An empty Helensburgh pool waiting for work to start before the summer swimming season. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Helensburgh residents are frustrated by progress on upgrades to the community pool, with significant work yet to get under way.
Two years ago the community was consulted about proposed upgrades to the 54-year-old pool, which Wollongong City Council documents from the time show included a new 25 m pool with six lanes, an accessible, ramp-style entry and a water splash pad.
Earlier in 2025 the council announced works were scheduled to be completed before the January 2026 summer peak, however, a new pool was no longer on the cards.
The 25 m pool will be refurbished, alongside the toddlers’ pool and the male and female amenities. New handrails will be installed, the concourse resurfaced and concourse lighting improved, but there was no mention of a splash pad.
The pools were drained, but as of mid-August, work had not begun, leaving some residents concerned Helensburgh kids would have nowhere to cool off when summer arrives.
Helensburgh Neighbourhood Forum convenor Warwick Erwin said the community was angry.
“The pool was originally built by the community and it’s used by nearly everyone,” he said.
“Helensburgh owns the pool, the council maintains it, that’s how the community sees it.
“The community feels it has been conned.
“We’re getting less than we were originally told and it would have been best if the works were done two years ago in the off-season.
“One elderly lady wanted to lock the gates so the council couldn’t damage ‘her pool’ and it could open at the start of the season.”
A Wollongong City Council spokesperson said tradespeople were due to start work on Monday, 18 August.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said the pool was being refurbished rather than replaced because assessments showed the shell was in better condition than anticipated.
“We carried out these supplementary checks as we were finalising the design specifications for the project and its budget,” she said.
“This additional step minimises the risk that we will be faced with the similar problems to other local governments with their pool projects, where they have experienced unexpected delays and cost blowouts due to issues uncovered once construction began.
“We can assure the community that the contractor will be working hard to get the pool open for those hot summer days in January and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding.
“We’ve made a commitment to deliver this improved facility for the residents of this suburb and we’re delivering on the promise we made to them.
“We’re very grateful to the NSW Government for their support of this project, which will extend the life of the existing pool by another 30 years or so.”
