumped in from the river went a little green before the pool was emptied, worked on and refilled.

Four months have passed in the blink of an eye and it's open again!

This is a personal call to attention. I need to get back into the swim.

*Turn turn turn - to everything there is a season.

PS: The sad thing about this pool is that the new bridge lane now under construction will overshadow it, and the constant drone of traffic will compromise the ambience of the place.
Turn turn turn the other cheek...
*Song title borrowed from the Byrds

2 comments:

AJ Blythe said...

I used to winter swim Shayne (in an unheated outdoor pool, which thankfully eventually made way for a heated one) - but stopped doing that in my late 20's.

I look back now and have decided I must have been 2 bob short! Water temperature has to be pretty warm to get me in these days.

Shayne said...

Older often does mean wiser, Anita!