Extended swim season
South Australia's longest outdoor swim season just got longer!
The City of Unley in conjunction with the Office for Recreation, Sport, and Racing (ORSR), is excited to announce that the Unley Swimming Centre will extend its operating season to assist in the housing of displaced swimmers whilst the Adelaide Aquatic Centre (AAC) is under construction.
The Unley Swimming Centre boasts the longest swim season in the state with a 36-week season that extends from mid-September to the end of May each year. The extended season will now see avid swimmers able to use the facility during the Winter months for the first time in the centre’s history.
With the AAC set to close its doors on 1 August 2024, the Unley Swimming Centre will officially open its season on the same day and remain open through to the end of May 2026.
The additional weeks of operation and access are a bonus for our swimmers, in particular those with a twelve-month membership.
Register with Active World to purchase a 12-month membership
Customer Frequently Asked Questions
The City of Unley have an agreement with the Office for Recreation, Sport, and Racing (ORSR) to extend the operations of the Unley Swimming Centre while the Adelaide Aquatic Centre is under reconstruction.
The Adelaide Aquatic Centre will close its doors on 1 August 2024, and as a result, the Unley Swimming Centre will open on 1 August 2024, and remain open through to the end of May 2026.
The extended season will be divided into what will be referred to as “Phases.”
Phase One 1 August 2024 – 13 September 2024
Phase Two 14 September 2024 – 27 April 2025
Phase Three 28 April 2025 – 12 September 2025
Phase One (1 August 2024 – 13 September 2024)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 6am – 1pm
Tuesday and Thursday 1pm – 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am – 2pm
Public Holidays Closed
Phase Two (14 September 2024 – 27 April 2025)
Monday to Friday 6am - 8pm
Saturday 6am - 6pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm
Public Holidays 10am - 6pm
Phase Three (28 April 2025 – 12 September 2025)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 6am – 1pm
Tuesday and Thursday 1pm – 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 9am – 2pm
Public Holidays Closed
During Phase One of the extended season, we will only be facilitating lap swimming for the general public during our opening hours.
We will use this initial phase to monitor attendance and gauge interest from our patrons with the potential to trial some of our existing programs during Phase Three of the extension.
Our Learn To Swim, Birthday Party and Yoga programs will only run during Phase Two.
During Phase Three of the extended season, we will be running a trial Aquarobics program on Saturdays. More information on this trial can be found here.
The choice to operate in line with our current restricted hours was made as we were able to easily predict our staffing requirements and the associated costs involved.
This model of operation has worked well for the City of Unley (CoU) and is one that our patrons know and understand.
The Office for Recreation, Sport, and Racing (ORSR) are funding all operational costs incurred during the additional weeks in Phase One and Phase Three, so there is no direct cost to ratepayers for the extended season.
The City of Unley (CoU) is interested to see how the Centre holds up with these additional hours. It is understood that customers will likely return to their ‘home’ swimming centre once it’s redeveloped, so the customer numbers may not be sustainable.
Council hasn’t discussed an ongoing year-round operation, but rather sees this as a once-off way to support the State Government and the broader community.
The Office for Recreation, Sport, and Racing (ORSR) have requested the extended season to house user groups and the public displaced from the Adelaide Aquatic Centre (AAC) closure.
As such, squads that are displaced will receive priority during Phase One and Phase Three however our resident squads will resume and take priority during Phase Two as per usual.
A minimum of two (2) lanes will be made available to the public for lap swimming at all times during Phase One and Phase Three. We will continue to use our Lap Lane Availability tool to advertise our weekly lane space.
There is no doubt that the closure of the AAC will put more pressure on our lanes, especially during our peak months over Summer. Our aim over the period of AAC’s closure is to provide as much lane space as possible (within reason) to accommodate those that are displaced, alongside our loyal, returning patrons.
We will not be imposing capacity limits on lanes, however the Unley Swimming Centre team will be enforcing lap lane etiquette closely to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable visit.
The extended season has been implemented to house user groups and the public displaced from the Adelaide Aquatic Centre (AAC) closure. During Phase One and Phase Three, the squads, carnivals and user groups that are displaced will receive priority.
During Phase Two however, we will resume our bookings as per normal.
In an effort to maintain a balance between the major Centre bookings and public access, we have ceased taking any further major Centre bookings during September – April.
Our Upcoming Carnivals / Major Bookings schedule can be found here. In addition to this, all upcoming Carnivals and Major Bookings will be signposted within the Centre and advertised on our social media pages.
As part of the season extension, we have boosted the capacity of our main pool heaters and installed a heating system within the change rooms to assist in keeping you warm pre and post swim.
The funding of the heaters along with the operation costs during Phase One and Phase Three will be funded by the ORSR. The cost to upgrade our main pool heaters has been split 50/50 with ORSR.
As all membership options have a 12-month expiry from date of purchase, any valid membership will cover you during Phase One and Phase Three of the extended season.
The extended season has not played a part in the calculation of all membership and casual prices for the 2024 / 2025 Season. The prices are calculated on a standard operational season of 36 weeks, with the additional weeks of operation and access an added bonus of this agreement.
The Centre will be working in a reduced capacity during Phase One and Phase Three of the extended season, with the Junior and Toddler Pools closed during these periods.
The café will be available but may have reduced stock items available for purchasing, including food, beverages, and swim equipment.
Our programs including our Learn To Swim classes will not be operational during Phase One or Phase Three at this stage. Any changes to this will be advertised online and within the Centre accordingly.
The ORSR have assured us that there will be no delay in the re-opening of the AAC and that our normal operations will recommence for the 2026 / 2027 Season.
If this does not occur, the COU will work alongside the ORSR to review and adjust accordingly, and all patrons will be duly notified.