The Adelaide Aquatic Centre is a complex of indoor heated

swimming pools A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built above ground (a ...

operated by the Adelaide City Council and located in the northernmost extent of the

Adelaide Parklands The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

, Australia. It is located in the square of parkland bordered by Jeffcott Street, Barton Terrace West, Prospect Road and Fitzroy Terrace. There is a car park to the west whose entrance is off Jeffcott Street, but the entrance to the centre itself faces north, towards Fitzroy Terrace. The centre opened on 20 December 1969.

Facilities

The centre features a 50-metre Olympic-sized swimming pool and a smaller adjacent pool (33m x 21m) used for

aqua aerobics Water aerobics (waterobics, aquarobics, aquatic fitness, aquafitness, aquafit) is the performance of aerobic exercise in water such as in a swimming pool. It is done mostly vertically and without swimming typically in waist deep or deeper water. W ...

, canoe polo,

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

underwater hockey Underwater hockey (UWH), (also known as Octopush in the United Kingdom) is a globally played limited-contact sport in which two teams compete to manoeuvre a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team's goal by propelling ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

. These two pools are surrounded on three sides by raised seating for competition spectators. The wet areas also include an octopus-themed 'Octopool' for children's swimming lessons and recreational use, two leisure pools, two

water slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...

, two spas, a dry

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

and a

steam room A steam bath is a steam-filled room for the purpose of relaxation and cleansing. It has a long history, going back to Greek and Roman times. History The origins of the steam bath come from the Roman bath, which began during the height of the R ...

. At extra cost (unless one becomes a member), the centre offers a crèche and a health club equipped with

cardio Cardio (from Greek καρδίᾱ ''kardia'', 'heart') may refer to: * Of the Heart * Cardiology ** Cardiovascular system * Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio * ''Cardio'' (album), a 2010 album by Miguel Bosé See also * * * Physical exerc ...

machines, pin-loaded weight machines and free weights. There are also shops providing swimming equipment and food, and an outdoor barbecue area.

Fees

There are separate prices for families, single adults, children, and concession card holders (

Health Care Card The Australian Health Care Card is a card issued by the Australian Government which evidences the entitlement of the cardholder to concessions, such as the cost of some prescription medicines, medical services, and other government concessions. E ...

or full-time tertiary students). to the different areas of the centre, including the pools, sauna, spa and gym. Adelaide Aquatic Centre also offers membership for full access to the centre.

State of maintenance and future plans

Since 2005, peak representative bodies such as Diving Australia, Swimming Australia and the Aquatic Sports Coalition of SA have criticised the condition of facilities at the centre. There was a plan that in the period April to July 2011 the centre's roof would be replaced as the first stage in upgrading the centre. Adelaide City Council has reportedly allocated $6 million for a leisure centre conversion for the aquatic centre, but requires additional funding from the state or federal governments to go ahead. The Council is to undertake a detailed study on how best to proceed in further upgrading the centre in coming years, to shift its focus from swimming competitions to a family oriented leisure pool facility, along the lines of an indoor waterpark.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sports venues in Adelaide Swimming venues in Australia 1969 establishments in Australia Sports venues completed in 1969 North Adelaide Adelaide Park Lands Water polo venues in Australia