Sydney residents have their pick of swimming pools to choose from – many are over 100 years old and boast stunning water views. While residential swimming pools may be considered investments, their presence adds value to a property as well as providing year-round enjoyment of outdoor spaces.

Bondi Icebergs has become one of the city’s iconic ocean pools since opening its doors back in 1929 and quickly becoming an Instagram location all-year round. Perfect for working on your tan or taking on the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk after swimming here. Home to Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club run by volunteers – its bright white lap pool offers additional challenge for swimmers looking for that extra bit of stimulation!

At Bronte Baths, swimming can be an amazing experience; however, beginners or people prone to surf-related injuries might not find them suitable. The shallow pools feature colder waters than indoor ones. But, something special emerges from having access to an ocean-front pool; according to Kylie Burke a regular at Bronte Baths says when tide comes in waves will come crashing over walls into her pool causing waves to break over them and stir up its waters, creating an exciting swimming experience.

Maintaining these historical treasures takes hard work and dedication from both tourists and residents alike, and is estimated to cost Sydney councils $3m a year in cleaning, maintaining, restoring, repairing and renovating costs alone.

Money spent on pool construction represents an outsized sum for inner city councils that often struggle to balance their books. Independent federal MP and North Sydney councillor Kylea Tink considers the experience a useful lesson on how not to undertake infrastructure projects.

She alleges that the project began to falter after it received a $10m pre-election grant, which altered its scope beyond its original brief and ballooned into over $100m in cost – pushing back its opening date from 2020 to 2025.

According to Guardian Australia’s analysis of council and census data, nine in ten Australians reside within 20 minutes’ driving distance of a public aquatic centre. Access is not equally distributed across council areas like Parramatta, Penrith and Hills Shire; western suburbs in these council areas tend to receive inferior service while inner-city suburbs receive more access. Furthermore, many outdoor and regional pools only open seasonally which further limits accessibility. As more swimming pools undergo extensive upgrades and renovations, many locals are calling for the creation of more community-owned non-for-profit pools. Some councils have considered this proposal while others have rejected it outright; many claim reopening swimming pools would be too expensive and disruptive to make any progress worthwhile; yet, given suitable circumstances this trend could gain steam.