Julie Magson always believed Putney park would be a great location for a swimming spot. So much so that she helped convince the local council to turn a section of the riverside park into Putney beach, which opens to the public on Wednesday.
It’s a quiet, unassuming spot bordering western Sydney on the north side of the Parramatta River, far from the hustle and bustle of the city’s traditional swimming spots in the east and north.
“It has a pre-established park, lots of parking and decent facilities. It has good shade from the trees, is semi-enclosed, it’s nice. I liked it,” Magson said.
“It makes a big difference to us locals here, where a drive to a beach in the north or south could be up to an hour long. It gives us somewhere to go.”
In 2019, Magson was part of a group of volunteers the Ryde council took on buses to scope out different locations along the Parramatta River for a new swimming spot.
She said the consensus choice among the volunteers was Putney, a sprawling park framed by tall trees and with a direct view of Breakfast Point across the river.
“I’m glad to see that it is finally open after all these years. I’ll be coming often for a swim. I mean, this is the only free thing you can do in Sydney.”
The beach itself is less “sandy Australian dream” and more “stone steps into the river”, not quite living up to the imaginings that come with naming it Putney beach.
The swimming itself is done in an enclosed part of the river, framed by wooden posts and wire fencing.
And some residents have already taken to the spot, before its official opening, with Alhassan Dauda saying he had come to “test it out”.
“The water is great,” he said as he emerged from his swim. “It’s also quite deep and not as dirty as I thought it would be.”
Dauda lives a short walk from Putney park and says he intends to return soon.
“I’m not sure if it is better than Bondi or the beaches out in the east, but it’s great for right here. It’s just so close to me, why wouldn’t I come back?” he said.
“It’s unfortunate there’s no sand, though, because that is what makes a beach great … but it’s a great spot for kids.”
Local resident Bernadette Collarey brought her mother and three kids to the beach for a swim and said it was “incredibly convenient”.
“Taking the kids to a beach that is over an hour away can be difficult and sometimes you just want something close that is as good.”
She said she had no concerns about the cleanliness of the swimming spot, saying she trusted the council to have cleaned it for swimmers.
“I think the water quality is fine. I dipped in alongside the kids and it was great. I trust they’ve tested it and it’s good to go.”
Ryde council has been working with Sydney Water and the Environment Protection Authority to improve water quality and monitor the health of the river since 2018, with ongoing tests done at Putney since 2019.
A spokesperson for the council said the reaction to the announcement and opening from residents had been “encouraging and enthusiastic”.
“The rising popularity of inland and in-river swim sites throughout Sydney shows that there is a real need for free, public swimming spaces in areas where access to ocean beaches may be difficult when considering travel times, tolls and parking expenses,” they said.
The key motivation behind opening the beach was to provide “community access to free options for cooling”.
“Not everyone has access to be able to freely cool down during these periods, especially with rising cost-of-living pressures,” the spokesperson said.
“The Putney site will play a small but vital role in providing local infrastructure for safe access for all community and reduce these risks into the future.”
The council had been working with the Parramatta River Catchment Group, an alliance of local and state government agencies and community groups working together to improve the Parramatta River.
A spokesperson for the group said developing swimming spots along the river was a long-term goal that takes extensive collaborative work to enhance water quality.
They said the group was looking at opening another swimming spot at Bedlam Bay in Gladesville, as well as working with Inner West council to assess spots at Callan Park in Lilyfield and Mort Bay in Birchgrove.