Manuka Pool turns 95 this summer and even though it was scraped together on a reduced budget during the depression using day labour, it has never leaked (Civic Pool had a history of leaks and at one stage lost about 19 million litres of water every two weeks).

Even more surprising is that it didn't have a name for more than two decades. There's a Canberra joke that if your mobile phone breaks it doesn't matter because there's only a few places your mates could be and that's why Manuka Pool was just "the swimming pool" - it was the only pool 95 years ago.

They don't make pools like they used to and Manuka Pool was a bargain at 10,000 pounds. It may be a little quirky at only 30.48 metres in length (due to it being built in the old imperial measurement of 100 feet) but the locals love it.

There's no "slow" or "fast" lanes for lap-swimmers, the regulars just work it out for themselves.

Back in the day, hundreds of spectators would turn out to watch swimming competitions between the posh swimmers who lived in Red Hill and the working class swimmers who lived in Kingston.

These fierce rivalries (the championship scoreboard alternated fairly evenly between the two sides over the decades) were sometimes broadcast live on local radio station 2CA.

The lawns stashed in the 1950s are reminiscent of your quintessential Aussie backyard and the pool tiles are all cut in inches (during the 2019 upgrade, new tiles had to be sourced from the Czech Republic because of the imperial measurements).

The fashions have changed drastically since the conservative 1930s (no budgie smugglers or G-strings back then) and according to vice-president of Friends of Manuka Pool, Rebecca Scouller, the dress regulations were strictly enforced.

"Back in the day they would have worn the old woollen swimsuits, with the men required to have their chests covered," said Rebecca, who started swimming at Manuka 15 years ago. "They used to have inspectors to make sure your swimwear was appropriate otherwise you could be issued a fine or expelled from the pool."

Despite these prudish dress rules, Manuka Pool was quite risqué as it was one of the first pools in Australia to have mixed-gender swimming. How scandalous.

"Before Manuka Pool was built, people swam in the Molonglo River [prior to the lake being filled] in front of the old gasworks because the water was warmer," Rebecca said. "But with that they then discovered that it was a little bit polluted and then that became a push for Canberra to have a swimming pool."

The original plans for Manuka Pool were much grander - a clubhouse and two pools - with a planned investment of 25,000 pounds. However, the depression put paid to that. Regardless, its art-deco design is gorgeous with its shells at the entrance and the unicorn centre-piece of the wading pool, sculpted by Danish artist Otto Stein in 1962.

As soon as Civic Pool came along in 1955, Canberrans decided that "the swimming pool" had better be christened "Manuka Pool" to avoid confusion.

To celebrate its 95 birthday, Manuka Pool has a swag of fun events, including the unveiling of the rediscovered Canberra Amateur Swimming Club's long-lost Champion's Board; a heritage walk; book launch and panel discussion. For the full program, visit friendsofmanukapool.org