The 2026/27 outdoor swimming season will be extended until 24 April 2027, following community feedback calling for pools to remain open longer.
MidCoast Councillors voted in favour of trialling the extended season, which will see all of Council’s outdoor pools remain open during the April school holidays.
The total cost of extending the season across all of Council’s outdoor pools is estimated at $57,203.
Previously, the outdoor swimming season ended in conjunction with daylight saving, which finishes on 3 April 2027.
MidCoast Council’s Executive Manager Public Spaces, Liam Bulley said the trial was a positive response to feedback received from pool users over the past two years.
“We’ve heard from our community that having access to outdoor pools during the April school holidays is important, particularly when the warmer weather can continue beyond the end of daylight saving,” Mr Bulley said.
“This trial gives us an opportunity to respond to that feedback and see how the community uses our pools during an extended season.”
During the extended period, supervised pools at Taree, Gloucester and Tea Gardens will operate under slightly reduced opening hours, 11am and 3pm. Unsupervised pools at Nabiac, Krambach, Stroud and Bulahdelah will operate with their normal summer opening hours.
Mr Bulley said visitation and costs would be closely monitored throughout the trial.
“We want to understand how many people take advantage of the longer season and balance that against the additional cost of keeping our pools open,” he said.
“The information we gather will help Council make an informed decision about whether an extended outdoor swimming season should continue in future years.”
The extended season will run until Saturday 24 April 2027.
