McIver Women's Baths

When Captain James Cook, and later the First Fleet, landed on Botany Bay, they encountered the Eora people, a vast and complex Aboriginal group of family and kin relations. "Their territory spread from the Georges River and Botany Bay in the south to Port Jackson, north to Pittwater at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River and west along the river to Parramatta".[2] The coast and harbour were particularly important environments for the Aboriginal people of the Eora group, being an abundant source for fishing, food gathering and recreation. It has been reported that the site now occupied by the McIver Women's Baths, had long been used by the local Aboriginal women for bathing (the men frequenting the northern side of Coogee Beach). Whether or not these statements hold some truths, it is widely understood that the coastal environment was of great importance to the lifestyle of the Eora people.[1]

There is considerable evidence to suggest that the early colonists regularly used the harbour for bathing. The hot climate and ready accessibility to the water made recreational bathing increasingly attractive and the activity was further encouraged by the British medical profession of the day proclaiming the therapeutic benefits of bathing in salt water and in the open air. Although a socially accepted pastime, bathing (particularly by men) was often conducted in the nude which resulted in moral concerns as early as 1810. In an effort to discourage naked bathing in open places where respectable people (primarily women and children) could take offence, Governor Macquarie released an edict declaring that "a very indecent and improper custom having lately prevailed of soldiers, sailors and inhabitants of the town bathing themselves at all hours of the day at the Government Wharf and also in the dock-yard, His Excellency, the NSW Governor, directs and commands that no person shall bathe at either of these places in the future, at any hours of the day".[3] Despite these early restrictions, the activity remained a popular and fashionable pastime in the colony.[1]

Further efforts to regulate the practice came with the construction of the first public bathing house in the Domain in 1826. Open only to men, the establishment of a women's bathing house soon followed in the 1830s. Despite officially establishing enclosed venues where people could undress and bathe in a private and concealed space, the "menace" of open bathers continued, finally resulting in laws being made in 1833 prohibiting bathing "near to or within view of any public wharf, quay or bridge, street, road or other public resort within the limits of the towns between the hours of six in the morning and eight o'clock in the evening".[4] Unlike Governor Macquarie's previous edict, any transgressions of this Act carried a fine of one pound - a sizeable amount to the working man of the day.[1]

As well as enforcing the notion of public decency and modesty, restricting swimming also served to protect open water bathers from the threat of sharks in the harbour. With the colony developing in (what is now) the centre of Sydney, the early industries were actively discharging waste and pollution directly into the harbour thus attracting a greater number of sharks. Ultimately, "with the threat of "finny fiends", a hot climate, the growing influence of the "respectable" middle classes, a wider enjoyment of spare money and leisure time, plus a widespread belief in the efficacy of salt-water bathing and the virtues of exercise, the construction of swimming pools increased apace".[5][1]

Coogee, having quickly become known for its beach environment, was soon attracting visitors and permanent residents prior to its gazettal as a village in 1838. With its growing population, there were reports that the baths were already in use as early as the 1830s. Up until this point, the women in the colony had been restricted in their usage of the various men's pools around Sydney (often limited to certain days of the week and even certain hours of the day), but the popularity of this naturally occurring and sheltered rock pool led to it being developed by Randwick Council and officially opened as 'women's-only' baths in 1876. Having been excavated to an appropriate depth and enclosed with concrete walls, the baths were now a designated area where women could bathe in a private place.[1]

As well as being the only legal form in which people could swim during daylight hours, ocean and harbour baths were also valued by the community as a smooth and calm swimming environment that provided security against drowning. At the time, despite great popularity as a form of physical recreation and exercise, few colonists had any regard for water safety or could even swim. In the early 19th century, drowning was a "major concern in a colony that relied heavily on water transport and where men, women and children with few swimming skills habitually wore heavy clothing that increased their risk of drowning".[6] As the notion of bathing evolved into the activity of swimming, lifesaving skills became regarded as a community, as well as personal, improvement. The early Australian beach culture had begun.[1]

The evolution of swimming coincided with the widespread inclusion of swimming lessons in the school curriculum for girls in NSW. Sport was promoted as a physical balance to the mental activities of the school day but swimming, in particular, was encouraged as a graceful and respectful exercise for women to pursue. The sport was one that posed little to no threat to the established social expectations required of women in the late 19th century. Swimming was seen to have the virtue of disguising the body under water while hiding any outward appearances of power, endurance or physical exertion. With the usual undesirable effects of exercise effectively hidden from public view, the pure Victorian image of womanhood was maintained.[1]

At the turn of the century, although swimming was growing in popularity, the activity was still restricted by the day-light hours ban that had been in place since 1833. The successful stand against these regulations came in September 1902 when William Gocher (editor of the Manly and North Sydney News) made it his personal crusade to publicly disobey the ban. At noon on three successive Sundays, Gocher entered the ocean at Manly Beach and on the third occasion was arrested in front of some 1000 spectators. This action led to a liberalisation of the law in 1903, with the condition that all swimmers over eight years old wore neck-to-knee bathing costumes. Other conditions of the rescinded ban were that bathers had to leave the beach immediately after swimming and that there was to be no gender mixing or socialisation with members of the "dressed" public.[1]

Around this same period, the McIver Women's Baths underwent a change in its management. Previously, the responsibility of developing and maintaining the baths had been extended by the State Government to Randwick Council under the Municipal Baths Act 1896. However, from 1918, management of the site went into the hands of private operators, Robert and Rose McIver, who developed the baths into the form maintained today. Rose McIver (alongside Mina Wylie, Bella O'Keefe and members of the Mealing and Wickham families) also had a significant role in the establishment of the Randwick and Coogee Ladies Amateur Swimming Club. When established in 1923, the club took over the McIver's lease of the site and has managed the baths ever since.[1]

During this period, swimming as a competitive sport was growing in popularity. For both participants and spectators, swimming was an uncomplicated, low cost event with high entertainment value. Although swimming competitions were not held at the McIver Women's Baths (due, in part, to its short and irregular shape), it was the venue where a number of significant female swimmers first learnt their craft. As young girls, Sarah "Fanny" Durack and Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie frequented the baths and both went on to become the first women to win gold and silver medals at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games (the first games that allowed women to participate in swimming competition - the 100m freestyle).[1]

In the lead up to the Olympics, Durack and Wylie's bid to participate was severely threatened by the gender segregation that remained prevalent at swimming venues across NSW. In the early 20th century, the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association (NSWASA) was the central controlling body for competitive swimming but, needing increasing attention, women's sport was soon administered by the newly-created New South Wales Ladies Amateur Swimming Association (NSWLASA) in 1906.[1]

Under the conservative feminist leadership of Rose Scott, the NSWLASA maintained strict segregation at the McIver Women's Baths (including forbidding male relatives as spectators) as well as regulating swimming costumes for the female competitors. The NSWLASA's active withdrawal of women's swimming competition from the public domain and the strict conditions enforced, caused increasing public decent in the community and, by 1912, by popular demand, segregation at competitive swimming events was abandoned.[1]

Despite the end of segregated competition, the McIver Women's Baths were one of the few to retain its gender-specific use during a time when segregated swimming clubs were amalgamating. Operated by the Randwick Coogee Ladies Amateur Swimming Club since 1923, the baths continue to be a popular swimming venue for a variety of women, including older women, women with disabilities, the Catholic and Islamic community and those who prefer to swim in privacy.[1]

In 1995, to reflect its importance to the female community, the site was granted an exemption under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 for a period of 25 years. This has served to cement its purpose as a women's-only area and it is a quality that has widespread support from the women that continue to regularly use this site.[1]

This site has remained in active use since the 1870s (although there are reports of use as early as the 1830s). Having been exposed to the natural ocean environment and the coastal weather patterns for this period of time, the weather has had a definitive effect on the condition of the baths and the physical fabric of the site. These effects have seen the fabric repaired, renewed or replaced on a number of occasions to ensure that the condition of the baths remain acceptable for its use to continue.[1]

The integrity of this site derives, in part, from its natural origins on the rock platform. However, the fabric of the baths and the adjoining facilities has been compromised by the unrelenting coastal environmental factors that surround the site. These effects have seen the fabric repaired, renewed or replaced on a number of occasions.[1] The primary objective of listing the McIver Women's Baths is not to conserve the original or in situ fabric. The replacement or repair (where appropriate) of the in situ fabric will allow the site to continue to be used by the community and it will serve to protect the inherent privacy of the location.[1] The strong conditions of the coastal environment has seen the adjoining fabric (the railings, fences and amenities buildings) already repaired and replaced on a number of occasions. The intention of the listing is not to conserve the current fabric but to see it replaced (when necessary) to ensure thebaths continue to be used.[1]

• "NSW Ocean Baths".
• Barnard, Jill. Jetties and Piers: A background history of maritime infrastructure in Victoria.
• Booth, Douglas (2001). Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf.
• Brombey, Hazel; Daly, Maurie (1996). Randwick and Coogee Amateur Swimming Club 1896-1996.
• Clarkson, Alan (1990). Lanes of Gold: 100 years of The NSW Amateur Swimming Association.
• Cumes, J. W. C. (1979). Their chastity was not too rigid: Leisure times in early Australia.
• Curby, Pauline (2009). Randwick.
• EJE Landscape Landscape Architects; Ludlow, Christa (1994). Survey of Harbourside and Ocean Pools of the Sydney Metropolitan Region: Report and inventory sheets.
• Huntsman, Leone (2001). Sand in Our Souls: The beach in Australian history.
• Lynch, W. B.; Larcombe, F. A. (1976). Randwick: 1859-1976.
• Mackenzie, Joanna (1991). Sydney’s Ocean Rock Baths: From Port Hacking to Pittwater (Dissertation).
• McDermott, M. L. (2003). Heritage Significance of Kiama’s Pair of Ocean Baths.
• Mayne-Wilson, Warwick (2001). ‘Coastal rock platform swimming pools as heritage’ in 'Heritage Landscapes: Understanding place and communities’.
• Raszeja, Veronica (1992). A Decent and Proper Exertion: The rise of women’s competitive swimming in Sydney to 1912.
• State Library of New South Wales (2006). Eora: Mapping Aboriginal Sydney 1770-1850.
• Stell, Marion K. (1991). Half the Race: A history of Australian women in sport.

This Wikipedia article was originally based on McIver Women's Baths, entry number 01869 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.