Lane Cove Aquatic Centre regulars may have noticed out-of-area swimmers swarming the facility as neighbouring suburb pools close down temporarily; but does the facility have the capacity for this indefinite shift in popularity?
Since the closures of Willoughby Leisure Centre in 2022 and North Sydney Olympic Pool in 2021, Lane Cove’s only public aquatic centre has had to accommodate an increasing number of squads, swimmers, and schools from surrounding Local Government areas. It is not just neighbouring LGAs where pools are being renovated; the Epping Aquatic Centre closed in April 2024.
One Million Visitors
Lane Cove Council reported over a million visitors to the aquatic centre over the past year.
Although the influx in attendance is noticeable, the centre’s operator, Bluefit, says it is managing the growth proficiently.
“We definitely pick up the overflow from North Sydney,” CEO of BlueFit Todd McHardy told ITC.
“If you’re used to swimming in a pool that’s got four people in the lane, and now you’ve got ten, certainly people would be feeling the impact. But some of that is certainly temporary until those other pools reopen.
“We’re just doing the best we can at the moment. That being said, you can walk into that facility 99 per cent of the time and get a lap lane… It’s an amazing facility. Some parts of Sydney and Melbourne are not as spoiled as Lane Cove is.”
Since the closure of the North Sydney pool, BlueFit’s CEO said the centre has been picking up more schools than normal for swimming carnivals.
From 2021, the number of carnivals per year has been steady, averaging around 27, with between 14,000 and 20,000 school kids visiting, taking up the whole outdoor pool for a day. This also means that the change rooms located near the outdoor pool are not available, which puts more pressure on the change rooms located near the indoor pools, which were built in 1998 and are showing wear and tear and issues with water pressure.
A member of ITC Lane Cove Chat also mentioned that some schools use the indoor pool to warm up swimmers.
The carnivals have to be held in the summer months to ensure that students can qualify for zone competitions.
Impact on Ageing Lane Cove Aquatic Centre
In 1998 the Lane Cove Council built the Lane Cove Aquatic Centre. The new centre included an indoor pool, children’s play pool, hydro pool, gym, creche, saunas, spas and change rooms. However, the 50 m outdoor pool was not upgraded.
The Lane Cove Aquatic Centre was officially opened by Prime Minister John Howard on 22 September 2001.
The Lane Cove 50m Outdoor Pool closed on 17 December 2018 due to urgent safety concerns, and reopened in October 2020 with a new 50m outdoor pool, grandstand and change room . Read more here.
Lane Cove Council and Bluefit said they are effectively managing the demand and ensuring maintenance and cleanliness are ongoing priorities, increasing the frequency of deep cleans and daily cleaning routines and investing in locker replacement and pool equipment.
Impact on Locals
Lane Cove Swim Club (LCSC) has grown by over 50 percent since COVID-19, winning swimming club of the year in 2024 and becoming the largest in NSW.
The club has previously stated the goal is no longer growth, rather everyone in the area has access to swimming.
LCSC President Josh Baker says the closure of Willoughby and North Sydney pools hasn’t affected their club’s growth because the Willoughby and North Sydney facilities don’t have many squad swimmers, but they have felt the impact from the public.
“We see a huge influx in pool usage during peak times,” Josh told ITC.
“During the summer period and morning period, between 5:30 am to 8 am and during the evenings, from probably 4:30 to 7 pm it is clear as day there are a number of swimming groups from North Sydney, eastern North Sydney pool and Willoughby pool, who are in those lanes. And what you’ve found is that it obviously impacts the quality of the lane space for locals, and the challenge of actually finding an appropriate time to swim.”
LCSC hosts a variety of club activities at the aquatic centre throughout the year, Saturday Club Racing being the most popular running from March through to October. The club and its activities aim to promote swimming at every level for the Lane Cove Community.
This is becoming more difficult as groups and casual swimmers from poolless outer suburbs seek aquatic refuge in Lane Cove.
An upper north shore school, which has its own 25-metre pool, uses the aquatic facility with LCSC on Saturday mornings from around 9 to 10:30 a.m., taking up about two lanes of the 50-metre pool’s eight lanes.
An out-of-area Masters Squad uses about four lanes from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., two evenings a week.
It is not suggested that these groups, or anyone, should be denied using the pool, as it is every Australian’s right to swim. But we are highlighting the impact the lack of pools in surrounding LGAs has on local Lane Cove ratepayers, who may be forced to wait to use their own facilities because infrastructure is not up to scratch.
A 2025 report from Royal Life Saving Society Australia, State of Australian Aquatic Facilities, reported one aquatic facility per 19,353 people in capital cities, and the national average is one aquatic facility per 12,826 people.
So clearly, there is a need for more pools.
Is There A Solution For Lane Cove?
For the moment, it seems the solution is to wait it out. Busy pools are only prominent during peak summer times. This period is almost over, and with Willoughby Leisure Centre and North Sydney Olympic Pool expected to be completed this year, the issue may be fixed by the next peak season.
The federal government committed to spending $300 million on new aquatic projects last year, which could lead to more pools and better facilities. However, as renovations continue, more facilities in outside areas may be temporarily closed.
Member for Lane Cove Anthony Roberts sympathises with locals over the influx but emphasises that this will not last forever and that introducing change for a short-term solution could cause more damage than it would solve.
“I completely understand why locals are frustrated by lack of access to the Pool at the moment, but thankfully, this is not a systemic issue and only short term whilst Willoughby and North Sydney Pools are under construction,” Mr Roberts told ITC in a statement.
“I’d caution the Council against any reactionary measures that may have permanent effects on the pool’s operational effectiveness into the future.”
Lane Cove Council has said the centre undergoes independent quarterly audits by an industry expert, which haven’t identified any areas for improvement. The only change Bluefit and Council say they have implemented to cater for the increased demand is enhanced maintenance efforts, a replacement of lockers and new pool equipment.
But the aquatic centre said it is doing everything it can to get through this unprecedented period and that an intake from surrounding areas is only fair, as it’s what other facilities would’ve done when the 50m pool was closed for renovations recently.
“We’re just gonna wait it through, North Sydney would have done when we were closed,” Todd said.
“The Council invested in that new outdoor grandstand, I think the council has certainly done everything they can. We’re doing everything we can, you wouldn’t think that Willoughby and North Sydney would be closed at the same time, so we’re just absorbing some of the local pressure,” said Todd McHady.
The Lane Cove Aquatic Centre outdoor pool’s hours change in April every year (usually around the same time daylight saving ends).
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