Work underway at Darwin's new Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre

The first phase of work has started on the City of Darwin’s $25 million Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre (CAALC) development with the beginning of demolition and site preparation work at the old Casuarina Pool.

This follows the Centre’s design having been advertised this week as part the Development Consent Authority approval process. This means people now have an opportunity to review and comment on the design until 4th November 2022.

The 45-year-old Casuarina Pool closed earlier this month in preparation for its demolition and the start of construction work on the new aquatic centre. It is anticipated construction of the CAALC will be completed by the end of 2024.

Commenting on the project, City of Darwin Lord Mayor, Kon Vatskalis stated “our concept for the centre has evolved since we began working to deliver this key community project 18 months ago. Over that time there has been a dramatic increase in construction costs here in Darwin and Australia-wide.

“But we have worked with Halikos Construction, to maintain the key features of the development while staying within our $25 million budget. As result, we will deliver a total of 2500 square metres of community pool space.”

The CAALC will feature a resort-style pool, a 50-metre lap pool and a 25-metre learn-to-swim pool. Halikos Construction has enhanced and achieved efficiency in the design from the original concept, including a change in the alignment of the three pools and a consolidation of buildings within the aquatic and leisure centre’s footprint.

Mayor Vatskalis added “during the stakeholder consultation process the swimming fraternity asked for the 50 metre and 25 metre pools to more closely located, which we have done in our new alignment of the community pool space. Stakeholders also requested changes to the site lay out to improve lines of sight for safety reasons, which we have also incorporated into the design.

“Another important change is the introduction of solid, cyclone-proof structures to shade the pools which is key to the regulation of water temperatures, particularly in the wet season.

“I want to commend the Halikos Construction Group for their professionalism in the way they worked with us to keep the project on track and within budget.”

Image: Artists impression of the aerial layout for the new Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre.