Cardinia Leisure and Cardinia Shire Council would like to extend a sincere thank you to all community members who participated in the consultation survey at the conclusion of the 2023/24 outdoor pool season. Your feedback has been invaluable in better shaping the future operations of our outdoor pools, ensuring they meet the needs and expectations of the community.
Following a cooler Summer where Cardinia’s outdoor pools were not open on days under 26 degrees, the community expressed dissatisfaction with the current operating model. In response, a survey was conducted to gather insights on preferred pool operations. Feedback was provided on several topics, including opening hours, temperature thresholds, and overall pool amenities.
Key Findings
Across all four pools—Koo Wee Rup, Garfield, Pakenham, and Emerald—certain themes emerged:
- Community Events: There is a strong desire for more events that bring the community together at our pools.
- Facility Enhancements: Requests for more shaded areas, seating, and cleanliness were consistent, as well as calls for more kiosk options.
- Temperature Triggers: A common request was to reduce the temperature trigger for opening the pools, allowing access on more days.
- Temperature Accuracy: Requests to review how temperature is decided, as it can see some pools open and others closed on the same day, giving only some of the community the opportunity to access the pools on those days.
The below graphs indicate that majority of respondents believe the appropriate temperature to open the outdoor pools is 24-25 degrees and that on cooler days operating hours should be reduced or entirely closed.
To further understand the landscape an analysis of nearby outdoor pools was conducted, with particular focus on neighbouring local government areas, including Baw Baw and Casey. These findings from nearby facilities supported conversations that have been ongoing since the pools closed in March.
Recommendations and Considerations for the 2024/25 Season
Based on the community’s feedback, analysis of other outdoor pools, and historical attendance data, several recommendations were put forward and have been approved for the 2024/25 season, to enhance the pool experience:
- Temperature Trigger: The 2024/25 season will see a reduction in the temperature trigger to 25°C, allowing pools to open more frequently. For reference, this would have seen Cardinia’s pools open an extra 15 days in the 2023/24 season.
- Temperature Accuracy: The 2024/25 season will see all pools temperature taken from one location (Pakenham on BOM – Ferny Creek station), seeing all pools open or closed as a collective to ensure fairness across our community.
- Community Engagement: The Cardinia Leisure team are currently planning a variety of events and activations across the outdoor pools. We are also open to any local groups, services or businesses that would like to partner with us to host activities for our community.
- Facility Upgrades: The 2024/25 offseason has seen Cardinia Shire Council conduct works across each of the pools (detailed in below table), as well as plan for the following offseason.
| Pool | Offseason works |
| Koo Wee Rup | Program pool and 33m pool shells repainted, expansion joints resealed, accessible change room was upgraded previous offseason, with a pool pod arriving late October to provide accessibility to the 33m pool for people in a wheelchair. |
| Garfield | Program pool, 33m pool and toddler pool shells repainted, new ladders and rungs installed, laser light installed to deter ducks from pool areas, new shade sails, and pool edge tiles repaired. |
| Pakenham | Pool lap lane lines repainted, permanent CCTV installed. |
| Emerald | Plant room works completed to support water quality maintenance. |
We look forward to implementing these changes for the 2024/25 outdoor pool season and will continue to work closely with the community to provide the best possible experience at our pools.
For 2024/25 outdoor pool season information CLICK HERE
