Council-owned aquatic centres
A Council-owned aquatic centre is defined as a formal, controlled, and supervised aquatic centre in which the Council is the asset owner.
A payment of entry fees or a membership is required to access these facilities.
Consultation analysis
The consultation period for the draft Aquatic Facilities Strategy was open for more than four months, closing on 30 April 2026. The engagement process included a community survey hosted on Council’s website, a school survey, and submissions from community members and groups, including the Babinda Taskforce.
During the consultation period, a total of 1095 responses were submitted via the ‘Have your say’ survey and 21 responses were received from local Schools via the school survey. Beyond this, Council also received a total of 19 submissions from various community members via the corporate email address, standard mail and the “Have your say” email address.
Council officers have commenced a detailed review of all the feedback received. This will involve a thematic analysis of the responses and submissions, so each relevant item can be considered in the context of the strategic direction of Council. Councillors will also be provided with access to a full copy of all submission to ensure they are fully informed of all community feedback.
Given the extent of submissions, it will take some time and multiple workshops for Council to work through them and consider any changes to the draft strategy
Further Report(s) will be provided to Council meetings as the matter progresses. The proposed final strategy, inclusive of any amendments arising from community feedback, is expected to be presented to Council for consideration late in 2026.
Council reiterates that no decision has been made on the final strategy and councils’ aquatic facilities will continue to be operated in accordance with current practices.
Council would like to thank the community and all submitters for their interest and contribution in the development of the future Aquatic strategy
About the Strategy
Why do we need a strategy?
Public swimming pools and other aquatic facilities are an important service to the Cairns community. Many of our current facilities were built decades ago and no longer meet the needs and expectations of today’s users.
A strategy helps Council plan smarter, avoid duplication, and invest where it matters most.
The aim of the strategy is to ensure that:
- our facilities are modern and meet current community expectations
- even distribution of access to aquatic facilities and services across our region
- we are planning ahead for our growing population
- future investment is spent where it benefits the community the most
How was the strategy developed?
Council looked closely at the current data usage data and cost of each facility. We also considered challenges that may arise from future population growth.
- How many residents use each facility?
- What aquatic options are available in each area, and are there alternatives to public pools?
- What do residents expect from modern aquatic facilities?
- What’s the cost of maintaining our facilities?
- Where should we invest to best benefit the community?
By understanding community needs, population growth and funding constraints, the strategy sets out a path to improve aquatic services across Cairns in a fair and sustainable way.
Aquatic facilities in our network
We have different types of facilities in our network that all play their part in addressing community demand for aquatic facilities and services.
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Aquatic leisure facilities
Aquatic leisure facilities may be natural or artificial. Typically, aquatic leisure facilities are not used for formal programs or activities. Entry fees are only charged for artificial aquatic leisure facilities.
Aquatic leisure facilities include patrolled beaches, artificial lagoons (like the Esplanade Lagoon), natural swimming spots (like Babinda Boulders), water play areas (like Muddy's) and water parks (like Sugarworld).
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School pools, private pools & learn to swim
These facilities help provide some level of access to the community. They directly impact the demand for aquatic facilities and services in different parts of our region.
For example, a neighbourhood where backyard pools are common will have less demand for publicly available facilities like public pools.
Proposed works
This strategy includes proposed works to the following facilities. These works may include upgrades and renewal works to existing facilities and the construction of new facilities and infrastructure.
Feedback
The aim of this strategy was to balance the needs and wants of the entire community, time and budget constraints, and the challenges that came with our evolving and growing population.
We then asked the community to let us know whether they thought we got the balance right by providing feedback on the Cairns Aquatic Facilities Strategy. Questions were kept general to reflect the broad scope of the project. However, through the comments section, respondents had the opportunity to support some actions or projects while disagreeing with others, as well as provide as much detail as they felt necessary.
The extended consultation period for public feedback closed on 30 April 2026.
