Wild swimming in the Inner West? Who would’ve thunk it?

 

Sydney is absolutely hustling to become the most swimmable city in the world with the approval of yet another swimming spot west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

Lilyfield’s Callan Park is a 61-hectare heritage park that sits pretty alongside the Parramatta River, and it’s just received approval to open up the waterfront for swimming. But don’t go sprinting into the depths just yet, there’s still work to be done. 

 

 

The approval comes five years after the plan’s first announcement in 2018, and two years of extensive water quality testing to ensure that the river is safe for doing laps, dive bombs, and other general waterside merriment. Now that it’s good to go, the Inner West Council has big plans to build a bunch of facilities.

Think 50-metre tidal pool with swimming lanes, a nice long jetty, and even a couple of moored pontoons for sunbathing and showing off your diving skills. 

Callan Park is located along Sydney’s iconic Bay Run, a 7km loop around the waterfront of the Inner West, so soon runners will have a place to dunk and cool off after their trot. 

‘With its position at the heart of the Bay Run, the Callan Park Tidal Pool can become a Sydney Icon. With our location finalised and all approvals now granted, we are ready to partner with the NSW Government to fund the construction of this beautiful, new swim site,’ said Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne. 

Callan Park swim spot had joined an ever-growing list of new swimming areas in Sydney, including Marrinawi Cove in Barangaroo and Parramatta River at Bayview Park in Concord. Surely Sydney’s gotta take out that swimmable city title soon!