Campaspe Council: Decision made on seven country Vic pools set to close

Campaspe Council has decided whether seven pools will immediately close following a relentless campaign from communities across northern Victoria.

Campaspe Council voted on the future of seven of its eight pools across northern Victoria at a meeting on Wednesday night. Picture:Rob Leeson.

Swimming pools in seven country Victorian towns that claim to have “more sunny days than the Gold Coast” were granted a stay of execution at the eleventh-hour on Wednesday night.

A reported presented to Campaspe Council recommended permanently shutting seven of its eight pools across northern Victoria.

Pools in Colbinabbin, Lockington, Rushworth, Stanhope and Tongala would have closed by the end of March.

Outdoor pools in Kyabram and Rochester were also set to close in early 2025, meaning the region’s only pool would be in Echuca on the Victoria-NSW border.

But following a relentless Save Campaspe Pools campaign, council decided to defer its decision until “township facility plans” could be developed.

Under those plans communities will be able to reallocate savings from shutting pools to “priorities” yet to be decided by each town.

Cr Adrian Weston, who moved the alternative motion which was carried unanimously, said it was the right thing to do.

“It ensures we can continue to operate the pools while all this other stuff takes place,” he said at the meeting.

“There is evidence ... that we need to continue the conversations with our communities.”

Cr Rob Amos added: “We can’t do everything but we need to sit down with our communities and let that drive the decisions we make, not just what we think is the best decision to make.”

Residents in the rural towns rallied behind the Save Campaspe Pools campaign ahead of the vote, which has also been backed by Australian swimming legend and pool safety advocate Laurie Lawrence.

“The value that pools bring into communities is immeasurable,” Mr Lawrence said in an online video.

Lockington resident and former Campaspe councillor Kristen Munro said locals were “absolutely disgusted” over the initial plans, and feared for the impact it would have on children learning to swim.

“When you are talking about farming communities, it’s not feasible to get the kids out of school and drive them to Echuca for swimming lessons,” she said.

Campaspe Council voted on the future of seven of its eight pools across northern Victoria at a meeting on Wednesday night. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Lockington residents Kylie Floyd and Kristen Munro are fighting to save Campaspe shire pools.

“By the time every child finishes grade six, they must be able to swim 25m of a pool.

“Well, how do we do that when there’s nowhere for them to do it?”

Council’s decision comes after Royal Life Saving Australia 2021 saw a 20 per cent increase in the amount of drownings in Australia — 26 per cent of which were in rivers and creeks.

Drownings in young children also underwent a steep increase last year with 25 children aged 0-4 and 14 children aged 5-14 drowning a 108 per cent and 56 per cent increase respectively.

Echuca, the major centre of Campaspe Council, is based on the Murray River.

A review into council’s aquatic services began 10 years ago, and the council first earmarked the eventual closure of four of its outdoor pools in 2016.

It has cited “steadily increasing” maintenance and repair costs for the pools behind its reasoning with some open for up to 85 years.

“Individual operational elements of the outdoor pools are failing and are required to be repaired,” the council wrote.

“However, these repairs are also putting pressure on other aged pieces of infrastructure causing additional failures.”

The council also said it had been lumped with rising operational costs, less applications for seasonal jobs and declining visitor numbers to the pools, particularly from younger age groups.

Speaking to the meeting on Wednesday night, Carlie Ryan from Colbinabbin said many felt “blindsided” by the initial recommendation.

“This week we’re running swimming lessons, there’s 27 kids a day so these (low visitation) figures do not add up … how can you as councillors be expected to make a decision on blatantly incorrect figures?” she said.

Deputy mayor, Cr Colleen Gates, claimed the report presented to council had taken the community by surprise.

“It’s unfortunate that the community has had no notification and then only left with five days to scramble based on an officers’ report,” she said before the meeting.

“It’s clear within the report that there was no community consultation undertaken, and none proposed.”