Harbourside Beaches 2023 Water Quality Report Released

Each year the NSW Government releases a water quality report which monitors the water quality of 228 NSW swimming sites. You can read the full The State of the Beaches Report 2022 – 2023 here.

The confirmation of excellent water quality at almost all our beaches, up from 94% in 2021 to 2022 is a welcome result given the wet weather and flooding experienced over the reporting period. Many coastal areas experienced their wettest July on record, and more heavy rain and flooding through winter and in spring.

The report also looks at harbourside beaches.

Greenwich Baths, and Woodford Bay were rated good.

Tambourine Bay was rated poor (it was rated poor last year).

Lane Cove Council maintains a number of Gross Pollutant Traps in the catchment area to reduce the impact of stormwater on the waterways.

 

Greenwich Baths

Greenwich Baths is a popular swimming spot in the Lane Cove Council area and they also run a beach safety programme. The Baths have a netted swimming area and a sandy beach.

You can book the water safety programme here.

Tambourine Bay

Tambourine Bay is in the lower Lane Cove River. The swimming enclosure has been removed and a beautiful picnic area has now.  It was rated poor.

Woodford Bay

Woodford Bay has been a popular swimming spot for kids.

The first record of contact between the British and the Cameraygal people took place at Woodford Bay on 14 February 1790.

Woodford Bay/Lucretia Bathis is one of the 3 remaining examples of timber “shark” paling harbourside baths left in Sydney.

It is currently closed due to the condition of the palings – find out more here.

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Northbridge Baths

Many Lane Cove families like to swim at Northbridge Baths.

Northbridge Baths Bay was downgraded last year to Poor due to a decline in microbial water quality.  It was rated poor again this year.

Swimming After Rain

The most important message to take away from this report is that swimming in harbourside water areas after rain is not a good idea.