Friends of Coburg Olympic Pool

09/04/2026

❤️ Lovely comment under one of our end of season Facebook posts 🏊🏼‍♀️

“Accessing pools easily for exercise is a vital part of wellness, psychological health, and a very strong way of forming community.

Well done to everybody who’s made an effort for this initiative with the council, and for the friendliness and warmth of sharing the swimming together.

The pool is a vital asset for the local community and it's worthy of more investment.”

Merri-bek City Council Peter Khalil Ged Kearney Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Helen Davidson Sue Bolton - Socialist Alliance Councillor for Merri-bek Helen Politis for Harmony Park Anthony Cianflone MP Nathan Lambert MP Swimming Australia Swimming Victoria YMCA Victoria Belgravia Leisure

09/04/2026

MERRI-BEK AQUATIC ASSETS CAP WORKS 2026-31
This proposed Merri-bek capital works budget is on the Agenda for a Special Council Meeting 15 April after which it will go out to the community for consultation.

Once it is out we will encourage people to make submissions, after which you would have the opportunity to front up to a small panel.

Just some of the funding heading to Brunswick Baths (at the bottom of Merri-bek) since we saved Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool around 2008:

💰 $17m redevelopment 2011-13
💰 $1.5m project in 2019
💰 $1.1m project in 2025 including new reformer Pilates studio
💰 $1m necessary re-tiling 2026
💰 $6m state election advocacy ask for the gym (on Council website)
💰$8m for the gym (proposed budget going to Council, 15 April then community)



Helen Davidson Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Peter Khalil Ged Kearney Sue Bolton - Socialist Alliance Councillor for Merri-bek Merri-bek City Council Helen Politis for Harmony Park Belgravia Leisure Anthony Cianflone MP Brunswick Voice

08/04/2026

Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool users have shown their support for our pool time and time again. We have fought long and hard for ACCESS to our local asset:
- hundreds turned out in the middle of winter to support our campaign to re-open the pool
- the highest number of submissions by far to the current Aquatic Strategy were re COSP - nearly all wanting it heated
- the Coburg North Sports Hub consult showed COSP the most loved of the 5 facilities and a whopping 60% of visits to the precinct were to the pool!
- early mornings have been massively supported by people wanting to swim regularly in our outdoor 50m pool!
- and our end of season survey got 127 respondents in just under a week!

The AQUATIC STRATEGY calls for a major centre at Coburg Leisure Centre - or elsewhere in central Coburg

The COBURG NORTH SPORTS HUB PLAN funded by Fed govt and adopted by Council, plan includes a heated outdoor 50m pool at Coburg Olympic at Coburg Olympic.

BUT the expenditure continues to flow to Brunswick at the bottom of the electorate - and often not even for pools but the gym.

This gold-plating is akin to adding more lanes to a freeway.

We have shown our community needs the sport of SWIMMING to be properly supported.

Is Council or any other level of government ever going to step up?

Ged Kearney Peter Khalil Merri-bek City Council Anthony Cianflone MP Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Helen Politis for Harmony Park Helen Davidson Sue Bolton - Socialist Alliance Councillor for Merri-bek

07/04/2026

127 SURVEY RESPONDENTS! THANK YOU!! ❤️🏊🏼‍♀️

We have 100’s of fantastic comments to analyse but in the meantime scroll across for some quick screen shots from our end of season survey (closed 11pm Monday 6 April)

And roughly for now, a few themes:

MENTAL HEALTH was the headline reason/ benefit cited for early morning swimming.

The predictable early morning opening enabled regular EXERCISE ROUTINES and increased ACCESS! Some were TRAINING, some seeking broad PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS.

Many said it was a GREAT START TO THE DAY

People loved that it was LOCAL and they could use ACTIVE TRANSPORT ACCESS.

People valued the pool being 50 METRES, the OUTDOOR natural setting with no UV worries and the FRIENDLY COMMUNITY aspect!

While many valued the COOL WATER, a vast majority want it HEATED.

And some numbers:

🏊🏼‍♀️ With extra mornings added next season, 55% would swim one or two mornings a week (38% two) and 45% would swim three to seven mornings per week.

🏊🏼‍♀️ 70% respondents were women. (This has been amazing for increasing access for women!)

🏊🏼‍♀️ 67% would like the pool heated (15.9% no, 16.7% unsure)

🏊🏼‍♀️ 68% live in Coburg + Coburg North

🏊🏼‍♀️ More in Cooper (57%) than Wills (43%) This is relevant to the Federally funded Coburg North Sports Hub Masterplan.

🏊🏼‍♀️ More biked to the pool (39.1%) than drove (30.5%)!

Peter Khalil Sue Bolton - Socialist Alliance Councillor for Merri-bek

06/04/2026

📣 UPDATE: Thank you to the 127 survey respondents! See early results in our latest post.

Our end of season feedback survey closes at 11pm tonight (Monday 6 April)

🙏 Thank everybody for all the responses so far! This is going to be so helpful for our advocacy!

🔗 Facebook comments and Instagram story and highlights

📷 Pic credit: Sieglinde (a Coburg Iceburger)

05/04/2026

SURVEY CLOSING
Heads up our end of season feedback survey is closing 11 pm Monday 6 April!

🙏 Big thanks to the 77 respondents so far!!

🔗 Link in Facebook comments and Instagram story and highlights

05/04/2026

✍🏼 END OF SEASON SURVEY CLOSING 11pm MON 6 April. Don’t forget to have your say!

UPDATE: End of season survey closing 11pm Monday 6 April!

🏊🏼‍♀️❤️ Just look at all these gloriously happy COBURG ICEBURGERS!! ❤️🏊🏼‍♀️

🙏 THANK YOU to everyone who submitted themselves as ‘PEOPLE OF COBURG OLYMPIC’ this season! You really helped bring the beautiful early morning community experience to life! And made others want to join us and give it a go!

While we did focus heavily on the early morning lap swimming trial this season, please do feel free to keep submitting pics and your words - no matter what time you swam or hung out at the pool! 🏊🏼‍♀️

✍🏼 And more importantly, please complete our SHORT END IF SEASON SURVEY - it’s open to all pool users.
🔗 Find a link to our survey in comments on Facebook and Story Highlights-Survey on Instagram

Swimming Victoria Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool Merri-bek City Council YMCA Victoria Helen Davidson Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Ged Kearney Peter Khalil Anthony Cianflone MP Masters Swimming Victoria Active Merri-bek Life Saving Victoria Helen Politis for Harmony Park

03/04/2026

UPDATE: End of season survey closing 11pm Monday 6 April!

🏊🏼‍♀️❤️ Just look at all these gloriously happy COBURG ICEBURGERS!! ❤️🏊🏼‍♀️

🙏 THANK YOU to everyone who submitted themselves as ‘PEOPLE OF COBURG OLYMPIC’ this season! You really helped bring the beautiful early morning community experience to life! And made others want to join us and give it a go!

While we did focus heavily on the early morning lap swimming trial this season, please do feel free to keep submitting pics and your words - no matter what time you swam or hung out at the pool! 🏊🏼‍♀️

✍🏼 And more importantly, please complete our SHORT END IF SEASON SURVEY - it’s open to all pool users.
🔗 Find a link to our survey in comments on Facebook and Story Highlights-Survey on Instagram

Swimming Victoria Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool Merri-bek City Council YMCA Victoria Helen Davidson Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Ged Kearney Peter Khalil Anthony Cianflone MP Masters Swimming Victoria Active Merri-bek Life Saving Victoria Helen Politis for Harmony Park

02/04/2026

Thank you YMCA Victoria and Merri-bek City Council for a fantastic season of early morning lap swimming at Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool! Looking forward to even bigger and better next year! 🏊🏼‍♀️

Nat Abboud for Merri-Bek Anthony Cianflone MP Ged Kearney Peter Khalil Helen Davidson

02/04/2026

What a beautiful final early morning for the Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool season!

The moon was full, kookaburras were singing and steam was rising from the beautifully lit pool 🙌🏼

Chilly out at only 12° so the water (18°) felt warm - after the first lap! 🏊🏼‍♀️

Plenty more pics to post and please tag us or message any of your gorgeous pool pics!

🙏 Thanks to everyone who has completed our end of season feedback survey - 60 respondents already after just two days!
🔗 SURVEY LINK IN COMMENTS

01/04/2026

31/03/2026

END OF SEASON SURVEY

Thursday 2 April is sadly the end of the Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool season, and the final early morning session.

We have launched this survey predominantly to gather feedback on the EARLY MORNING LAP SWIMMING TRIAL but there is also opportunity for pool users who didn’t attend those sessions to give your feedback and ideas for the pool 🏊🏼‍♀️

🙏 Thank you to the 39 respondents who filled in the survey on day one yesterday!

All of this will assist our advocacy to all three levels of government as well management company for next season, Belgravia Leisure

🔗 Please find the SURVEY LINK in comments on Facebook and in Story Highlights on Instagram.