Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths inc.

Our 109-year-old iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths and ‘canoe’ pool is on a Crown reserve fronting the South Pacific Ocean. It’s the largest public owned and controlled bathing and recreation complex of its type in NSW. It warrants urgent state heritage protection and preservation of its unique cultural heritage attributes, the existing natural rock shelf base and the pavilion’s rare art deco architectural design.

In March 2022, Newcastle council intends to entomb the existing natural rock shelf base of the baths with a costly and unnecessary steel reinforced concrete cap. This risks to irreparably degrade the quality of the baths’ water and curtail vital therapeutic bathing and recreation activities dependent upon the relatively uniform coverage of a soft and sandy bottom. These activities are an integral part of the cultural heritage experience of the Baths.

This priceless long-living public facility faces potential imminent threat of a defacto form of privatisation via commercialisation - ‘for profit’ uses and long-term private leases of large sections of the baths’ pavilion.

We the undersigned petitioners request Newcastle council and other relevant government agencies to: -

1.      Immediately reverse the decision to impose a concrete cap on top of the natural rock shelf. Retain the existing natural rock shelf floor that better anchors the sand.

2.      Prevent the expansion of the baths’ proclaimed primary purpose beyond public bathing and recreation, to exclude all other commercial profit-based activities with the exception of a small unlicensed kiosk. Promote and attract greater existing and future free public use of the baths for swimming and related recreational activities.

3.      Collaborate with FONOB Inc. to lodge an application for urgent State heritage listing and protection of the baths and surrounding Crown reserve by 1 July 2022.

4.      Reach consensus with FONOB Inc. on the appropriate current and future sustainable exclusive public uses of the pavilion and commit to expand the existing change facilities and retain the health benefits of direct sunlight and cross flow natural ventilation