Major works are underway to give the Port Wakefield tidal pool a much-needed refresh
Port Wakefield’s historical tidal pool, once home to packed swimming carnivals and visited by Olympic great Dawn Fraser, is about to get one of its biggest clean-outs in years.
Work is now underway on the long-awaited dredging of the tidal swimming pool and replacement of its ageing timber footbridge, breathing new life into a spot that’s been part of Port Wakefield summers for generations.
And that, I can vouch for.
More Than Just A Swimming Spot
For local kids growing up in the highway town, the tidal pool was where everyone learnt to swim and spent hours during the summer holidays.
There were increasingly impressive bombers launched from the ‘jetty’, mud fights and scratched legs from the barnacles wrapped around the wooden ladders.
An old diving board once stood there too, catapulting kids into the murky shallows below.
And if you found one of those mysterious pockets of warm water behind the floodgates, you’d hit the jackpot with your very own salty spa.
But long before those summer days, the tidal pool had a much grander sporting life.
Historical records show swimming carnivals once drew huge crowds to the pool, with spectators lining the banks to watch competitors in the water.
Australian swimming great Dawn Fraser also swam at Port Wakefield, with historical material prepared for the town’s Cultural Connection project featuring a photograph of Fraser alongside Premier Sir Thomas Playford at a swimming carnival in 1959.
Port Wakefield Tidal Pool Sheds Years Of Silt
Now, after years of accumulated sand and silt, the old swimming spot is getting some much-needed attention.
Civil Tech Pty Ltd has been contracted by Wakefield Regional Council to dredge the pool and replace the existing timber footbridge.
Between 1,600 and 2,000 cubic metres of material will be removed, with accumulated deposits measuring up to 400mm deep in some areas.
The existing timber footbridge will also be replaced, while timber from the old bridge will be repurposed, where possible for community projects.
Mayor Rodney Reid said the project had been a long time coming.
“It is significant to finally see this stage of our Port Wakefield Master Plan starting as we’ve already seen the success of reinvigorating Port Wakefield’s main precinct, Edward Street,” Mayor Reid said.
More Reasons To Stop In Wakey
The tidal pool renewal follows the transformation of Edward Street and forms another part of the push to entice motorists travelling the highway to turn into town.
“The new footbridge is a large investment from Council and will enhance the Tidal Pool area, encouraging people to leave the Highway and head into the township, to not only view the pool but the renewed Edward Street as well,” Mayor Reid said.
For a little tidal pool that has hosted swimming carnivals, an Olympic champion and generations of local kids with questionable diving techniques, its next chapter has been a long time coming.
Works are expected to be completed by the end of January.
