Rooftop swimming in the city

20 Dec Rooftop swimming in the city

When a friend suggested a swim in a rooftop pool in the city this week, we thought that it would be the perfect way to engage in the festivities. The location was a rooftop just near Treasury Gardens in Melbourne City. My friend booked it for about $7o for the hour. Three of us joined her, up there on the 26th floor. And my, the views were spectacular. It was a very special adventure.

We could see the outlines of the mountains on the outskirts of Melbourne quite well from up there. And even though it was quite windy up there, and a bit chilly out of the water, the pool is heated. So as long as we stayed in it, we were okay!

Party? Another time another place perhaps

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to consume any alcohol up there. It didn’t matter, though, because the weather wasn’t so conducive to lolling about in our swimmers after a swim anyway. The experience opened our minds to the possibilities!

The host was surely stretching the body corporate rules of his building, given that he wasn’t even there, and we were more than two guests. We weren’t sure how he could get away with such a brazen use of common facilities. But we loved the experience.

Afterwards, we went and ate at Fonda. And then a couple of friends extended the adventure by going to Sofitel. From the window in the female bathroom on the 35th floor, they could indeed see the pool that we had just enjoyed!

It was interesting to see the city from a different perspective. Up so high like that, the city almost feels ‘cosy’ with all the buildings gathered around for comfort. I have always thought that I wouldn’t like to live in the CBD because there is a grottiness and bleakness, that I feel can be much improved by living in a quieter, greener, kind of neighbourhood with a more human scale. Sometimes, though, like on days like yesterday, the city does feel like a truly lovely place to be.

And it was a totally unique experience. Calm, serene, fun and breathtaking.