British traveller shocked over ‘privilege’ detail in Queensland: ‘I’ve never seen it in my life’

Australians are accustomed to the idea that outdoor amenities such as playgrounds, parks, basketball courts, outdoor picnic BBQs and even some public pools are maintained by the local council and available for anyone to use – for free.

So, when a young British traveller happened upon the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon in Queensland, he was baffled that a facility like this was not only in excellent condition, but that it cost absolutely nothing to access.

Joe Leggett, who recently visited Australia for the very first time, explained in a video that he and his travel group had arrived in Cairns in the evening and went for ‘a quick walk just to take a little look around’.

‘And then we walked past [the Lagoon] and I was like, “Oh, what hotel does that pool belong to?”‘

It was at this point that the Englishman learned that ‘this huge swimming pool here is just free to use.’

‘What do you mean there’s a swimming pool that anyone can just use? Imagine this in the UK,’ he said. 

‘Look at it. All of this is just to use for free whenever you want,’ a stunned Joe said in the video shared to his @joeleggettx account. ‘It’s crazy!’

Joe told Daily Mail that he had ‘never’ in his life encountered ‘a free-to-use swimming pool before’ and that ‘back home we have swimming pools in leisure centres that you have to pay to use’.

Joe laughed as he told Daily Mail that if swimming pools  were free to access in the UK, everyone would ‘probably ruin it’.

In his video, Joe commented on how lucky locals were to have this pool available to use anytime they wanted.

‘This just baffles my mind, because I can’t ever imagine just going for a quick little walk and then just having a little dip. We used to sit in fields with our BMXs after school. The school kids here finish school, and they go for a f***ing swim.’

The free swimming facility wasn’t the only thing that blew Joe’s mind. He was also stunned to discover nearby public barbecue stations, which were also free to use.

‘You just bring your own food and have a barbecue,’ he said. 

His final assessment? ‘Oh, I want to move here!’

Joe’s post, which was shared across both his Instagram and TikTok accounts, quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of views. 

But a pervasive message among the hundreds of replies came from Aussies, who were quick to explain there was a very important reason why the free pool facility in Cairns existed.

‘Up north you need the pools… because you can’t swim in the ocean,’ read one reply.

‘There’s crocodiles, jellyfish, sharks, crocodiles again,’ helpfully added another.

‘It’s hot as hell in North Queensland [but] you can’t swim in the ocean in summer because something will kill you – so you need the public pool.’

Although there was a valid explanation as to why a free public pool was available and maintained by council, a number of replies pointed out that this was still a privilege many Aussies take for granted.

‘People who are saying, “[The pool] is only there because the ocean is ‘dangerous,'” are missing the point. Having this awesome stuff provided from our taxes is wild, hardly anywhere else does this.’

‘The great thing about Oz is that, as far as public amenities go, we can see where our taxes are going,’ agreed another person.

Several Brits chimed in on this point, with one pointing out that they lived near ‘a dangerous estuary with very quick tides’, adding that they would never dream of their council providing a free alternative swimming spot.

A similar reply explained: ‘Australians here are so cute saying, “It’s because you can’t swim there.” [Do] you know how many coastal places in the UK and Asia exist where you also can’t swim?! They don’t build community pools there. Aussies don’t realise the community infrastructure – pools, BBQs, toilets, playgrounds, parks – is nothing short of impressive and amazing.’

‘It’s just LEAGUES ahead of literally anything we get provided in the UK,’ agreed another British citizen.

Many Aussies replying to Joe’s video explained that the free pool set-up also wasn’t an isolated instance in Cairns.

A number of replies noted that similar free public pools as well as water parks are located all around Australia – but particularly in Queensland.

The renowned Streets Beach in Southbank was one such location repeatedly praised as an incredible free public pool. The Airlie Beach Lagoon was also named as a popular bathing spot.

Other Queensland locations named as examples were Settlement Cove Lagoon in Redcliffe, Orion Lagoon in Springfield and even the main pool on Hamilton Island.

Several replies also noted that many of the east coast beaches have free ocean pools for people who want to do lap swimming or avoid the waves.

Meanwhile, Joe’s excitement over the free BBQ surprised Aussies, who admitted to taking this widely available public resource for granted.

‘Your parks don’t have free BBQs?’ puzzled one Aussie.

‘BBQs in parks are just normal – I didn’t realise other people didn’t have that,’ added another.

‘Everyone has the right to a dip and a Barbie!’ laughingly added another response.

Ultimately, several Aussies saw this video as a timely reminder that they ‘take a lot for granted’ living in this country.

‘I forget how good we have it sometimes,’ mused one reply.

Others wholeheartedly understood how small things like this might be the tipping point that makes overseas visitors like Joe want to make Australia their permanent home.

‘Welcome to Straya mate! Now the toughest part is resisting moving here.’