Pool Fees and Charges: What Has Changed?

Published on 18 June 2026

There has been considerable discussion about the 2026/2027 Fees and Charges for Council's aquatic facilities, and Council received a significant number of submissions during the public exhibition period.

Following consideration of community feedback, Council has now adopted the fees and charges for the coming financial year.

What does this mean for pool users?

For most general patrons, the changes are relatively small:

• Annual Shire-wide pool passes have increased by $5 per year.
• Casual entry fees have increased by a maximum of 50 cents per visit.

There are still opportunities for regular users to save through multi-entry and season pass options:

• A 10-entry pass effectively provides one free entry.
• A six-month unlimited access pass is available for $162.
• Someone attending the pool twice per week could save approximately $176 over six months by purchasing an unlimited access pass.

For commercial users, some fees have been restructured to better reflect actual facility usage:

• Learn to Swim providers can now hire pods in 15-minute increments at $4.50 per session, rather than booking one-hour blocks.
• Lane hire is now charged in 15-minute increments at $8.00 per lane, replacing the previous hourly fee structure.

• These prices are GST inclusive.

What is proposed under the new Aquatic Facilities Management Plan and Policy?

While the fees and charges have now been adopted, Council will next month consider a new Aquatic Facilities Management Plan and Policy.

The proposed framework aims to create a fairer and more consistent approach to managing aquatic facilities across the Shire by recognising the different ways user groups access and utilise the pools.

Under the proposed model, users would be grouped into four categories:

• Corporate and Business Users
  • Businesses and organisations operating for profit that use Council's aquatic facilities as part of their business operations or for commercial events.
• Not-for-Profit Users
  • Community groups, clubs and eligible not-for-profit organisations. Organisations meeting the eligibility criteria would be eligible for a 50% concession on applicable fees.
  • Group members are required to pay general pool entry fees.
• Schools
  • Registered NSW education providers would continue to have free access for curriculum-based activities and one annual swimming carnival, with discounted rates available for additional facility hire.
  • Students are required to pay general pool entry fees.
• General Patrons
  • Community members accessing the pools through casual entry, season passes or annual memberships.

This proposed approach is designed to provide greater flexibility while ensuring costs are allocated more fairly based on facility usage.

Importantly, Council's pool entry fees remain comparable with other councils across the region. While they are not the lowest, they are also well below some neighbouring local government areas.

Council appreciates the strong community interest in this matter and thanks everyone who took the time to provide feedback during the public exhibition period. Further engagement with user groups will continue as Council considers the proposed Aquatic Facilities Management Plan and Policy.