Moree Baths and Swimming Pool, Heritage-listed swimming pool complex in Moree, Australia.
Moree Baths and Swimming Pool is a heritage-listed public swimming complex on Anne Street in Moree, New South Wales. It has three tiled pools, and its water comes from the Great Artesian Basin, arriving warm without artificial heating. The site is listed on the Australian National Heritage List.
In February 1965, Sydney University students led by Charles Perkins brought the Freedom Ride to Moree, where by-laws barred Aboriginal people from the baths. Protests at the pool drew national media coverage and helped build support for the 1967 referendum, which let the federal government legislate for Aboriginal people. The site joined the Australian National Heritage List on 6 September 2013.
The 1965 Freedom Ride made the baths a national symbol: Charles Perkins led Sydney University students to challenge the ban on Aboriginal swimmers, and the resulting publicity helped build support for the 1967 referendum. Lyall Munro Snr and the Moree Aboriginal Advancement Committee had long campaigned against the same restrictions.
The baths sit on Anne Street in Moree, in north-western New South Wales. The complex holds three tiled pools, and the water comes from the town's artesian springs, so it stays warm without artificial heating. Check opening hours before travelling, as the pools operate on set public sessions rather than around the clock.
The Moree baths were the site of a successful protest by Aboriginal Australians during the Freedom Ride in February 1965, when Charles Perkins and Sydney University students challenged the ban on Aboriginal people using the pool. The site was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 6 September 2013.
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