Wentworthville swimming pool reopens after $12.2 million upgrade
A community which fought hard to save their swimming pool is revelling in the revamped $12.2 million facility. But swimmers can only enjoy it for a short time before the doors shut again. Find out when you can have a dip.
Parramatta
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A decade after the start of a battle to save it from the chopping block, a shiny new $12.2 million Wentworthville Swimming Centre has reopened to a community starved of public pools.
Cumberland councillor Lisa Lake, who steered a campaign to save the popular Dunmore St landmark from the chopping block from 2011 to 2016, was one of the most excited visitors to witness the new pools — replete with an upgraded Olympic-sized pool, a lift for people with disabilities, a learn-to-swim pool, a splash pad, children’s playground with a pirate ship, private change rooms and a kiosk — reopen on a sunbathed day.
“This is a sweet victory for people power and the local community’s resilience and perseverance in a campaign that was hard fought over many years,’’ she said.
“I think it’s really beautiful and I think Wentworthville’s going to find this a first-class venue and I’m sure it will attract people who haven’t learned swimming in pools before.’’
In 2013, the former Holroyd Council voted to develop a single aquatic centre at Merrylands for $30 million — a project that would be funded in part by the closure of the Wentworthville and Guildford pools.
Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou said upgrading Wentworthville pools, which opened in 1965, was vital given Parramatta has been deprived of a pool since 2017.
“This is a model we want to go down for pools,’’ he said.
“We don’t want to be stuck in that ’60s model where there’s swimming pools and nothing happening. You’ve got the kids’ play area, you’ve got the baby pool — this is more appealing to young families, especially in the day when they’re competing against iphones, iPads and social media.
“I’m proud that two years ago, when I became mayor, I said revitalising Wentworthville was one of my main priorities and this is a big step in fulfilling that promise.’’
The original price tag of the revamp was $8.9 million, making the new facility $3 million extra but one that Cumberland Council works and services director Peter Fitzgerald was normal for such projects.
The pool will no longer operate under the council but Belgravia Leisure, which operates the Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre.
On Monday, the many swimmers took advantage of the free admission from noon and queued outside the centre.
All the chlorine-tinged nostalgia of childhood summers spent at swimming pools came flooding back for Stephen Cummings, who travelled from Umina on the Central Coast, to witness the revamped pool.
He clutched a photo taken at the pool of his sisters Maureen, who now lives in Queensland, and Leonie Keegan of Campbelltown, in 1970, five years after they attended the pool opening near their old quarter-acre Dunmore St home.
ParraParents co-founder Kellie Darley gave the facility a thumb’s up after churning out an historic-making first lap of the new pools.
“I love the wide slides because you can go down with the kids,’’ she said.
“I think it’s a great addition for families, the fact you can come here, have your kids splash around as well as do the learn-to-swim lessons.
“It’s going to be important, like the mayor said, now that not just Parramatta pools, but Baulkham Hills’ Waves pools, are closed too so there’s a demand for facilities.’’
“If anything, they don’t have enough room to spread out with a small picnic (near the barbecue area) but it’s a small footprint so they’ve done well with the space.’’
Prospect state Labor MP Hugh McDermott said smaller pools were more attractive to the community, which was growing rapidly.
There are a total of 2500 dwellings, or 1800 units, planned for Wentworthville in under 20 years.
“Rather than just building some big water park which is a white elephant, we’ve got our Raging Waters, we don’t need more water parks, we need decent community pools where our kids can go to swim, and learn to swim because pool safety is so important in western Sydney,’’ he said.
“We’ve got a significant amount of drownings in our area, especially younger children, and this is one of those things that will prevent that.’’
Wentworthville resident Grant Hansen, who is also a Greystanes Public School teacher, lobbied to save the pool in a campaign that included 25,000 letterbox drops.
Instructor Beth Haines taught the now 61-year-old man to swim at the pool when he was a boy, and now he’s looking forward to revisiting.
“If this is well managed, this will be a good facility for everyone around,’’ he said.
Private operators Belgravia Leisure Centre will run the centre, which will open for four weeks during the Easter holidays before closing for winter.
“I would have preferred the council to be running the pool itself but I’m happy to welcome Belgravia to Wentworthville and see what they can deliver to our community.’’
Trevor and Marie Simpson, who have been married for 48 years, have taken their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to Wenty pools.
“It was the only pool in the area for the children,’’ Mrs Simpson, 78, said.
“It’s too far for them to go anywhere else — it was just Wenty pools. Everyone loved Wenty pools.
Mr Simpson, 93, often swam with Wenty Leagues Swimming Club and is happy to see some of the original features from 1965, such as the clubhouse and grass hill, remain on site.
The administration prices are $7 for adults, $4.50 for children under four, $22 for family of two adults and two children or one adult and three children, $4.10 for spectators, $124 for a 20-visit adult pass and $68 for a concession/child visitor pass.
In November, the 25m pool and splash pad had been constructed and the amenities building reached its halfway point.
The opening has allowed it to reopen for the Easter school holidays, before the winter hiatus.
The reopening marks a decade since the fight to save Wentworthville pools from the chopping block started in 2011.
Parramatta has been without a pool since construction began to make way for Bankwest Stadium in 2017 and while Merrylands, Guildford and Granville remain open, the pandemic has sidelined swimming for almost a year.
CONSTRUCTION TO START ON PARRAMATTA POOLS
Four years after Parramatta War Memorial Swimming Pool shut to make way for Bankwest Stadium, keen swimmers finally have something to anticipate, with the council to announce the builder for the $77 million project on Tuesday.
The pool will be constructed on the Mays Hill Precinct, at the corner of Park Pde and Pitt St and feature a 10-lane 50m outdoor pool, a 25m indoor pool, indoor learn-to-swim pool, indoor water playground, spa and sauna facilities, cafe, fitness centre, multipurpose community rooms, and up to 200 parking spaces.
Grimshaw Architects, Andrew Burges Architects and McGregor Coxall have designed the aquatic and leisure centre, which Parramatta Council and the State Government are funding.
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