June 29th, 2026HSC: No geese, no Rex and now no indoor pool

Hepburn Shire Council’s pools are nearing “end of life” but the council will now create a community panel to look into the future of providing aquatic resources – including natural waterways.

However, the provision of an indoor aquatics centre is not feasible, according to a report presented to the council last week.
Hepburn Council has three outdoor pools (Clunes 25m, Trentham 25m, and Daylesford 50m), four currently closed toddler pools (Daylesford, Trentham, Clunes and Creswick) and one splash park (Creswick).
The pool season runs from early December to the long weekend in March. The pools are open three weekdays (3pm to 6pm) and weekends (1pm to 6pm) during school term, and every day (1pm to 6pm) during school holidays. Entry is free.
A capped amount of $150,000 for each of the three pools is available for any urgent major repairs – but has not been budgeted for and would have to be “found”, councillors were told.

Challenges
At the council meeting last week, Mayor Cr Tony Clark said officers had “identified some real challenges in the space around aquatics, also in our short, medium and long term financial situation”.
“It also clearly identifies the aquatics centres that we have within the shire are facing clear structural and long-term maintenance issues. Like many across the state, we’re heading towards the end of life.
“This report identifies a proposed path forward in terms of aquatics and what we should be considering, looking at how we actually work together with the community to develop a future vision of what that might look like. (It) seeks to commence discussions and discussions can develop with our community, a strategy and a plan for the future for this very, very important resource.”
Cr Clark said the pools would reopen for summer.

Study
The Aquatic Feasibility Study, completed in 2022, found that developing an indoor aquatics facility in Hepburn Shire was not feasible, with costs ranging from $17M to over $30M.
“(To) renew existing assets like-for-like – estimates a $33M cost over the next 10 years, highlighting the significant financial challenges of just maintaining the existing aquatics provision,” the study says.
The study also looked at operating a shuttle bus service to aquatic facilities in towns outside the shire in Ballarat, Maryborough, and Kyneton – three bus routes running three times a day, three days a week, year-round.
“This option was initially costed at $234,000, however upon subsequent review the costings are estimated to be at least $750,000 annually. Low use is a significant risk.”

Upgrade
Another option was upgrading the existing Daylesford Pool with the development of an outdoor 25m pool, an indoor 20m pool and a smaller warm-water program pool. The cost of $21.6M was not considered feasible.
Meanwhile, Cr Lesley Hewitt told the meeting that the life of pool was an issue councils around Victoria and interstate were facing.

Olympic help?
“These pools were built post the Melbourne Olympics. It’s an opportunity for funding when you think about the proposed 2032 Olympics coming up in Queensland. I just make that point.
“That’s where we all got our funding from for these pools 60, 70 years ago, following the successful Melbourne Olympics in 1956. So, opportunities do arise, sometimes only very occasionally. And we wouldn’t want to be closing off any options or any solutions at this stage.”

Coming clean
Cr Brian Hood told the meeting he welcomed the release of the feasibility study which would “better inform the community”.
“The two most important aspects in this motion are that we form this community panel. I think that piece of consultation is important. These are very, very important, valued assets.
“And the other second very important part is what we adopted in February of this year with the advocacy statement and the priority projects document. Let that play out. Let’s see where that advocacy leads.”
Council’s Priority Projects document, adopted in February 2026, includes an advocacy action calling for a dedicated funding program from state and federal governments to substantially support the refurbishment and improvement of rural and regional outdoor aquatic facilities.

Consultancy/study cost
A spokesperson said the council had spent in the order of $70,000 over three financial years which included the original scope and some additional investigation.

DIAC
The Daylesford Indoor Aquatic Centre group has campaigned for an indoor pool in Daylesford for 10 years.
DIAC president Tim Bach said the group would now consider an invitation to join the community panel.
“We’ve put a lot of thought and effort into the issue of indoor aquatic facilities and we have some knowledge and experience to share,” he said.
“(This problem) is not something that local government can solve. I don’t think it’s viable for the council to take this forward, given their current financial situation. I can’t see them solving it (but) I think it’s solvable.
“The Royal Life Saving Society has said there’s 500 pools across the country that are nearing end of life and it’s going to be an $8 billion project to renew.
“It’s a national problem and the federal and state governments are going to have to tackle it at some point.”

History
The Daylesford & District Memorial Swimming Pool, dedicated to those who served, was opened on Saturday, November 11, 1972.
The Clunes Memorial Pool was built immediately after World War II at Victoria Park.
The Trentham Pool is in Market Street and was built in 1957.
The Creswick Splash Park opened in 2015.

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Cartoonist Glenn Robinson aka GROB