Swimming Sydney: A tale of 52 swims

A love letter to the swimming spots of Sydney.

Swimming Sydney is a tale of 52 swims in and around Sydney that take place over a calendar year. From Palm Beach to Cronulla, Mount Druitt to Bondi, Chris Baker swims at iconic beaches, municipal pools, harbour enclosures, tidal rock pools, bushland lakes and a backyard pool.

Taking his weekly plunges, Baker swims with the many tribes of Sydney – kids learning to swim, a septuagenarian aqua-aerobics class, a Saturday morning LGBTQIA+ swim squad, asylum seekers finding refuge in a Western Sydney pool – and reflects on friendship, history, family and how swimming can help us understand ourselves, our city and our island nation.

Swimming Sydney is a valentine to the beautiful obsession of swimming in the world’s most picturesque city. It’s a book for everyone who loves swimming, who loves Sydney and who understands that storytelling is the best way to navigate life’s emotional currents.

Abouth the author

Chris Baker is a lifelong swimmer, educator and writer who was born and raised in Sydney. He has spent much of his professional life overseas, living and working in Vancouver, Prague, Hong Kong and Berlin. Chris was lured back to Sydney by its beautiful beaches, superb municipal pools, wild swimming holes and world-famous ocean baths. His favourite swimming venue in the world is Wylie’s Baths in south Coogee.

Chris Baker
Published November 2024
Paperback
272 pages
210mm x 135mm
ISBN 9781761170270