Adelaide’s long-awaited new Aquatic Centre has officially opened, with thousands of South Australians getting a first look at the $135 million facility that replaces the former venue in the city’s Park Lands.
More than 10,000 people entered a ballot for the chance to attend opening day activities, highlighting the level of public interest in a project that has been under construction since February 2024. The centre is set to open to the wider public from 5am on Tuesday, 27 January, when memberships become active.
The redeveloped complex features a mix of indoor and outdoor swimming options, including a 50-metre, 10-lane indoor pool and a 25-metre, eight-lane outdoor pool. It also includes a warm water rehabilitation pool, a dedicated learn-to-swim pool, a lagoon-style outdoor pool, leisure areas with splash zones, and four new waterslides that reach speeds of up to 40km/h. On top of the aquatic offering, the centre includes a gym and fitness space, sauna and steam rooms, café and retail areas, upgraded changerooms, and expanded outdoor recreation zones with BBQ facilities and lawned areas.
Learn-to-swim demand appears strong ahead of the public opening, with more than 2,000 people already enrolled in swim and squad programs. The state government says 1,700 health and wellness memberships have also been taken up since memberships became available in November.
YMCA Aquatic has been appointed as the operator of the Adelaide Aquatic Centre, and will also continue to run the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre at Oaklands Park. Reciprocal access is expected to be available for gym and swim users across both sites.
Premier Peter Malinauskas described the opening as “a historic day for South Australians”, saying the new facility was a commitment his government made to deliver a “world-class aquatic centre for the community”. He pointed to the ballot demand as a sign of strong community anticipation, adding that the centre is intended to serve South Australians “for generations to come”.
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Emily Bourke said the build was completed in under two years from the start of major construction, calling it “an incredible feat of engineering and construction”. She thanked workers involved in the project and encouraged South Australians to visit the new venue.
Member for Elder Rhiannon Pearce said the mix of pools, waterslides and outdoor areas meant there would be “something for everyone”, while also highlighting early interest in classes and memberships. Local MP Lucy Hood said the rebuilt centre would be welcomed by families, schools and clubs, describing it as a modern, inclusive space designed with future use in mind.
The government says more than 100 sporting, community and health groups are expected to return to the facility after using alternative venues during construction. Landscaping work, including irrigation and turf installation, is set to continue over the next month.
Construction figures released alongside the opening underline the scale of the project. The build used around 2,800 cladding panels, 685 tonnes of structural steel, 720 concrete piles and 1.35 kilometres of underground plumbing. Tens of thousands of tiles were installed across the indoor pools, including roughly 160,000 in the leisure pool alone.
The centre’s structural framework includes more than 50 timber beams and columns, each up to 37 metres long. The beams were milled in Austria, with the government noting there are currently no Australian facilities able to produce timber beams of that size.
The project also involved the removal of about 40,000 cubic metres of soil, which was used to backfill the former pools at the old site, ahead of more than 1,000 square metres being returned to Park Lands.
The new Adelaide Aquatic Centre will run on 100 per cent certified renewable energy, a feature the government says positions it as a national benchmark for sustainability and accessibility in public aquatic infrastructure.
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