Tawarri Reception Centre

The Hot Pool

The Hot Pool was a concrete swimming pool, fed by an artesian hot spring and filled up during the mid-1950s.

 

It's hardly surprising considering the extent of vandalism the pool had experienced throughout the years and not only by boys but men as well, according to foreman W Anderson of the Nedlands Road Board. Some of the damage included:

• The door of the bore house had been ripped off and burnt,

• Eight sheets of iron removed from the building and taken away,

• A six inch asbestos pipe leading into the river had been broken,

• A nine inch concrete overflow pipe had been blocked by vandals "pushing pieces of weather boards, three stakes, bamboos, stones and bottles into a pit"

• The guard rails and posts leading down to the pool had been chopped up by what appeared to have been an axe

• Weatherboards had been torn off the sheds and used to light fires inside a building

• Holes had been smashed into the roof to allow the fire's smoke out

• Much of the grass and trees planted near the pool had been torn out by cyclists and motorcyclists.

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It was common for bands of youth to partake in drunken parties at the swimming pool, well into the morning as late as 4am. Though judging from the reputation of the pool, even during the early evenings, it was a place for flirting, drinking and risqué behaviour.

 

According to Tony Brand, sometime after the hot springs was filled up, it re-emerged some distance away.

 

The Dome

The Dome is the building that housed the social functions, although the clear view of the simple reinforced concrete shell design has since been lost amidst the additional buildings that were later constructed around it.

 

Tony Brand provided the original design whilst he was an architectural student working for the firm Forbes and Fitzhardinge. William Barton (1913-2006) prepared the structural design so that G K Watson could construct it.

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In 1961, the Dome was severely damaged by fire as a result of arson and was reported as being uninsured. Owner Ernst van Reesma subsequently moved to New South Wales.

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Tawarri Reception Centre

In 1964, the venue was rebuilt using the original Dome Shell by its new owners, Mr and Mrs Anderson and architecturally designed by Forbes and Fitzhardinge. The function centre was established under the name of Tawarri, an Aboriginal name for 'evening breeze'.

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Today the land sits on a site owned by the Crown ('A' class reserve), which has the greatest degree of protection, requiring community input and both Houses of Parliament to facilitate amendments to the land. This classification is used solely to "protect areas of high conservation or high community value".

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Development

The $25 redevelopment proposal took Claremont Hotel proprietor and FJM Property principal Barry Jones three years to be given the green light for his proposal.

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The development application, for a luxury wellness retreat, comprising of "pools, saunas, a restaurant and café" is being touted as "a world-class tourism drawcard", which could potentially attract as many as 140,000 people annually.