For decades, ocean pools have been nothing but a memory on the Gold Coast foreshore.
Now, after a renewed push from residents and disability advocates, the council is taking a fresh look at whether they could make a comeback.
The Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) will undertake a feasibility study into ocean pools to examine if they could provide safer and more inclusive access to the ocean.
Advocates have long argued ocean pools benefit weak swimmers, children and people living with disability by offering a protected saltwater swimming environment.
In 2020, a petition supporting the construction of ocean pools along the coast attracted more than 13,000 signatures and was lodged with the council.
Despite strong community support, councillors rejected a proposal to pursue the project in 2021 after a report estimated an ocean pool could cost about $10 million to build.
But with interest in the idea surging once more, the council has agreed to investigate whether the project is viable.
“We’re ocean and beachgoers and we’ll analyse whether we can have an ocean pool and whether it would be a good idea,”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said.
“If we can do it in the past, I think people would welcome being able to swim in saltwater safely so the younger generation can be introduced to the waves early on.”
Remnants of the Snapper Rocks ocean pool. (ABC Gold Coast: Danielle Mahe)
Bring Back Snapper Rocks Ocean Pools president James Sullivan said he was “not overly confident” the project would receive approval, given the previous proposal was rejected.
However, Mr Sullivan said an ocean pool would be a major drawcard for the region.
“We want to investigate and do it before the Olympics,” he said.
“It is strange that we don’t have one here on the Gold Coast. It definitely would be a tourist attraction.
“The pool shells are already there at Snapper, so it’s not going to impact on any surfing amenities or surf breaks.”
The Gold Coast once boasted two ocean pools.
One was built at Burleigh Heads in 1953 before it was permanently closed in the 1980s to make way for a swimming centre.
The Snapper Rocks pool in Coolangatta was constructed in 1956 and became a paid tourist attraction featuring a shark pool and a porpoise pool before they were drained and filled in by the council in 1986.
Burleigh Heads ocean pool. (Supplied: Gold Coast City Council)
Coastal engineer Angus Jackson said the city was long overdue for the return of an ocean pool, particularly given neighbouring New South Wales was home to about 100 — roughly half the world’s total.
Mr Jackson said construction costs could vary depending on the size and location of the project.
“There have been ocean pools built for as little as $10,000 and others for as much as $20 million,”
he said.
“It just depends on the scale.”
Coastal management expert Angus Jackson says construction costs would depend on the size. (ABC News: Nicholas Mc Elroy, Glenn Mullane)
However, he warned the Gold Coast presented unique engineering challenges.
“One of the problems on the Gold Coast is that the rock is very, very hard,” Mr Jackson said.
“In New South Wales, many headlands are sandstone, which is easier to work with.
“The maintenance cost is generally about $100,000 to $200,000 per year, and there are safety issues because they’re in a pretty aggressive environment.
“They have to be maintained structurally, so it’s not simple.”
Despite those challenges, Mr Jackson said the benefits could outweigh the costs and he welcomed the council’s decision to conduct a detailed investigation.
A council spokesperson said its feasibility study would include an assessment of Snapper Rocks as a potential location.
“The city intends to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study to assess the viability of ocean pools in response to strong community interest,” the spokesperson said.
Snapper Rocks is a popular tourist spot. (ABC Gold Coast: Danielle Mahe)
However, environmental groups have urged caution.
Gecko Environment Council campaign coordinator Lois Levy said building a new ocean pool could damage fragile ecosystems.
“A pool would involve the destruction of those rock platforms, which are important for the natural environment and all the little marine critters that live in those rock platforms,”
Ms Levy said.
She said the council should consider restoring the existing pool at Snapper Rocks rather than constructing a new facility.
“I understand that the community’s very keen to have such a thing, and my advice to council is to go back to Snapper Rocks and use what’s already there,” Ms Levy said.
