Here’s a Sydney Harbour pool that has reopened on time and on budget

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Former flight attendant John Caporn has spent his retirement travelling the world, swimming in London, Paris, Hong Kong and anywhere with a pool.

So how does Sydney’s newly reopened and updated Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool compare? “This is the best,” said Caporn, 80, of Elizabeth Bay, who tumble turned on demand in the 50-metre salt-water pool at the Woolloomooloo Bay shore.

Completed on budget, on time and on the site of the city’s oldest bathing enclosures dating back 200 years, the pool opened at 6am on Monday to a crowd of 50 waiting outside.

Lifeguard Elliot Nathan patrols the newly renovated Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.

A historical view of the pool looking south with Woolloomooloo Wharf on the left.

“Council should take credit,” said Jeffrey Stewart of Potts Point, a regular lap swimmer since 1975. With his neighbours, he monitored the project’s progress, aware that the other famous harbour pool at North Sydney had faced multiple delays.

During the 18 months of work, Stewart’s neighbours exchanged updates. “The tiles have gone!” And then later, “The tiles are back,” he said.

For just under $8 a visit, it was a bargain, said Sara Smylie, who brought three-month-old son Reggie to the pool for the first time, along with her friend Jessie Stephenson and her three-month-old daughter Chloe. It had views, swimming lessons for their older children, and a diverse range of swimmers.

Keeping costs down for consumers while maintaining existing pools is a big challenge. About one in four of the country’s 2100 pools need refurbishment or replacement within the next decade, found Royal Life Saving Australia’s (RLSA) State of Australian Aquatic Facilities 2025 report.

John Caporn from Elizabeth Bay swims below Sara Smylie with Reggie, three months, and Jessie Stephenson with Chloe, three months, at the reopened pool in Woolloomooloo Bay.

Views of the newly refurbished Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.

City of Sydney manager of greening and leisure Joel Johnson says the project was delivered on time and on budget.

As well as North Sydney’s, a raft of pools across the city are closed for major repairs or replacement, including at Willoughby, Epping, Leichhardt, Mount Druitt and Canterbury.

Exacerbating unequal access, many communities who need a pool don’t have one. Less affluent councils can’t afford to build a new pool that could teach life-saving swimming skills. Others can’t afford to maintain existing aquatic facilities.

The average cost of a basic new 25-metre outdoor pool, with changing sheds and toilets, costs $10 million, RLSA says.

At North Sydney, the cost to repair the heritage-listed Olympic pool and its surrounding facility bedecked with ornate architecture has risen to $122 million.

The federal government has committed close to $300 million for new aquatic projects in the past couple of years. Yet funding of $1 billion a year is needed, RLSA says.

A swimmer prepares to enter the newly renovated Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.

RJ Houston, RLSA’s general manager for capability and industry, said every dollar invested in a community pool was an investment in health, wellbeing, safety and connection.

“But it is increasingly becoming a story of haves and have-nots, with our research showing one in four Australians face disadvantaged access,” he said.

“We need a national plan to ensure every Australian, no matter where they live, has access to a safe, sustainable community pool.”

The pool has switched to 100 per cent green electricity to reduce emissions by about 400 tonnes annually.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the upgrade was a challenging engineering feat, with the structure suspended above the harbour.

“We’re leading on climate change and, given pools use so much energy, swapping out gas heating systems for more efficient electric heat pumps really shifts the dial and gets us closer to our sustainability goal,” she said.

The new pumps installed at Andrew (Boy) Charlton and Victoria Park pools were four times more efficient than the gas boilers they replaced.

The switch to 100 per cent green electricity had reduced emissions by about 400 tonnes annually, the equivalent to the average gas use of 425 NSW households.

Council heard the cost of the upgrade was about $8.51 million.

City of Sydney’s greening and leisure manager Joel Johnson said the pool project came on time and on budget after several years of detailed planning.

Compared with larger pool projects across Sydney, the project was significantly smaller.

Johnson said it had been one of renewal, involving replacing the wooden boardwalk and 50,000 tiles on the 50m and 20m outdoor pools.

Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool was named for a famous Olympic swimmer. He got his nickname, Boy, because he was a teenager when he beat well-known champions.

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