Media Release | Rowing NSW: Callan Park Not the Right Place for a Pool
Published Thu 21 Aug 2025
Sydney, 21 August 2025
Rowing NSW has expressed strong concern about the proposal for a tidal pool at Callan Park, stating that the location is unsuitable and poses serious risks to safety, inclusivity, and heritage.
“We are not opposed to new community swimming facilities in Sydney, but Callan Park is not the right location for them,” said Rowing NSW CEO Melissa Ashton-Garard. “This stretch of water is a sheltered part of Iron Cove and has been used for generations as the safe entry point for para rowers, beginners, and school students learning the sport. Placing a tidal pool here undermines safe shared use of the water for both swimmers and rowers.”
Iron Cove is home to the largest community rowing clubs in Australia and supports hundreds of rowers every day, particularly in the summer months. It is also the site of Sydney’s only remaining surveyed rowing course, still free to access, and has hosted a novice regatta series for more than 100 years.
The Community Rowing Club, which recently received Council approval for its own facilities with a strong focus on para rowing, will be directly impacted if this safe training area is lost.
Rowing NSW acknowledged that Council engaged in consultation and made design adjustments, but said the core problem remains unresolved: the location is not compatible with existing passive water users.
“Iron Cove holds enormous value for the community, but the Callan Park tidal pool proposal ignores its heritage and puts at risk the activities of long-standing clubs that have operated here for over a century. The solution is to find a more appropriate location that supports swimming without undermining other users.”
Importantly, approvals should not be rushed or granted until full safety, heritage, and environmental assessments are properly undertaken.”