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 barbecues and even some public pools are maintained by the local council and are available for free use by anyone.

When a young British traveler came across the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon in Queensland, he was stunned that not only was such a facility in excellent condition, but it also cost absolutely nothing to access.

Joe Leggett, who recently visited Australia for the first time, explained it this way: video He said he and his travel group arrived in Cairns in the evening and went for ‘a quick walk just to look around a bit’.

‘And then we passed by [the Lagoon] And I said, “Oh, which hotel does this pool belong to?” ‘ I thought.’

At this point, the Englishman learned that ‘the use of this huge swimming pool here is completely free’.

‘What do you mean when you say there is a swimming pool that everyone can use? “Imagine this in England,” he said.

‘Look at this. “All of this you can use for free whenever you want,” a stunned Joe said in the video he shared with his friends. @joeleggettx bill. ‘This is crazy!’

Joe told the Daily Mail that he had “never before” in his life come across a “free-to-use swimming pool” and that “at home we have swimming pools in leisure centers that you have to pay to use”.

Englishman Joe Leggett recently visited Australia for the first time. While in Cairns, he was stunned to learn that the beautiful Cairns Esplanade Lagoon is a public facility and completely free for everyone to use.

Cairns Esplanade Lagoon is one of many free outdoor swimming facilities in Queensland

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

In his video, Joe explained how lucky locals are to be able to use this pool whenever they want.

‘This confuses me because I can never imagine going for a short walk and then diving into some water. After school we would sit in the fields with our BMXs. School kids here finish school and go swimming.’

The free swimming facility wasn’t the only thing that blew Joe’s mind. He was also surprised to discover nearby public barbecue stations. These stations could also be used free of charge.

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

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

Joe’s post shared on both Instagram and Instagram tiktok their account quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

But one common message among the hundreds of responses came from Australians, who were quick to explain that the free pool facility in Cairns is a very important reason why it exists.

‘You need pools in the north… because you can’t swim in the ocean,’ one response said.

“There are alligators, jellyfish, sharks, alligators again,” another added.

A. video In a post shared on Joe’s social media accounts, he explained that in addition to being impressed by the public pools provided by the council, he was also impressed by the free barbecues nearby.

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

While there is a valid explanation for why a free public pool exists and is maintained by the council, some responses pointed out that it is a privilege that many Australians still take for granted.

People who say “[The pool] By saying “it’s only there because the ocean is ‘dangerous'” we’re missing the point. ‘It’s crazy to provide these wonderful things from our tax dollars, almost nowhere else does this.’

Another person said: ‘The great thing about Oz is that we can see where our taxes go when it comes to public amenities.’

Many English people have made this point; One of them said they lived near a ‘dangerous estuary with very fast tides’ and added that they could never imagine their council offering a free alternative swimming area.

A similar response explained: ‘The Aussies here are so sweet, they say, ‘Because you can’t swim there.'” [Do] Do you know how many beaches there are in the UK and Asia where you can’t swim? They don’t build community pools there. ‘Australians don’t realize that community infrastructure (pools, barbecues, toilets, playgrounds, parks) is impressive and amazing.’

‘This is literally LEAGUES ahead of anything we have on offer in the UK,’ agreed another British national.

Many Australians responding to Joe’s video explained that the free pool installation was not an isolated example in Cairns either.

Several Australians responded to Joe’s video explaining that free public pools and splash pads can be found all over Australia, and particularly in Queensland (such as the popular Streets Beach on Southbank, Brisbane).

A number of responses noted that similar free public pools and water parks were found throughout Australia, particularly in Queensland.

The famous Streets Beach on the Southbank was one of the places that has been repeatedly praised as an incredible free public pool. Airlie Beach Lagoon has also been named a popular swimming 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.

Some responses noted that most east coast beaches have free ocean pools for lap swims or those who want to avoid the waves.

Meanwhile, Joe’s excitement about the free barbecue has surprised Australians who take this ubiquitous public resource for granted.

‘Don’t you have free barbecues in your parks?’ surprised an Australian.

“Barbecues in parks are normal; I didn’t realize other people weren’t like this,” another added.

‘Everyone has the right to dive and Barbie!’ he added another reply, laughing.

Several responses noted that many beaches along Australia’s east coast also have free ocean pools.

Joe shares videos and pictures from his recent travels in Australia. @joeleggettxaccount

After all, many Australians saw this video as a timely reminder that they ‘take a lot of things for granted’ when living in this country.

‘Sometimes I forget how good we are,’ said one response.

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

‘Welcome to Straya, my friend! Now the hardest part is resisting moving here.’