Port River pool project waiting on green light

A few hurdles are all that stand in the way of an Olympic-sized swimming pool at Port River harbour.

An outdoor Olympic-sized swimming pool could be built in the Port River harbour under grand plans unveiled by a local environmental group and surf lifesaving club.

The pool – which would include a pontoon and possibly a roped-off swimming area – is earmarked for Cruickshank’s Beach under the Port River Expressway, although several sites are being considered.

The Port River’s water quality permits swimming. A feasibility study to examine options and impact on water life is being conducted and, if given the green light, government funding would need to be secured.

The pool is the brainchild of the Estuary Care Foundation (ECF) and North Haven Surf Life Saving Club (NHSLSC).

Likely location for Port River swimming pool, Cruickshank’s Beach. Image: GoFundMe

NHSLSC president Glen Gallagher said the project would celebrate the fact that the river was fit to swim in.

“There’s a lot of local interest in the Port River,” he said.

“It (the pool) allows people to get up close and personal with the South Australian waterways.”

The ECF and NHSLSC has fundraised to produce the feasibility study.

In March 2022, they reached their $20,000 goal and commissioned the University of NSW Research Lab to conduct a preliminary review into constraints of the area, pool designs, potential usage and likely building budgets.

The report is scheduled to be complete by August and then used to apply for building grants, according to founder and honorary executive officer of ECF, Catherine McMahon.

Ms McMahon said the pool would “encourage the wider community to visit the Port River and use its facilities”.

The Port River pool plan comes after a proposed Hallett Cove tidal pool progressed to the design phase earlier this year following a 2019 feasibility study.

Marion Council’s plan has been given a grant of $35,000 by the former Liberal state government.

“It would be an incredible project which would transform the Hallett Cove area,” opposition leader and former environment minister David Speirs said on Wednesday.

Marion Mayor Kris Hanna said that his council was consulting the community before continuing the design process.