Big increase in swimming pool use as new season nears

Published on 29 September 2025

As Loddon Shire gets ready for swimming pools to re-open, figures from last season show just how popular the facilities have become.

The Loddon Swimming Pools 2024-2025 season report details an 18 per cent increase in attendance in the 2024-25 season, with 17,517 visits during the November-March season.

That compares with 14,928 visits the year before.

The increase is largely due to discounted entry and half price memberships for the pool thanks to an initiative between Loddon Shire Council, Community Bank Inglewood and Districts and pools manager Belgravia Leisure.

The bank contributed $11,478 to ensure the initiative covered the Inglewood, Wedderburn and Mitiamo pools, Belgravia contributed a further $3,806 to extend it to the Pyramid Hill pool and Council also included the Boort pool through contract adjustments.

Higher patronage meant that while the costs of operating the five ageing pools increased, the average cost per visit remained stable at $47.56, seven cents cheaper than the year before.

The pools were also open more often than the previous year with just five days lost to adverse weather conditions – they operated for 95.6 per cent of the season, compared to 91.4 per cent in 2023-24.

Data from the Loddon Recreation, Open Space and Aquatic Strategy, adopted by Council earlier this year, shows about 60 to 70 per cent of pool users are there for recreation or leisure, a further 20 to 25 per cent for fitness and training, 10 to 15 per cent for learn to swim or similar programs and a similar number for therapy.

And the pool programs reflected that, with highlights including early morning swimming at Boort, Inglewood and Wedderburn which was well supported, 12 community events across the five venues including movie nights, pool parties and lawn games and aqua aerobics and similar classes at every pool.

Community Bank Inglewood and Districts director Stewart Luckman said the bank was delighted with the success of the initiative.

“The end-of-season figures were extremely encouraging and clearly demonstrate that community members value access to swimming facilities,” he said.

“The challenge in recent years has been the financial barrier, which has impacted participation.

“Our aim was to encourage greater use of recreational facilities within the Shire, promote opportunities for community members to play, interact and socialise, and provide financial support for the purchase of season and casual pool passes.

“This is particularly important given the rising cost of living and the impact it has on rural communities such as ours.

“The collaboration between Community Bank Inglewood and Districts and Loddon Shire Council was excellent, with shared goals driving the project.

“Marketing and media promotion were well aligned to the objectives, and the response on social media - through comments, likes and shares - has been the most positive engagement we have seen for any program we have supported.

“This feedback reassured our Directors that we made the right decision in funding the initiative.

“As a local Inglewood resident, I can say it was a real pleasure to see so many new faces, strong attendance at the pools, and community members making use of the new basketball equipment.”

Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub said swimming pools were among the most valued facilities in the community and the figures showed that.

“I am delighted to see the number of swimmers increasing and I thank Community Bank Inglewood and Districts and Belgravia Leisure for their contributions to helping make that happen,” Cr Straub said.

“With the 2025-26 pool season beginning in November I look forward to seeing those numbers continue to grow.

“Swimming pools are not just great places to swim though, they are community hubs and the events we hold there during the season are always popular as well.”

Cr Straub said the report also pointed to future considerations, also outlined in the Recreation, Open Space and Aquatics Strategy.

“We continue to face escalating maintenance costs due to the age of the pools, many of which are nearly 70 years old, as well as higher operating costs and increasing regulatory requirements,” he said.

“The Strategy pointed out it would cost us $1.3 million over the next decade to maintain the current infrastructure, in addition to annual operating and maintenance costs, and that is something Council needs to consider.

“We are not the only municipality in Australia facing this challenge and we successfully moved a motion at the National General Assembly of the Australian Local Government Association in June where we called on the Federal Government to play its part.

“We called on the Federal Government to establish a dedicated national fund to support Local Government to replace and upgrade public swimming pools by providing financial assistance to local councils for the repair, replacement, and upgrading of aging public swimming pool facilities.

“Such a fund is long overdue and would help preserve a critical part of our health, safety and social infrastructure.

“These pools are part of our community identities and are highly valued, but they are now reaching the end of their lives while swimming remains one of Australia’s most popular sports and an essential life skill.

“Pools are also vital assets for building and maintaining community connection, particularly in isolated or vulnerable communities and in Loddon Shire we operate five seasonal outdoor pools across large areas, serving small and dispersed populations.

“They are a crucial part of community identity and wellbeing.”