Big picture look at City of Coffs Harbour’s swimming pools
Published on 02 April 2025
Woolgoolga pool users may soon be feeling the warmth as the City of Coffs Harbour (City) works toward a strategy for all City-owned pools across the local government area.
At its meeting on 27 March, Council resolved to consider the heating component of the Woolgoolga Pool in the draft 2025/26 capital works program to address a plant failure that occurred some time ago in the existing pool.
Council further resolved to continue to maintain and repair the Woolgoolga Pool, noting a wide-ranging draft Aquatic Strategy will soon be presented for consideration.
This Strategy will assess options for all of the City’s pools – the Coffs Harbour War Memorial Olympic Pool, and the 25-metre pools at Sawtell, Woolgoolga and Nana Glen.
“All options will be explored in the draft Aquatic Strategy, including the best location for a future pool at Woolgoolga, the relative costs for a 25 and 50-metre pool, etc. Funding options can then be considered,” City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams said.
“Stakeholder and community engagement process will help inform the development of this considered strategic blueprint.”
The City-run Coffs Harbour War Memorial Olympic Pool includes a 50-metre outdoor pool and an enclosed 25m pool and toddler splash pad with soft fall base.
Both of these pools are heated and the facility operates year-round.
“We have seen ongoing investment in our pools in the past couple of years,” City Planning and Communities Acting Director Ian Fitzgibbon said.
A heat pump was installed in the 50-metre Olympic Pool in 2024, which can maintain a water temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, and the 25m indoor pool heat pump was also upgraded.
That project was funded by City ($200,000) and a grant from the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund ($797,308).
“We also repainted the ageing pool shells at Sawtell and Woolgoolga,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“The draft Aquatic Strategy will provide the future direction for all of the City’s pools and allow the City to pursue grant funding.”