The Ocean Pools of Sydney – Part 3: Malabar to Mahon

I left you all in suspense… what did we decide? Bondi beach swim or pools?….

The Ocean Pools of Sydney – Part 2: Icebergs, Bondi

Well, after considering two facts: 1. sharks eat turtles 2. no ocean pools in WA, we unanimously decided to stick to plan A for our final swimming day. It wasn’t until much later I suddenly thought about the physiques of those Bondi rescue lifesavers…… dam, I might have missed out there!

Anyway, we had also left one of the best pools in the south until last and we didn’t want to miss it. Early in our planning we realised there were so many pools in Sydney and it would be impossible to cover them all in one long weekend. As we were staying near Bondi, we figured covering the pools in the south would we wise. We will just HAVE to come back next year to stay in Manly and attack the north.

So, this morning we hailed an Uber to drop us in Malabar. The plan was to swim at Malabar ocean pool then walk the 5km north to Mahon pool (we had been informed this one is the best). The Coastal Brasserie Malabar provided a much needed caffeine hit and a light but delicious breakfast before we headed down to the water.

8. Malabar Ocean Pool

As we approached the pool, the weather was still a bit grey and the boys decided early they were opting to be support crew only. When we arrived at pool level there were several people milling around and several in the pool. The Sydneysiders are very fit and active people.

But, the most striking pool goers were the three women in colourful suits and bathing caps getting right into their own little aqua aerobics session. They had a speaker, floating dumbbells and China teacups at the ready for afterwards!! Loved them.

As we entered the pool we were stopped by a women who recognised my Busselton jetty swim cap. Her words were “I saw the cap and I thought, these women can swim. Are you a member of Busselton Masters Swimming Club? They have a great club”.

There you go guys…. we are famous (I consider myself a dormant member)! She was a masters swimmer from Western Sydney (unfortunately I didn’t catch which club). She is looking forward to seeing Busselton swimmers at nationals!

As this pool is an odd shape, we decided to circle it instead of laps, hoping each circuit was around 100m (maybe a bit shorter). We did 10 and were commenting on the distinct ‘Finding Nemo’ vibes as we considered a few strange pipes and wondered if they led to Sydney harbour!

An enjoyable swim. When we finished, the sun was shining and the weather was perfect for our walk. This is where unwittingly l, we stepped into one of google maps ‘special’ shortcuts. I won’t go into too many details but just to say it involved holes in fences, tracks through the bush and a sign that said ‘Beware when red flag is flying, live shooting range’.

9. Mahon Pool

Arriving at the pool via the stunning Maroubra beach we were instantly impressed. This pool is easily the most beautiful. It’s is rugged, it is natural and it is exciting. Waves randomly crash over the side and at high tide this pool simply disappears. Fortunately I had done my research and we arrived dead on low tide which allowed a leisurely cool down swim to complete our swim tour. Most enjoyable and for the first and only time, all four of us swam together.

Overall, this tour has exceeded our expectations. Along the way we have met many friendly locals and fitness fanatics, we’ve discovered beautiful pools and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our friends company (perhaps there were a few too many post swim drinks though!).

For those interested, the water temperature was very pleasant, much warmer than Geographe Bay currently. We were very pleasantly surprised.

TTB