DO YOU remember taking a dip in the Parramatta River at the old Bayview Park swimming spot?
Well this historic Concord spot is set to reopen to bathers next April, after more than 50 years.
Bayview Park in Sydney's inner west was a popular swim site from the 1930s, before it was closed in 1969.
Now the City of Canada Bay council has revealed plans to revitalise this hidden gem. Construction on the $300,000 project is set to start in January, following community consultation. Facilities will include a swimming safety net and outdoor shower.
City of Canada Bay Mayor, Angelo Tsirekas, said project was a "real coup" for residents who live in western Sydney and the inner west.
"I am delighted we are able to reopen a much-loved swim site that some of our residents may remember from their youth," Mayor Tsirekas said.
"We are working with the community to create an open river where residents and visitors alike can swim along our foreshore and enjoy Sydney's most iconic waterway for the first time in generations.
"People will no longer need to commute far outside of their area to cool off during the summer months."
Bayview Baths was one of more than 20 swimming baths that cropped up along Parramatta River around the early 1900s, but most closed in the 1960s due to water pollution caused by sewerage and industrial run-off.
Local Sydney councils, including the City of Canada Bay, have been working with the Parramatta River Catchment Group and Sydney Water to help remediate and revitalise the river.
Sydney Water has been testing the water quality at Bayview Park as part of its Riverwatch program, with the data collected over the last 12 months indicating the site is safe for swimming. The site will continue to be monitored under the program to ensure water quality remains optimal.
"Our work is about returning a valued asset to the hundreds of thousands of people who live along the Parramatta River's foreshore and its surrounds," Parramatta River Catchment Group Chair Mark Drury said.
Residents are being urged to give their input on what other amenities they would like to see there and have until September 25 to have their say.
For more information go to collaborate.candadabay.nsw.gov.au/bayview
Geraldine Cardozo
Features Editor at The Senior.
Features Editor at The Senior.
