Southern Midlands Council opens new Oatlands Aquatic Centre to the community

After 20 years of planning, Southern Midlands Council has opened its new $10 million Oatlands Aquatic Centre.

Opened yesterday by Tasmanian Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson, the facility gives Tasmanians in the Southern Midlands the opportunity to participate in a wide range of water sports and activities.

Speaking at the official opening of the facility, towards which the Tasmanian Government invested $2 million, Deputy Premier Ferguson commented “facilities like this one provide opportunities for members of the community to get active, to exercise, to meet and socialise with others and importantly, to learn to swim or to improve their swimming skills.”

Southern Midlands Council Mayor, Alex Green expects that the Centre will be well used, adding “it has probably been in the planning stages for in excess of 20 years.

“It is an indoor facility that will be open all-year-round - seven days per week.”

The new facility replaces the original 1950s pool which only opened for the summer months and includes a six-lane 25-metre indoor swimming pool, an aquatic play area for toddlers and group fitness classes in a gym which can be used for other individual or club health and wellbeing activities.

The Tasmanian Premier’s Fund for Children and Young People also contributed $50,000 towards equipping the facility with support equipment for instructors to use in learn-to-swim classes.

The site of the new Centre was once a council depot but the buildings were demolished in 2018 and the site was remediated and decontaminated.

Image: The new Oatlands Aquatic Centre.