At Gladesville’s new swimming spot, you can check the water quality before diving in

Before taking a dip at Sydney’s newest swimming spot, people will be able to check the water quality for any nasties.

Bedlam Bay in Gladesville was opened last Friday by Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles and NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson. 

Given Parramatta River’s history of polluted water, swimmers could be forgiven for treading warily. To this end, Sydney Water is encouraging people to check water quality before wading in at its Urban Plunge website.

Sydney Water has monitored water quality at Bedlam Bay since 2020, and water samples are collected weekly during the swim season of October to April, and monthly throughout the rest of the year.

“As a general precaution, swimming in Sydney’s harbour and river sites should be avoided for up to three days after rainfall or for as long as stormwater pollution is present,” Sydney Water said. 

“The most obvious signs of stormwater pollution are water discolouration as well as debris in the water and on the tide line.”

More than $500,000 of state funding went into the project, which has been coordinated by  Hunters Hill Council. The money has been spent on the installation of shark nets and a life buoy. 

Miles said Bedlam Bay has been used for swimming “as far back as 1866”. At the time, the bay was used by patients at the local psychiatric hospital.

This sandstone complex sitting just above the bay — at the time named the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum — was constructed in 1838 and designed by the penal colony chief architect, Mortimer Lewis. 

According to one of the facility’s supervisors — Frederic Norton Manning — the asylum was “prison-like and gloomy” and patients were kept isolated from their families. Parts of the asylum are still visible today, now covered in overgrowth.