In Wollongong City Council’s northernmost town, a small community ringed by bushland is facing a long, hot summer without its favourite free public asset.

Helensburgh Memorial Pool is shut for repairs until January 2026, and a long-serving local GP wants to know why council didn’t do the work over winter, when the pool is routinely closed.

“Choosing to close it over the peak time for use is cruel and to the detriment of the local community”, said Dr Trevor Kemper, owner of Equilibrium Healthcare in Helensburgh.

Winter would have been the ideal time for repairs, he believes. 

“Managing infrastructure well is an important aspect of government. I’d suggest better planning and more fine tuned management would result in a happier and healthier community, and a pool that is open throughout its planned season, and ideally an extended season.

“Closing it through the summer season makes no sense for the utility of the pool, and results in reduction of a much-needed resource for the local community.”

Trevor said the healthcare professionals at his Helensburgh practice often recommend water-based exercise for patients. “As a routine swimmer myself, I regularly see my patients using the pool for their health, helping maintain fitness, reduce falls risks and improve mental health all while reducing overall health burden.

“The fact that there is no other similar facility within 20km of Helensburgh means that many of these people cannot go anywhere else.”

From 'new pool' to 'refurbishment'

Pool repairs have been in the pipeline for almost three years and the pressure is now on for council to complete upgrades by the end of the year to meet state funding requirements.

The project began in November 2022, when Wollongong City Council received $3.2 million from the state government’s Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund for sporting facilities in Helensburgh. In May 2023, council consulted the community over plans for a new six-lane 25m pool. However, in July 2025 it changed tack and announced a “refurbishment” instead.

“My understanding is that there was a delay in spending the NSW Government grant due to the need for consultation and input from the Helensburgh community,” the Member for Heathcote, Maryanne Stuart, told the Illawarra Flame last week.

“The Council has kept me updated, and the initial concept plan had proposed the construction of the new Library and Community Centre to be integrated into the Pool site, with the amenities to be constructed early. The majority of the feedback received from the Helensburgh Community stated that they didn’t support this integration, and therefore the Council has progressed the site in Walker Street for the new Library and Community Centre.”

Families worried about fitness and safety 

Helensburgh mum-of-three Melissa McCallum, the P&F president of Holy Cross Primary School, is particularly concerned about water safety and children learning to swim, but also fears that Helensburgh's swim school, Crawchys, will lose clients as parents go elsewhere during the public pool’s closure.

“We need to support local businesses,” Melissa said.

A registered nurse, Melissa is heavily involved in sport outside of work, including coaching the U9 girls junior league tag team, and all her children swim at Crawchys.

But they can’t do squad training there, she said. “Crawchys indoor pool is only 11m long. Children in the summer need a larger pool to improve fitness and train.

“I, along with many other families, are now having to look at travelling elsewhere to ensure our children do the only sport that will save their life, and be best for their fitness this summer.”

Ocean baths can't replace pool

Families are disappointed the pool won’t be reopening as usual for the Spring school holidays, and lap swimmers feel let down too.

Catherine Ryan, a regular user of Helensburgh Pool, said she is now considering driving half an hour to train at Sutherland Leisure Centre. 

“While I use the ocean pools throughout winter, during the summer months, they can be more difficult to access in terms of parking due to increased tourist numbers,” Catherine said.

“It can also be difficult swimming laps in summer when the ocean pools are busier and more people are using them for play, rather than lap swimming.

“Over summer, the Helensburgh pool provides designated lanes for swimmers.”

The pool’s benefits go far beyond fitness, she believes. “Helensburgh Pool is used by a wide range of people – lap swimmers, families, mother's groups, teenagers, water walkers, people in recovery from surgeries and so on. As a regular user, you get to see the same people on a regular basis and social connections form. It helps keep older adults safe from isolation and provides access to low-impact physical activity.”

Working at Equilibrium Healthcare, Catherine likes to do laps during her lunch break.

“For me the pool is an opportunity to exercise, to clear my mind, to catch up with friends, to say hello to familiar faces and less familiar faces, to watch the town's children grow up from using the toddler pool to having swimming lessons to jumping in and playing with their friends.

“In a relatively isolated time with difficult access to infrequent public transport, the pool provides an invaluable service to our community.”

Community helped build the pool

The town’s swimming pool – a dedicated war memorial for local servicemen – began as a community project in the 1960s. Helensburgh Pool Committee drove fundraising, with donations from the Miners Federation, the Joint Coal Board and Helensburgh RSL Sub Branch. Wollongong City Council matched the funds and the pool opened in December 1969.

Entry has always been free.

Over the past 56 years, the pool has become a much-loved sporting centre for the entire 2508 district, serving a population of just under 10,000, and regularly hosting swim carnivals.

But after decades of use, its ageing pool shell needs a major upgrade. Last month, council announced the refurbishment of the 25m and toddlers’ pools would involve structural remediation, resealing the construction joints, a full repaint and retiling. In a July media release, Wollongong’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Tania Brown, said the repairs would extend the pool’s life by “30 years or more”.

“While this budget does not allow for a new pool, we are able to deliver a significant number of upgrades and improvements that respond to the community feedback we’ve gathered about this project,” Cr Brown said.

“For instance, we’ve retained the toddler pool as we had comments about the importance of having a shallow, shaded, separate area for young children.”

Call to open pool year-round

Helensburgh Pool has become increasingly important to the area’s young families – so much so that Melissa McCallum has written to Wollongong City Council advocating for the pool to be open year-round.

Dr Trevor Kemper agrees with this call: “Our local pool was built from the fundraising of the community but as the community has grown there has been little change to the pool or its availability,” he said. 

“The community has written to council to extend the season of the pool because there is a lot of demand for its use.”

Wollongong City Council has been contacted for comment.