About the proposal
Imagine a swimming facility in the Port River where you could undertake morning exercise, a place to cool off during warm days and evenings, a venue for your next catch up with family and friends, and another enjoyable reason to visit the Port Adelaide region.
Friends of Port River, with financial assistance from City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council, is conducting a feasibility study for a swimming facility at Cruickshanks Corner (Birkenhead) with the aim of making this dream a reality.
History of swimming in the Port River
Swimming in the Port River is not a new idea! More than 100 years ago people frequently swam in the Port River, both for recreation but also for formal swimming events. There were once four swimming clubs in the Port River. Some older adults can still recall learning to swim in the Port River and recount numerous locations where they regularly swam.
A long-distance swim through Port Adelaide was established in 1923 and soon became one of the most prestigious swims in the State.
Revival of swimming in the Port River
Unfortunately, this swimming culture ended in the 1960s due to poor water quality in the river. However, over the following decades a significant amount of work was completed to remove unwanted pollution and to improve the aquatic environment for dolphins and other marine life.
Repeated water testing also demonstrated that the Port River was again ‘swimmable’ for humans, and the North Haven Surf Life Saving Club reinstated the Long Swim Through Port Adelaide in 2017.
With this recent success in mind, Friends of Port River (formerly Estuary Care Foundation) began to collaborate with the North Haven Surf Life Saving Club with a vision for a swimming facility in the Port River.
Progressing the proposal for a swimming facility
The goals for the project include increasing community support and care for the Port River, generating and building confidence that the Port River is a safe place to swim and recreate, and operating a facility that connects local people to each other and the natural world around them.
Stage 1
A coastal engineering scoping study was completed in 2023 by Water Research Lab at University of NSW who have significant experience in pool designs across Australia. The study concluded that Cruickshanks Corner was the preferred site, and several concept plans were developed. The key ingredients for the preferred plan include:
- A beach entry pool (with additional sand added if required)
- A jetty on three sides for swimmers and walkers to relax and enjoy the river
- A lap swimming area for exercise and swimming events
- Adjoining picnic area with changing facilities (not pictured)
Stage 2
Taking the recommendations on board from the first stage of the project, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield allocated up to $50,000 in 2024/2025 for Friends of Port River to advance the project further. With the assistance of Mark Western, who specialises in coastal planning and risk assessment, Stage 2 is well underway with focus on:
- Human health risk assessment (water and sediment testing underway with positive preliminary results)
- Issues relating to approvals, including an evaluation of extreme water levels in the context of projected sea level rise
- Consultation with National Parks and Wildlife about possible impact on dolphins with positive conclusions
- Evaluation of land and river interface which will impact design considerations and assessment of sand conditions for the beach environment.
- Seeking the views of key interest groups and the community.
Feedback from the community
We look forward to hearing your feedback about the proposal.
Please complete our online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WRDSVRT
If you have any questions, or further comments about the proposal, please contact swim@portriver.au
Let’s work together to make this vision a reality! Let’s once again enjoy swimming in the Port River like the generations who came before us enjoyed the river! Let’s create a swimming facility for future generations to enjoy!
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