Newcastle Museum will delve into one the city's most intriguing pieces of coastal history as part of a new exhibition exploring the rise and disappearance of the iconic World Pool.
Newcastle's Lost World features rarely seen photographs, community-loaned objects and large-scale historic images that illuminate a much-loved chapter of Newcastle's past.
Young Mariners' Pool, Rose Stereograph co negative, c. 1937 is among the historic photos being displayed in the Newcastle's Lost World exhibition at Newcastle Museum, courtesy of Greg and Sylvia Ray.
The World Pool, also historically referred to as the Young Mariner's Pool, was located adjacent to the Newcastle Ocean Baths and is better known to many Novocastrians today as the Canoe Pool.
It was built in 1937 as Newcastle's first dedicated children's paddling and model yacht pool and featured red and green coloured concrete continents to represent a map of the world.
Newcastle Museum Director Julie Baird said the free exhibition reflects the community's long-standing fascination with the coastal asset.
"The World Pool holds a special place in Newcastle's collective memory and people have been talking about it for generations," Ms Baird said.
"This exhibition delves into why the pool was created, how it captivated the city and the ways Novocastrians used and connected with our coastal swimming spaces from the 1930s to the 1970s.
"This exhibition reconnects our community with a unique piece of our coastal story and celebrates the Novocastrians who have kept its history alive. We invite visitors to wander through and gain a new perspective on a site that continues to spark curiosity and nostalgia."
While the map was a popular feature of the pool, damage from sand washing in during storms and increasing maintenance demands led to its gradual deconstruction through the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Small remnants of the continents remain today and can occasionally be seen when enough sand is naturally washed out of the pool.
The exhibition includes images sourced through passionate Newcastle historians Greg and Sylvia Ray, founders of the Photo Time Tunnel and custodians of one of the region's most significant photographic archives.
Many of the photographs, captured by former Newcastle Herald photographers and digitised from the original negatives, have never been displayed publicly as enlarged exhibition prints.
Objects loaned by community members and groups further enrich the exhibition, including women's swimwear from the 1930s, model pond yachts, postcards and letters from the early to mid-1900s.
Newcastle's Lost World is now open and will remain on display at Newcastle Museum until 15 February 2026. Entry is free.
