Councils Outdoor Pools Prepare to Open

Published on 27 October 2025

With November almost here and the weather warming up, it’s time to get ready for another outdoor pool season across the Southern Grampians Shire.

Hamilton Outdoor Pool is set to open on 1 November with Balmoral, Coleraine, Dunkeld and Penshurst all following with opening scheduled for 6 December (weather permitting).

Preparation works have been underway for over eight weeks with the team heading into the home stretch of pre-season. Throughout this time, the five Southern Grampians Shire Outdoor Pools have been filled, pumps checked and water quality balanced to meet parameters for opening.

Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Dennis Heslin said Council was excited to welcome the community back to its outdoor pools and encouraged residents to support their local pools and lifeguards this summer.

“Our outdoor pools are such an important part of our towns and hold plenty of stories. They’re a great way for families and friends to get together outdoors, be in the community, get some sun (safely!) and make some lasting memories together.

“We are pleased to be able offer free entry to all outdoor pools for all residents again this summer, and we encourage everyone to get out and enjoy them.”

While the Hamilton Outdoor Pool is almost ready to open, vacuuming of the outer township pools and cleaning of changerooms and kiosks is scheduled across the next six weeks.

This year will also see the introduction of an updated Child Supervision Policy to help keep everyone safe.

Key changes within the Policy include:

• Children aged 11 years and under will require active supervision by a parent or guardian while at the pool (previously under 10 years of age)
• To remain in alignment with the Guidelines for Safe Pool Operations (GSPO), to ensure safe supervision levels, groups / families will not be permitted entry where the number of Parent / Guardian’s supervising a group of children under 10 years exceeds the ratio of 1:4
• Larger informal groups of children arriving at an aquatic facility may also be required to participate in a short safety briefing to the entry policies and may be refused entry

To view the new policy in full please visit Public Documents Southern Grampians Shire Council

“We look forward to getting outdoor pool season underway for all the community to enjoy,” Cr Heslin concluded.

For Outdoor Swimming Pool operation hours please visit Pools Southern Grampians Shire Council

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