The last one was built 50 years ago – so what is driving a resurgence in interest in our much loved ocean baths?

Australia’s ocean pools inspire a kind of fervour that borders on the fanatical. Writer Benjamin Law described taking a swim in Sydney’s ocean pools as a “spiritual experience”. Plenty of others agree, frequenting sea baths daily, their dedication etched on to their skin over decades by the sun’s rays. The pools are a must-see for tourists and source of contention for locals, who spar over their favourites.

Yet 50 years have passed since the last one was built – councils have been preferring chlorinated pool complexes instead. But now it appears there may be a shift back. The towns of Ballina and Port Macquarie on New South Wales’ north coast are looking at constructing tidal pools, as is Hallett Cove in South Australia. Mosman Park in Perth is also conducting a feasibility study after progress stalled on a pool at nearby Cottesloe.

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The Sydney architect and artist Nicole Larkin has spent the past six years getting to know every inch of NSW’s tidal pools – from rock bed to saltwater surface – for an interactive online database she created called the Wild Edge. She is thrilled by the resurgence of interest.

“They’re probably more in the public eye than they’re ever been and I’m not sure what started that,” she says. “Maybe it’s Instagram – they’re such seductive things to photograph. They’re so iconic and NSW has so many of them. I think other states are seeing the benefits of them and saying, ‘well, maybe we can do this here’.”

Larkin surveyed 60 of NSW’s ocean and tidal pools, focusing on those facing the ocean to narrow the field down from more than 100. She collated a vast amount of data, including lush photographs and online interactive 3D models, with the idea of providing a public resource to help communities and architects preserve existing pools or build new ones. The project, which began as part of her master’s in architecture degree, was recognised this week with an alumni award for cultural contribution from the University of Sydney.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest An aerial image of the Blue Pool at Bermagui in New South Wales. Photograph: Nicole Larkin

NSW’s tidal pools have been chronicled extensively from cultural and historical standpoints, but this is the first time they have been mapped using 3D modelling software.

“We know they’re important and valued by the community,” says Larkin. “So it’s important to look at them in a methodical and rigorous manner, because when you’re dealing with planning authorities or councils, you need that research and that rigour to be able to make a very clear and concise point. And all of that is very technical and removed from their magic.”

Larkin’s data collection began in 2017 with what sounds like one of the weirdest beach holidays ever: she packed her laptop and a drone camera and hit the Pacific Highway in a camper van. Like a surfer looking for the perfect wave, she was at the mercy of nature: she needed low tide and light winds to get clear photos. Sometimes she had to race to three or four pools in one day to take advantage of perfect conditions. At night in the camper van, she sorted through gigabytes of data and drew sketches.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nicole Larkin says that through her work on tidal pools she is trying to create a base that other people can use as a springboard. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

When the Wild Edge is finally concluded this year, the website will contain exhaustive technical specifications, gorgeous aerial photographs and interactive 3D models of pools from Yamba in the north to Eden in the south.

One page on the website lays out aerial images of all the pools, from the oldest, Newcastle’s Bogey Hole, built by convicts in 1819, to Yamba’s ocean pool, completed in 1969. Seeing the different shapes of translucent verdigris side by side gives a sense of how design can work with nature to create something functional, beautiful and long-lasting.

Many of these pools were built during the Great Depression as unemployment relief schemes and were originally designed for bathers who had not been taught to swim or had a fear of waves or sharks.

Jeff Johnson, a councillor with Ballina on NSW’s north coast, says these issues are still relevant.

“A lot of people have lost a bit of connection with the coast, given reports of drowning and shark attacks,” he says. “We have an ageing demographic and there are young children and tourists. The ocean pools bring a lot of people to the coast to experience an ocean swimming environment without the obvious risks the beaches and the currents have for those who aren’t strong swimmers.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Forster Ocean Baths on the NSW mid-north coast. Photograph: Nicole Larkin

His council has received the final planning reports for a tidal pool and is now looking for funding.

Chlorinated pool complexes have many advantages over ocean pools: they can be built anywhere, making swimming easily accessible to people who don’t live near the coast, they can be heated so they can be used year-round and they are not prone to the ebb and flow of tides. But they are expensive to build and maintain.

Johnson says the recent refurbishments of two such swimming complexes in the Ballina shire cost $7.5m each. The predicted cost of building their new ocean pool and infrastructure is about $4m and maintenance is expected to cost less than $50,000 annually which, he says, is “minuscule considering the longevity of the pool and the huge benefit it will bring”.

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Ocean pools have other advantages too: in times of drought they don’t put a strain on water resources and Larkin says they can be harnessed to mitigate extreme weather events using the principles of coastal resilience design.

While she acknowledges the cultural and historical significance of existing pools, she is excited by the possibilities offered by recent developments in modern coastal engineering and design.

“Most of them are very utilitarian, you know, four concrete walls, and I think there’s beauty in that simplicity. But I wonder how far could we take it. Should we be questioning what an ocean pool does? Can it protect the coastline? Can it be a community hub? Can it do more than just be a safe area to swim in?”

Now that ocean pools have been covered figuratively and literally from every angle, the Wild Edge would seem to be the last word on them. But Larkin demurs.

“I was trying to create a base that other people can use as a springboard. I think there’s a lot to do on the advocacy side and the project was always about creating a base so anyone could do that. So I kind of hope it’s the first word rather than the last word.”

• This article also appears in Guardian Weekly. For a special introductory offer of six issues for $6 visit here

