This week while cheering on Aussie swimmers at the Olympics, we were reminded of the story of Maccallum Pool whose story, in a way, started at the Olympics over 120 years ago.

In 1900 at the Paris Olympics, Fred Lane won the 200m freestyle race for Australia. Lane was a resident of Milson Road on Cremorne Point and around 1915 he began using boulders to form a tidal pool.

Through the 1920’s the tidal pool was slowly improved when Hugh Maccallum became responsible for much of the work and for formalising membership of the pool to raise funds for upkeep and to manage use.

The pool was named in Maccallum’s honour when Council assumed control in 1930.

The pool remained tidal until improvements were made following World War Two.

Today it is one of the last of the many public and private swimming enclosures that once dotted the Sydney harbour front.

Read all about North Sydney’s history and discover their walking history tours by clicking the link below: