Helensburgh Pool to open this Saturday

Late Friday afternoon of 20 February 2026 Wollongong City Council issued the following media release:

Pull on your swimmers, slap on the sunscreen and dig out the goggles, Helensburgh Pool will reopen this Saturday 21 February and stay open until 24 May 2026.  

The popular community facility has been given a new 30-year lease on life, thanks to a project that saw a complete refurbishment of both pools, as well as the male, female and accessible amenities. 

This week the finishing touches were completed including filling the 25-metre and toddler pools, plantroom testing and handover to Council’s dedicated pool staff.

“We’re very pleased to re-open the pool before the end of summer, and to provide the opportunity for the community to enjoy it through an extended swim season,” Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said.

“The timeline to completion has shifted along the way, which is quite common for projects involving ageing pools.

“There are a plenty of other local councils that can speak to how tricky these refurbishments can be, but we’re pleased to deliver a high-quality facility that will be even more accessible to everyone in the community. This has always been our priority.’’

The Pool is now home to Helensburgh’s first Changing Places amenities, making the much-loved facility even more accessible for all members of the community.

“The upgraded features look awesome, and I’m really pleased that the facility includes Helensburgh’s first Changing Places amenities,’’ Cr Brown said.

“Council is committed to making our city more accessible to everyone and the inclusion of these amenities is an important step for this community. This is an important community asset that can be used by people with accessibility needs attending nearby sporting events or enjoying public parks.

“The significant protection and remediation works undertaken as part of this project to the existing pool shell will extend the life of the facility to allow several decades of community enjoyment. It also helped us to avoid the prolonged full-season closures that would’ve been required for a full replacement, meaning the community is able to enjoy an upgraded facility sooner.

“Of course, like all our non-heated pools, it is a service that’s free for our community. We’re grateful for the patience of our residents as we’ve completed these works and glad that we can offer the extended time to enjoy the fruits of it.”

In addition to the remediation, re-painting and re-tiling of both pools, works have included:

• Resurfacing of the pool concourse.
• Refurbishment the existing pool plant room and replacement of ageing equipment.
• Installation of high-quality HDPE monofilament shade sail for high UV resistance and long life.
• Installation of new handrails, seating, shade and bike racks.
• Accessibility upgrades to shaded seating and picnic areas.
• Improvements to pool concourse lighting.
• Accessible parking and pathway connections to the facility.
• Renewed lifeguard facility.

The works on the pool are supported by grant funding from the NSW Government’s Multi Sport Community Facility Fund.