Residents can once again dive into Helensburgh Memorial Pool. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Helensburgh Memorial Pool has finally reopened – and will celebrate with an extra-long swim season.
The community pool has had a complete refurb, including the repainting and retiling of both pools, resurfacing of the pool concourse, installation of new handrails, seating, shade and bike racks and accessibility upgrades.
A spokesperson for Wollongong City Council said they estimated the project would add another 30 years to the life of the facility, which was initially built by the community and remains free to access.
After the finishing touches were complete – including filling the pools and plantroom testing – the pool was officially reopened on Saturday, 21 February.
The pool was initially scheduled to reopen before the 2025 Christmas break, however the project suffered a number of delays.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown said it would remain open until 24 May to reflect the delay in reopening.
“We’re very pleased to reopen the pool before the end of summer, and to provide the opportunity for the community to enjoy it through an extended swim season,” Cr Brown said.
“The timeline to completion has shifted along the way, which is quite common for projects involving ageing pools.
“There are a plenty of other local councils that can speak to how tricky these refurbishments can be, but we’re pleased to deliver a high-quality facility that will be even more accessible to everyone in the community. This has always been our priority.’’
The pool is now home to Helensburgh’s first Changing Places amenities.
These are large, specialised changerooms designed for people with high support needs.
Cr Brown said they would also help more members of the community enjoy Helensburgh’s parks and sports fields.
“The upgraded features look awesome, and I’m really pleased that the facility includes Helensburgh’s first Changing Places amenities,’’ Cr Brown said.
“The council is committed to making our city more accessible to everyone and the inclusion of these amenities is an important step for this community.
“This is an important community asset that can be used by people with accessibility needs attending nearby sporting events or enjoying public parks.
“The significant protection and remediation works undertaken as part of this project to the existing pool shell will extend the life of the facility to allow several decades of community enjoyment.
“It also helped us to avoid the prolonged full-season closures that would’ve been required for a full replacement, meaning the community is able to enjoy an upgraded facility sooner.
“We’re grateful for the patience of our residents as we’ve completed these works and glad that we can offer the extended time to enjoy the fruits of it.”
There was a hiccup on Monday 23 February however, when a filter issue caused a delayed opening time until 11 am from the usual 6 am.
A Wollongong City Council spokesperson said the problem was “minor … and has been resolved”.
“We apologise to those keen swimmers who weren’t able to enjoy their swim on Monday,” the council spokesperson said.
