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Hundreds of eager residents have queued to enter the new Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Darwin’s north as it was officially opened on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the $26.8 million facility was officially opened when Darwin City Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis cut the red tape alongside Solomon MP Luke Gosling and Federal Local Government and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Catherine King.

Mayor Vatskalis stated “this is what you get for $26.8 million.

“Look around you - 50 metre pool, 25 metre pool, grass areas, a place to play soccer and half-court basketball, and a beautiful playground.”

Minister King said the new facility would be a gathering place for families to share memories, noting “this is not just an aquatic centre, it’s a space for families and for wellness in the community.

“It’s also a space for people to gather and one of the things that we’ve been talking about is the importance of local government the importance of investing in these facilities and why the federal government does that is that these facilities are actually really important for social inclusion.”

Over 2,500 people attended the opening ‘Family Fun Event’ which featured live entertainment, food trucks, giveaways, fun aquatic activities and a sausage sizzle thanks to Casuarina Storm Swimming Club.

Developed on the site of the old Casuarina Pool, the Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre features three new pools for locals to take advantage of - a refurbished, Olympic size eight-lane lap pool (updated with Myrtha Pools technology), a new resort-style lagoon pool and a six-lane, 25-metre learn-to-swim pool (also using Myrtha Pools technology).

Additional features at the centre include an aqua tower, fountains and water squirts in the lagoon area; a dry play area featuring a unique sensory dome; a grassy lounge lawn featuring a basketball half-court and plenty of open space; swimming club rooms and leased spaces for allied health and associated facilities.

The facility was designed by Colab Architects with building undertaken by DCOH (formerly Halikos Construction) and Blueprint Aquatics engaged to complete the pool package scope of works.

Commenting on the work, Ryan Glass, Director/Project Manager of Blueprint Aquatics, advised “the works were scheduled around the tropical wet/dry seasons with the concrete works completed early in the dry, and the Myrtha pools constructed in August/September.

“The speed of installation using Myrtha’s modular pool technology ensured the pools were built and backfilled prior to the wet season weather coming through (annual rainfall average of over 1.7 metre).”

The City of Darwin invested $19.3 million into the project, supported by $7.5 million from the Australian Government.

For more information visit darwin.nt.gov.au/projects/casuarina-aquatic-and-leisure-centre

Images: Features at the new Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Credit: City of Darwin.

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