Manly Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Aquatic Centre (50m outdoor)

Heading out of the city again to explore bays just north of Sydney, plus a couple of ocean pools. First, a stop at a chlorinated aquatic centre in Manly.

There are two Andrew 'Boy' Charlton pools in Sydney. The other one, right on Sydney Harbour in the heart of the city, was my very first Australian pool back in March 2018 — pool 30 - Andrew 'Boy' Charlton Pool. I'm going to say straight up, the harbour one is definitely the pick of the two!

Andrew 'Boy' Charlton was an Australian freestyle star of the 1920s and 1930s, winning Olympic gold over 1500 m in Paris in 1924 and setting multiple world records. I don't think I've seen another swimmer with more than one pool named after them.

The aquatic centre has multiple pools; three are proper lap pools. Outside there is a 50 m long-course eight-lane pool and a 25 m short-course pool. Inside there's another 25 m eight-lane pool.

It's Sunday and the car park is heaving. With some patience a space opens up. I head in, pay the now fairly standard entry fee, then into the indoor changing facilities. I was weighing up this or Cabarita, and chose this one for the connection to that fantastic 2018 swim at the similarly named harbour pool — warning signs appear almost immediately. As I'm leaving the changing rooms I spot a huge cockroach sitting on the hand dryer. Probably a nest in the toasty innards.

Out to the outdoor heated 50 m pool. It's fairly busy but I find a fast lane with just one other swimmer. The plan is 1200 m in each of the three pools here. I jump in and work through a straight 1200 m. Fifty-metre pool done, I hop over to the outdoor 25 m short-course pool just as it starts raining.