When I want to remember Northbridge Baths, the pool in Middle Harbour where I spent all my summers as a child, I think of the deep green water connecting to the trees like relatives.
The scent of the salt and the sweet smell of the bush.
The orange lane ropes we crashed into as we raced.
The incoming tide trickling over my feet.
The movement of the blocks when we jumped down at low tide.
The warmth of the chrome shining silver in the sun.
The sharpness of the oyster shells clinging to the concrete pylons like a beehive
The laugh of a kookaburra in the trees above the baths.
The slippery jelly blubbers we threw at each other and the schools of fish circling our feet.
The rocks poking through the sand when we stood on our hands.
The splash rising above the boardwalk after a bomb.
The mullet, bream and blackfish we shared the water with.
The white masts of the yachts standing tall in Sailors Bay
The exotic way Col, the tanned-like leather manager said my name when I bought Redskins at the shop.
And the way the salt water held me when I floated on my back.
14 comments
I haven’t been Therese – you convinced me to visit soon!
Go at high tide Giselle. That’s when it’s at it best!
You utterly captured this, Therese. Home.
Thanks Sarah. Spent so much time there as a kid that I remember it through the colours, smells, tastes, sounds and the feel of the surfaces on my hands and feet.
I could see, taste, feel and smell the water, salt, sand and bush! A wonderful post, Therese!
Thank you Annie. It was my second home when I was a child so many vivid memories!
I can smell, hear and taste it all the way to Central Australia. Thx Therese.
If that’s you Lis thank you. Happy Central Australian swimming!
Beautiful
Absolutely beautiful
Thank you Fergus! I have a very strong connection with the pool of my childhood! Happy swimming in 2019!
Fantastic memories you have stirred, Therese. I also spent many hours there.
Thank you for your expressive language.
Thanks Carolyn! Northbridge Baths was such a special and important place in my childhood and for many others like you too I imagine. Thanks for taking the time to comment. All the best, Therese
I googled Northbridge Baths to check if it’s open in lockdown and chanced across this! Thanks Therese! Such evocative memories of the place and people! Tonia always bought the redskin and for me it was a wizz-fizz to get us up the hill and home.
Nice to hear from you Alethea! Great memories of the baths when we were kids. Lollies played a big part. Will send you an email. Best wishes, Therese