Petition to keep AquaZone outdoor pool open during the year receives almost 600 signatures

Hundreds of Warrnambool residents are rallying together to call for their outdoor pool to remain open for use in winter. Read why.

The Warrnambool community is calling on its council to keep its outdoor pool open all year.

The outdoor pool at the AquaZone Aquatic Centre opens every summer and closes in April but swimmer Brooke Fleming is one of 600 people who want it to operate year-round.

Ms Fleming, who started a petition, said the closure of the outdoor pool affected local swimming groups, sports teams, the elderly and people using the pool for essential rehabilitation and mental and physical wellbeing, children learning to swim and lifesavers who needed to use the pool for training.

“I decided to start the petition purely to keep the conversation going about the need for more pool space and the benefits it brings to the community.

“It’s been happening for many years now and a lot of sporting groups and social groups have been advocating for more space.”

Ms Fleming said the closure of the outdoor pool during the year affects local swimming groups, sports teams and the elderly people. Picture: Jack Colantuono

Community member and master’s swimming club coach Colin Macdonald said the pool gave people the option to swim either indoors or outdoors.

“They can swim in a warmer environment or go into an outdoor environment — you also get football clubs come in and you get learn-to-swims, amateur and master swimming groups all trying to use the lanes indoors and it’s quite congested,” Mr Macdonald said.

“They’re screaming out for lifeguards and so forth,” he said.

Ms Fleming said it needs to be “emphasised” that people using the indoor pool were the elderly and people managing disabilities and injuries.

“They need the space indoors to do that, it’s really important to them, especially their wellbeing and physical health.

“If council could look at an option to try more space, people choosing to swim outdoors would then create space for that important demographic and the community.”

She said having two pools open would also create local employment.

“You can always spin it around and see the different perspective — we’re actually paying our locals to work and create jobs,” Ms Fleming said.

“One of the community members I was speaking to said her daughter is in the Nippers Program — so in the summer months she’s learning lifesaving skills and she’s out in the ocean — but she said to her mother she wants to practice all of these skills all year round and won’t just swim in the indoor pool.”

She hoped the petition would wake council up to the space limitations and spark some change.

“Hopefully we can get a better deal for swimmers in Warrnambool,” Mr Macdonald said.