Ocean pools are inclusive, convivial public places imbued with strong sense of place, heritage and a commitment to healthy outdoor life. The cultural and community importance of ocean pools is evidenced by:
- the users and uses of these pools,
- the community readiness to mobilise to counter threats to ocean pools or campaign to have ocean pools developed,
- the popularity of these pools as subjects for photographers and other artists,
- the use of ocean pools in tourist promotions and advertising, and
- the formal recognition at local, state/provincial or national levels of the heritage significance of some ocean pools.
Artworks in the form of murals, mosaics and statues further enhance the appeal of a few ocean pools. Those artworks are usually on the landward side of the pool, unlike these graceful statues sited on the seaward side of the ocean pool at Fairy Bower on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
