Campbelltown’s Billabong Parklands offer free pool access, charge for bench seating

Swim for free, pay to sit ... but only sometimes. A southwest Sydney council has made a bizarre decision about how to charge customers at a newly opened aquatic park.

One of the billabong’s “huts”. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

Are these the world’s most expensive park benches?

A local council has made the bizarre decision to allow free access to multimillion-dollar pools at a southwest Sydney aquatic park, while charging a minimum of $80 for a three-hour booking to sit on nearby seats.

Visitors at Campbelltown’s Billabong Parklands also have the option of forking out $150 a day to secure a spot in the shade in one of the venue’s 10 “huts” as the weather starts to heat up.

But in a head-scratching move, anyone can sit on the expensive seats for free at times they are not booked.

Adding to the confusion even further, the same charges apply to all of the seating areas despite clear disparities in what they offer.

The “Banggu and Bara” hut gives you two shelters with one undercover table area, plus two smaller tables and benches. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

Booking the “Banggu and Bara” hut gives you two shelters with one undercover table area, plus two smaller tables and benches.

But for the same price the “Gunarug” hut gives you one shelter, a single circular bench and a small uncovered table.

The shelters also provide limited ability to shield people from wet or windy conditions.

For $150 a day, the “Gunarug” hut gives you one shelter, a single circular bench and a small uncovered table. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

The huts are available to people for free if they haven’t been booked, or in the lead-up to a booking, and are “marked” with the reservation times, according a Campbelltown City Council spokesman.

But it’s unclear how paid bookings will be enforced on a busy day when all of the shelters could be in use.

“This booking system operates successfully at other council-operated leisure venues and ensures people wanting to hold an event with family and friends can reserve a space in advance,” the council spokesman said.

He said the option for booking shelters was put in place to avoid issues with families camping out early in the morning to use the space for the day.

The Billabong Parklands’ running costs are estimated to be between $2m and $3m a year. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

The Billabong’s annual running costs are estimated to be between $2m and $3m, which is potentially $1m more than the figure originally forecast. This follows an exorbitant $20m budget blowout during the park’s construction.

But with entry to the two-metre “crown jewel” of the park, the billabong lagoon pool, available for free, it’s unclear how much “hut” bookings will help the council cover the operating costs.

A spokesman confirmed the council was banking on revenue from “hut” bookings, but he did not address questions about how much.

“Council has forecasted (sic) revenue from hut bookings as part of the operating budget and is confident of meeting the expected return,” the Campbelltown Council spokesman said.

The Billabong Parklands unveiled its pools to the public for the first time last Saturday, with the venue to be open on weekends in the lead-up to December, when it will run full-time.

The first locals to enjoy the pools with their kids sung the praises of the new aquatic park.

The Billabong Parklands opened its pools to the public for the first time last Saturday. Picture: Campbelltown City Council

“It’s nice to have something local rather than having to travel somewhere with small kids and prams,” a mother attending the park with her two young children said.

“The kids love to come here especially after they’ve finished up their swim lessons right next door,” a grandmother of another child said.

The main pool ranges from 1 to 1.8 metres deep and is connected to a more shallow children’s pool, both with wheelchair accessible ramps.

Campbelltown’s Billabong Parklands are expected to attract up to 500,000 visitors annually according to the council, with entry tickets available for free online.