Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre and Monbulk Aquatic Centre set for September openings

With works on two major Victorian aquatic facilities nearly complete, the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre and Monbulk Aquatic Centre are both set to open to the public as of next month.

Most recently scheduled for opening this month, finishing touches to the new $65 million Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre mean it will open in September with the focus now on training staff and promoting the facility and its services.

Advising that the new facility has much to offer residents, Brimbank Mayor, Jasmine Nguyen stated “the centre will be a vibrant and welcoming multi-generational health and wellbeing hub with a state-of-the-art aquatic and leisure facility.”

Areas within the new Centre also acknowledge First Nations’ people with the naming of seven of its community rooms using words from Aboriginal languages.

The ground-floor activity room will be known as Wiipatja Kuulim or the ‘Mob of people’s place’ while the first-floor quiet room will be known as Brimbank Durra or the ‘Heart of Brimbank’.

The facility includes an Olympic-sized 50-metre 10-lane swimming pool, two massive water slides, a wellness centre, 24-hour gym and meeting and community rooms.

Yarra Ranges Council has also advised that, after being closed for over a year, its Monbulk Aquatic Centre is undergoing two weeks of final ‘touch-up works’ before an expected re-opening on Thursday 1st September.

The roof of the Centre was damaged during the June 2021 storm event, causing the pool to be unusable and closed for 14 months.

Advising the team at the centre are delighted to be reopening the pool, group fitness studio and creche once all the repair work is completed, Darren Allen, Area Manager for facility operator Belgravia Leisure, stated “behind the scenes work will continue with the plant room and mechanical services that will take some further time to complete.

“We do ask for the community to stay connected with us to stay informed of any changes to services while the works are completed.”

The repair works completed by Bay Building included removing and repairing the damaged roof, the installation of new conditioning ducts and tiling the floor of the pool.

While the pool tiles weren’t damaged during the storm, retiling of the 25 metre pool was completed while the facility was unusable.

Videos posted on Monbulk Aquatic Centre’s Facebook page on Thursday 18th August show the pool has been refilled and heating of the water is underway.

Advising that the Centre is a really important part of the community, Allen added “we know that by the number of calls and emails we have gotten over the last year asking us when the pool was going to reopen

“It is unfortunate that the repairs were taking place during the pandemic with multiple lockdowns, which affected workers and caused delays in getting materials, but I am glad that Council has been able to provide support to us throughout the construction phase and that we are now at a place where we can reopen the pool for the Monbulk community to enjoy.”

Images: Monbulk Aquatic Centre (top, credit: Yarra Ranges Council) and an artists concept for the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre (below, credit: Brimbank City Council).