Changes to Eastern Beach safety measures mean the popular children’s pool will be open all year.
After being reclassified as a pool rather than an open waterway, the pool was closed outside of lifeguard supervised hours from December 2024, meaning the pool has been unavailable to the public throughout much of this year.
Beginning in November, updated lifeguard supervision hours will mean the pool will be open on weekend afternoons from noon to 5pm.
From 21 December the pool will be open between 10am to 5pm until the end of February, when it will revert to weekend afternoons only throughout the year, except for the Easter school holidays when it will be open every afternoon.
The children’s pool safety changes are just some of the many changes to the council’s management of Eastern Beach, which include the permanent decommission of all four diving boards, safety upgrades to the central pontoon, viewing platform and decking, and assessing the safety of the rolling drum diving apparatuses.
Councillor Eddy Kontelj, chair of council’s Sports and Recreation portfolio, thanked the community and stakeholders for their feedback and patience while the council “worked to ensure our youngest community members were protected when using the children’s pool”.
“Now that we have more safety measures being implemented for the upcoming summer season, we’re excited to reopen the children’s pool year-round,” he said.
“I am positive the community will be thrilled with this, including quite a number of local athletes and sports clubs who reached out to us advising that they use the pool regularly for rehabilitation purposes.”
The Eastern Beach precinct was identified as a high-risk area and ‘drowning blackspot’ by Life Saving Victoria after 50 people died from drowning in the municipality between 2004 and 2024 – more than triple the average for Victorian local government areas.
Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj said the City was committed to actioning all recommendations.
“We know that there will be community members who have enjoyed using the diving boards over the years and will be disappointed by their permanent closure,” he said.
“We recognise and understand their frustration, however, we won’t waver on protecting the community. These incoming changes and investigations will ensure that the Eastern Beach precinct is a safer place for swimmers of all skill levels.”
