The new swim spot coming soon to inner west

After being plagued by almost a year-long delay, residents will finally be able to dip their toes in the newest inner west swim spot on the Parramatta River, slated to open in time for next summer.

Located on the Iron Cove foreshore at Lilyfield’s Callan Park, the tidal baths will sit alongside nearby sports facilities including Leichhardt Oval and King George Park, giving joggers, pedestrians and families a place to cool off.

The proposed $3.8 million tidal pools will provide the more than 5000 daily visitors of Callan Park with a fixed jetty, pontoon, shark-proof enclosure and an accessible ramp and pathway.

Plans to build a swimming site were floated to the council in late 2022, but were stalled due to planning and approval hurdles. The swim site was meant to open to the public in April 2025, according to project timelines from an Inner West Council meeting in October 2023.

Construction is expected to take six months after the development application, now lodged with the Inner West Council, is approved.

However, building a swim site along the Parramatta River can be a lengthy process plagued with water-quality issues due to the river’s industrial past and sewage issues from urban development along the foreshore.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said despite the lingering water-quality concerns, the approved swim site met safety standards. Water quality has been monitored since 2018 by Sydney Water, the state government-run Beachwatch program, and the Parramatta River Catchment Group.

“We’ve already spent years going through water quality and soil quality testing, so we know that the water is safe,” he said.

Beachwatch will also provide swimmers with daily water quality updates and alerts to pollution such as faecal contamination from stormwater and sewage overflows.

Building the tidal baths comes as debate continues over whether the council should allow commercial activity in the park. There have also been plans floated to construct an amenities building in Callan Park for the local soccer club.

Byrne confirmed the building could house a small cafe in the future.

“It’s true to say that local families would like to be able to buy a coffee in Callan Park, and we’d like to see that happen,” Byrne said.

“We want to bring people back into this famous destination. We don’t want it to be a heritage site that’s wrapped in Glad Wrap.”

Under the Callan Park Act, for-profit businesses including cafes and restaurants are banned. But there has been pushback – a parliamentary committee in June put forward controversial recommendations to wind back laws restricting commercial use of the park.

Six swim sites have already been built under the Parramatta River Master Plan – Bayview Park Baths, Cabarita Park Beach, Chiswick Baths, Lake Parramatta, the nearby Dawn Fraser Baths, and the newly opened Putney Beach.

Summer Hill MP Jo Haylen said: “We’ve seen other swimming spots on our harbor be great successes – Barangaroo, for example – and here on the Bay Run will be no exception.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.