Sydney’s historic Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool has undergone a major renewal, with upgrades set to welcome swimmers back for spring.
Crews have replaced tiles and waterproof coating on the 50m and 20m outdoor pools, repaired concrete and steel structures, and installed new decking, shade sails and a lift.
The pool heating and centre hot water systems have been upgraded to efficient electric heat pumps.
“This is a harsh marine environment for an outdoor pool and working on a structure suspended above the harbour has been a challenging engineering feat,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
“Our team laid close to 50,000 tiles before refilling, treating and heating the pools so we’re ready to welcome back swimmers for spring.
“Swapping out gas heating systems for more efficient electric heat pumps really shifts the dial and gets us closer to our sustainability goals.”
The electrification of the hot water and heating systems at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool received grant funding from the Australian Government.
History of the pool
In 1858, the City of Sydney built Sydney’s first free public baths on Woolloomooloo Bay, where Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool currently stands.
Run down bathing structures were demolished in the early 1900s before the new Edwardian-style Domain Baths were built in 1908.
In 1968, the Domain Baths were replaced by a pool named in honour of the 1924 Paris Olympics swimming champion Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton, who broke several world records here.
Find out more about lane availability, fitness programs and swim school at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.
Published 2 September 2025
