The outdoor 50 metre pool at the Ashfield Aquatic Centre gets put to the test.
Oasis in Sydney’s Inner West
The new Ashfield Aquatic Centre is anticipating over 500,000 visits a year. Nigel Benton reports
A
t a time when the costs of building metropolitan aquatic facilities appears to be spiralling upwards, Sydney’s Inner West Council seems to have got pretty good value with its refurbishment of the Ashfield Aquatic Centre. At a cost of $44.7 million, the facility, replacing the Ashfield Olympic Pool which had pools dating back to the 1960s, is the third largest in Sydney (based on water area) and is both a community aquatic and wellness facility as well as acting as a hub for elite aquatic sport within Sydney’s inner west. Welcoming the new facility, Inner
West Mayor, Darcy Byrne states “the rebuilding of the old Ashfield Pool is the largest community infrastructure project in our history, and we have now delivered a multi-purpose aquatics and health and fitness facility that our community will enjoy for generations to come.” Designed by Brewster Hjorth architects and built by FDC Construction, the redeveloped facility, which is expected to attract over 500,000 visitors a year, includes a Technogym-equipped health and fitness centre with an extensive range of free weights, machines and programmable spaces; a café; creche;
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community meeting room facilities and a spa, sauna and steam room. Among its five aquatic areas, outdoor there is the refurbished 50 metre pool with accessible ramp, enlarged to 10 lanes with an adjustable split boom from S.R.Smith enabling it to be divided for different programs. The outdoor area also features a large constant depth childrens’ recreation/play pool and a new outdoor program pool built as an international standard water polo venue. Mayor Byrne, recognises the importance of the facility for elite sport, noting
