While we were in Yamba a couple of weeks ago, we dropped in to Angourie to visit the blue and green pools. A famous surfing spot, Angourie's fresh water pools are the result of the quarrying of rock for the Clarence River breakwalls in the 1890s. The pools were created when a spring was disturbed during excavations. The large, deep areas that had been dug out filled with water. And so, the blue and green pools were born. I am not exactly sure how they got their names but I think it is because the water in one pool was always quite blue and in the other tended to be green.
Back in about 1980 when I spent two weeks in Yamba with my uni friends we swam in the blue pool. I remember it was quite a unique and slightly unnerving experience being in such a deep, fresh water pool, just metres from the pounding waves of the ocean. The boys in our group had great fun diving and jumping into the pool from high rock faces around the pool.
Unfortunately it's a different story now. A sign at the start of the bush track that leads down to the pools, says their popularity as swimming holes has decreased in recent times due to water quality problems connected to algal blooms. So we didn't have a swim but both pools are still quite beautiful to look at and spend a few quiet moments beside.
Sad to read that swimming is no longer an option in the pool at Angourie. I clearly remember holidaying in Yamba in 1978, walking along the beach from Yamba to Angourie - those were the days of sunburn and outside staircases up to the holiday flats lined with empty sparkling???! (Obviously can't quite clearly remember at all.)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI recently swam in both pools and they're still a popular attraction but mainly in the warmer months. The only times the signs go up is when there's a bloom of blue-green algae, but most of the time it's all good. Great fun, fresh and nice vertical cliff to jump from :)
That's good to hear. When we were there a couple of years ago I was disappointed to see the no swimming sign as I remembered how lovely it was to swim there back in the early 80s. Enjoy jumping off the cliff.
ReplyDeleteI think the council just put up the no swimming signs to be a bit overly cautious. I live in Yamba and regularly swim there with my children and have had no health problems due to algal blooms.
ReplyDeleteThat's great. It was probably just the time we were there. Glad to hear that it's all go for swimming in Angourie's blue and green pools!
DeleteI go to NSW and reside in Yamba every year. I can't remember most of 2012, but the pool was just fine in 2013.
DeleteThat's great. I think it was just the time we were there that there were problems.
DeleteI went there. Watched people jumping and swimming. No way I was gettin in... Doesn't anyone ever about what may be lurking I these bottomless pits ?
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