In 1897 thoughts turned to having suitable saltwater swimming baths for the Richmond community.
With the coming event of the Queens Diamond Jubilee a celebration programme was arranged with proceeds to go towards the building of the baths.
A grand day of celebrations was organised, and consisted of a procession of Societies, the Fire Brigade, school children and the Mayor and Councillors, leaving from the railway station to Richmond Park.
In the evening a lecture was given by Archdeacon Wright. Two days later a grand kinderspiel, ‘Dan the Newsboy, under the supervision of Mrs May, took place with over 80 performers.
On the doors opening a great rush ensued and when the hall and all the side rooms were filled, the windowsills outside were soon occupied, people standing upright and viewing the proceedings through the top windows, which were opened as widely as possible.
Such was the success that £33 was raised for the baths. By December it was confirmed that the swimming baths would go ahead with enough funding raised and it was predicted they would be a huge acquisition for the township.
The baths were constructed on the beach near the Richmond Railway Station and were opened on the 29th of December 1897.
Specifications were 90 feet long and 45 feet wide with a depth of about 7 feet deep at the lower end, gradually shallowing to around 3.5 feet at the upper end.
The area had been excavated out to make for a deeper pool.
In order to ensure the baths could fill earlier there was a ditch dug for half a mile or more into the estuary so that when the tide was coming in the baths would fill up before the tide covered the surrounding area.
A paling fence was constructed around to protect swimmers from dangerous sealife.
Dressing rooms were built, and the baths were connected by a high footbridge from the shore.
A notice board was put in place specifying that men and women would bath separately and times were given to ladies and gentlemen respectively.
By 1914 it appears that the baths had fallen into a state of ruin and attempts were made to get the council to visit the site to see what could be done.
At their February meeting it was proposed that the baths should be thoroughly renovated and put in good order and that anyone found defacing or destroying the property would be prosecuted. Cr. Rose stated that the condition of the place was a disgrace to the council and that as the public had raised money for the erection of the baths it was surely the Council’s duty to keep them in repair. In reply, Cr. Ingram said that he would not throw away ratepayers money in doing them up for individuals to deliberately damage them again.
An amendment was made to hold the proposal in abeyance until the following season.
Records do not tell if the baths were repaired and eventually they deteriorated and became a thing of the past.
