Item details:
Current status*:
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Nominated
but unlisted.
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Name of item:
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Thompson's
Point Baths
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Former name/s:
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Item type:
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Built
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Item group/collection:
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Recreation
and Entertainment
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Item category:
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Swimming
pool - tidal
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Street number:
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Street name:
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Suburb/town:
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Local Government Area:
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Property description:
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Thompson's
Point, Snug Cove,
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Owner category:
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Current use:
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N/A
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Former use/s:
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Public
baths
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* Refers to the site's inclusion in Schedule 5 of a Local
Environment Plan.
Significance:
Statement of significance:
Dating back to just after the beginning of the 20th century, the
Thompson's Point Baths are today the oldest and one of only three remaining
examples of ocean pools within the Bega Valley Shire Council local government
area and one of the oldest extant non-metropolitan examples across the State.
The Thompson's Point Baths are indicative of the birth and growth of
the Australian beach and later surf culture that figure so prominently in the
local and national Australian way of life today. A popular communal gathering
place, the Thompson's Point Baths reflect an era in which broader social and
cultural attitudes towards sea bathing shifted from secluded bathing
primarily for therapeutic and hygiene reasons towards public sea bathing
pursued as a legitimate healthy leisure time activity.
The baths have a strong social significance for the local population.
As the focal point of recreational and education activities from its initial
completion until beyond the 1960s, the baths are held in high esteem by many
generations of the local community who played, relaxed, sunbathed and learned
to swim there. They provide significant evidence of the value placed on
recreational bathing by residents over a period of more than half a century.
Considered in conjunction with the Aslings Beach Rock Pool (originally
known as Eden Memorial Swimming Pool)
and the Eden Olympic Swimming Pool, the Thompson's Point Baths provide
important evidence of the growth and development of bathing and swimming
facilities within the township from around the turn-of-the-century right
through to the present day. They also provide a link with and illustration of
the impact that the growth of the amateur swimming movement had on community
expectation, demand and provision of increasingly improved public facilities.
Retaining its traditional irregularly shaped layout and appearance, the
baths are set in an aesthetically spectacular harbour location, providing an
important physical link with, and documenting the development and use of the
foreshore for local social and public recreational facilities. The baths are
also an important illustration of an ingenious early design solution to
exploit and alter the natural environment for the provision of amenities for
human use and enjoyment.
The Thompson's Point Baths also provides an important physical link
with important local builder and contractor John Hines and are an unusual
extant example of his work.
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Level of
significance:
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Local
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Designer:
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Builder:
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John Hines
(cementing); J. A. Spurling (rock excavation);
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Physical description:
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An
irregularly shaped concrete and rock ocean pool set into and on a naturally
occurring rock platform that was deepened and formalised in 1904 to create a
safe and usable swimming facility within the marine environment. The pool
follows and is bounded by the natural rock formation on two sides, with low
concrete walls facing the bay to allow flushing and refilling by natural
tidal and wave movements. Located on rocks on the north-western
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Physical condition:
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Construction date/s:
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1904/05
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Modifications and dates:
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C. 1907;
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Further comments:
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For
generations of Australians, the beach and ocean has played a significant role
in our culture and lifestyle - coastal indigenous peoples were utilising the
shoreline and neighbouring waterways for centuries, and unsurprisingly, it
took little time before the early European settlers also began making use of
the resource.
With the British
medical profession highlighting the hygienic and therapeutic benefits of
open-air bathing in cold saltwater, ocean swimming began to gain popularity
by the late 18th century. Australian coastal waters, however, also
represented unfamiliar and often intimidating prospects - pounding waves,
strong currents and threat of shark attacks all served to unnerve those who
braved the ocean, particularly in an era when few could swim properly, let
alone strongly.
Metropolitan
areas began to construct purpose-built baths in an attempt to protect
swimmers from these physical dangers, providing participants with a safe
environment in which to utilise the health benefits of the ocean. The
development of these facilities also addressed the 19th century Victorian social
standards of decency and morality by enabling restriction of widespread
public display of the human form. Since 1833, a daylight hours ban on bathing
had been in place, restricting opportunities for swimming, but as the 1890s
turned over into the 20th century, a shift in social attitudes saw the
activity regarded more as a healthy activity and cost-effective competitive
sport as opposed to those earlier therapeutic and hygienic values.
Finally, in
1902, the issue came to a head when Manly newspaper editor William Gocher
took a personal stand, entering the ocean at noon on three successive Sundays
before being finally arrested on the third occasion in front of some 1,000
onlookers. His efforts had the desired affect, with the liberalisation of the
law the following year, although all swimmers over eight years of age were
still required to wear neck to knee bathing costumes.
By this
time,
It was in
December 1899 that moves were first made to secure a public bathing facility
for
The
following month, a letter was forwarded to the Minister for Lands requesting
a special grant of £300 for construction of a "suitable bathing
area" at Thompson Point, along with additional correspondence to local
member, the Honourable W. H. Wood, asking for his support for the special
grant.
November
1900 saw a request to the Lands Department for an officer to inspect the site
and assist with construction cost estimates, while in February the following
year, the Minister for Public Works advised that Mr. Bossier, Clerk of Works,
had been requested to inspect the site and estimate baths costs while in the
area.
By March
1901, Mr. Bossier had undertaken the site inspection, but as he was not qualified
to give estimates, the Minister for Public Works requested the
By 1904
public donations had reached £10/18/- and the following year after £25 was
paid to the Trustees by the Lands Department for construction of the Public
Bath "...at the foot of Flinders Street..." contracts were awarded
- J. A. Spurling was paid £15 for the
excavation of the rock, while John Hines was paid £11/18/- for cementing the
baths and erecting a room.
After only
three years, the Trustees were looking to enlarge the facility, and with a £2
donation from a Mr. Whitney and £25 from the Lands Department, the contract
was awarded to J. A. Spurling at a cost of £45. During October 1907, C. E.
Walcott provided a loan of £8 and by the end of the year, expenditure on the
Thompson's Point Baths stood at £70/18/-. However, despite use of the site
for around a decade, it wasn't until 1913 that the Land Board issued the
trustees with a Permissive Occupancy.
By 1936,
consideration was being given to again extending the baths and to that end,
the Eden Advancement Association secretary, the Harbourmaster and Mr. Denholm
inspected the site and took soundings. With estimates not considered to be
"...excessive...", the advancement association members agreed that
a shark proof swimming area was an "...absolute necessity...", and
decided to apply to the then Imlay Shire Council for a £1,200 grant to
undertake the work. Although the shire supported the move and agreed to
submit a grant application, the President said that he would let Minister for
Works and Local Government Mr. Spooner "...toss for it - the baths or
the
By
mid-1936, the association had begun considering alternatives to the
Thompson's Point Baths site, calling a public meeting in July to
"...devise ways and means of bringing about the construction of the
proposed baths..." The Eden Town Baths
Committee, consisting of local residents such as G. D. Impey, V. T. Welsh, H.
P. Wellings, J. B. Eurell, H. Denholm, H. C. Hartup, P. T. Brown, J.
Turnbull, W. Blaxter, T. Tracey, T. L. Ramsey, S. G. Earngey, W. H. Quin and
W. J. Duffy with J. A. Ireland as secretary, were appointed to take over the
project from the Eden Advancement Association, with the objective being the
"...establishment of safe swimming baths at Eden..." However, when
they met the following month, only six of the fifteen members showed up, and
after the group faltered, Eden Advancement Association again stepped back in
to the fold to continue what was to be a lengthy and drawn out process.
Between the mid-1930s and 1960, a number of
alternative sites were raised, including Snug Cove, Cattle Bay, the wharf
area at the end of Weecoon Street, Yallumgo Cove (Ross' Bay), Shelly Beach,
both the northern and southern ends of the cemetery, Imlay Park, and,
finally, Aslings Beach. Options explored included wire netted bathing areas,
heavy rope shark-proof nets and stone sea walls, while other local governments,
including Manly, Sutherland, Kiama, Kogorah, Bulli, Ramsgate, Cronulla and
Rockdale were all contacted to secure information regarding construction and
maintenance costs. Eden Advancement Association also approached the Imlay
Shire Council for preparation of plans, specifications and costing estimates
for the various options.
Public fundraising for a new facility commenced
in early 1937 and over the years a plethora of events including street
stalls, sports days and balls were held. By May 1937, the trust account for
the project stood at £150 and the same month £1,000 from a £10,000 shire-wide
town improvement scheme grant was earmarked for a bath at Cattle Bay, land
which the Eden Advancement Association purchased around 1939. However, by
this time World War II had broken out and local fundraising quickly focused
upon patriotic rather than infrasructure work.
Not surprisingly, with so many other competing
demands and no facilities to dispute its place, the Thomson's Point Baths
continued to play an important recreational role for the community. After the Permissive Occupancy was
terminated by the Lands Board in April 1946, a peppercorn rent option was
offered to the Eden Advancement Association. 1947 saw a £1 payment by the
Eden Advancement Association to the Lands Department for permissive occupancy
of the area, although this was refunded early the following year, when it was
noted that payment was not usual.
By 1949, the facility was still being described
as "...the present rock pool..." and by March 1953 council was
trying to determine ownership and construction dates of the facility in order
to respond to public requests for repair of the footbridge that provided
access around the rocks. The permissive occupancy was apparently still active
by 1962 and in November that year Mrs. F. M. Smith wrote expressing concern
as to the safety of the footbridge.
It was in 1946 that the the
option of Aslings Beach was first raised as a potential alternative site for
a new ocean pool, but despite local media frequently raising the
"...urgent need for [a] shark proof swimming pool...", it wasn't
until 1960 that the site at the southern end of the beach was finally agreed
upon. Construction of the Eden Memorial Swimming Pool (now referred to as the
Aslings Beach Rock Pool) commenced in January 1961 with the official opening
taking place in November 1961.
Nonetheless,
the Thompson Point Baths were to remain a popular and important recreation
and educational facility for the local community for many generations. Even
after construction of the Aslings Beach facility, it continued to provide a
sheltered, calm and safe swimming area, free from sharks and other ocean
predators for many of the district's youth right through and in to the 1960s.
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Thompson's Point Bath, C. 1907.
Courtesy of the Eden Killer Whale Museum [EM3869].
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Thompson's Point Baths and wharf.
Courtesy of Eden Killer Whale Museum.
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| Jean Helmore & friends at the Thompson's Point Baths, 1931. Courtesy of Jenny Drenkhahn. |
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| The two dressing sheds on the reserve above the baths can be seen in the foreground. These were destroyed during the disastrous 1952 bush fires. Courtesy of Jenny Drenkhahn. |
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| View of the Thompson's Point Baths and the footbridge that provided access from the cliff top, C. 1930s. Courtesy of Jenny Drenkhahn. |
Themes:
Australian theme:
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Local theme:
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1.
Environment - Tracing the evolution of
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Environment
- naturally evolved: features occurring naturally in the physical environment
which have shaped or influenced human life and cultures
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3.
Developing local, regional and national economies
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Environment
- cultural landscapes: activities associated with the interactions between
humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings
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3.
Developing local, regional and national economies
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Health:
Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and /
or maintaining the well being of humans
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3.
Developing local, regional and national economies
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Technology:
activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical
arts and applied sciences
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4. Building
settlements, towns and cities
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Towns,
suburbs and villages: activities associated with creating, planning and
managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns suburbs and
villages
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8.
Developing
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Leisure:
activities associated with recreation and relaxation
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8.
Developing
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Social
institutions: activities and organisational arrangements for the provision of
social activities
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8.
Developing
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Sport:
Activities associated with organised recreational and health promotional
activities
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9. Marking
the phases of life
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Persons:
Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and
communal groups
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Application
criteria:
Historical significance
SHR criteria (a)
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Historical association significance
SHR criteria (b)
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Aesthetic significance
SHR criteria (c)
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Technical / Research significance
SHR criteria (e)
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Rarity
SHR criteria (f)
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Representativeness
SHR criteria (g)
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Integrity:
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Heritage Listings:
Information
sources / bibliography :
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Bega Budget
Drenkhahn,
Jenny, pers. comm.
Eden Baths
committee minute book,
Helmore,
Paul, pers. comm.
Henry,
Geoff, pers. comm.
Korner,
Joanne, pers. comm.
Magnet and
Voice
Moore, Cheryl,
pers. comm.
Pambula
Voice
Raymond,
Pat, pers. comm.
Roberts,
Karen, pers. comm.
White,
Jody, pers. comm.
Whiter,
Peter, pers. comm.
Whiter, Robert,
pers. comm.
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Author and date:
© Angela
George. All rights reserved.
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September
2014
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