Glades Bay Baths

The Glades Bay public baths were opened at the end of Ross Street in 1909. Although women and girls could swim in the baths, they were restricted to certain times of the week, as a set of laws at the time prevented mixed bathing. They existed until at least the 1950s. Council minutes from 28 May 1940 described that Council had by that time removed all the buildings associated with the Glades Bay baths due to pollution but did not have sufficient funds to remove the baths themselves. It is unclear whether the baths’ users at that time were afforded access along the foreshore and into what was to become Glades Bay Park for general recreation.

The remains of the Glades Bay Baths are located at the end of Ross Street, Gladesville, and formerly extended into Glades Bay. The general area is now a public bayside track, accessible from the end of Ross Street via a set of informal stone steps. The track leads west down a short slope towards the water then turns north to continue around Glades Bay. The baths’ remnants can be found adjacent to this track. The site is also adjacent to the rear of a number of two-storey waterfront private residential properties, at 99 to 103 Western Crescent.