When we were kids back in the 1930’s we would go down to the local creek (North Deep Creek), to the swimming hole particularly if it was a hot day. It was just below the Pengelly’s Bridge.

The swimming hole was in part man made as a large sandbank had been made with proper wooden decks around the side of the swimming hole. In summer if you looked out all you could see was heads – everybody was in the water trying to cool off. One of the biggest jokes was to pinch the other kids clothes. Back then we did not have togs, we all would just swim in the nude. We would go down to the creek after school strip off our clothes and leave them under the trees on the bank. We would then swim around with no clothes on and when you were not looking someone would pinch your clothes and put them up next to the road. So that you would have to walk up to the road naked to retrieve them.

There was also a diving platform put in to the bank of the Mary River just below where Albert Park is located. They would run swimming competitions and had wooden decks for the champions to stand on. They also had big long ropes for the line dividers. These were kept rolled up until there were needed. When a competition was on one end was attached to one side of the bank and the other was dragged through the water and tied off on the other side of the bank.

C. Kunst