Where is Canberra's warmest pool for swimming? What is the warmest pool near you? Below is a list of the warmest pool available at each public
indoor swimming venue in Canberra that I prepared for those times when it is too cold to swim in the outdoors.
Canberra's Warmest Public Pool:
The winner of the title of
warmest public pool in Canberra goes to...(drumroll please)...
the Aquatots pools at Forde, Gold Creek and Googong, which are maintained at a cosy 33 degrees.
The water temperature is higher here to stop the kiddies shivering for swimming lessons.
Public entry is limited to times when swimming lessons are not taking place, so check the Aquatots website to make
sure that there are lanes available for your swim before you go. In the list below I have only included
pools in which you can actually swim (as opposed to just bathing). This excludes spas, toddler pools and shallow leisure pools.
| Indoor Pool Venue | Temperature of Warmest Pool at Venue |
|---|
| Forde Aquatots | 33C / 91F |
| Gold Creek Country Club Aquatots | 33C / 91F |
| Googong Aquatots | 33C / 91F |
| Club Blue (Part of CISAC) (Bruce) | 32C / 90F |
| Lakeside Leisure Centre (Greenway) | 32C / 90F |
| Gunghalin Leisure Centre | 31C / 88F |
| Active Leisure Centre (Wanniassa) | 30C / 86F |
| AIS (Bruce) | 30C / 86F |
| Canberra Olympic Pool (Canberra City) | 28C / 82F |
| Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre | 28C / 82F |
There are a few dedicated warm water hydrotherapy pools dotted around Canberra, but they are either not accessible to the general public
(e.g. the pool at the Australian Institute of Sport) or a bit small for a swim, so I haven't included them in the lists on this website.
Club MMM, which is a day spa in the same building at CISAC in Belconnen, has a 10 m long hydrotherapy pool. Hartley Hydrotherapy in Hughes also
has a hydrotherapy pool.
Canberra's Warmest Lap Pool:
All of the above three warmest pools are also the warmest lap pools in Canberra. The pools at Forde and Gold Creek are only 20 m in length, so if you
want to do lap swimming in a 25 metre pool, the warmest lap pool available is the 25 metre pool at Googong Aquatots.
There are a few swimming
pools in hotels around Canberra that have public access, but these appear to all be shorter than 20 metres in length and casual
visits from non-hotel guests did not seem to be actively encouraged. For these reasons I have not included these hotel pools in the list below.
| Indoor Pool Venue | Temperature of Warmest Lap Pool at Venue |
|---|
| Forde Aquatots* | 33C / 91F |
| Gold Creek Country Club* | 33C / 91F |
| Googong Aquatots | 33C / 91F |
| Club Blue (Part of CISAC) (Bruce) | 32C / 90F |
| Gunghalin Leisure Centre | 31C / 88F |
| Active Leisure Centre (Wanniassa) | 30C / 86F |
| AIS (Bruce) | 30C / 86F |
| Canberra Olympic Pool (Canberra City) | 28C / 82F |
| Lakeside Leisure Centre (Greenway) | 28C / 82F |
| Queanbeyan Aquatic Centre | 28C / 82F |
| *Only 20 metre pools |
If you are planning to visit these pools, beware of clashes with classes, particularly after school swimming lessons.
Some hydrotherapy pools are also booked by health care providers. If you are not sure when a pool is free, check out
the pool timetables on the venue's website or ring ahead to save yourself the disappointment. Many of these pools also
have ramps and hoists for the elderly or disabled.
To put the temperatures below in context, the water in San Francisco Bay (considered too cold for potential
escapees from Alcatraz to swim in) is 12-16 degrees and the water in Lake Burley Griffin ranges from 8 degrees in winter to
24 degrees in summer.
Your internal body temperature is around 37 degrees. Most hot spas in public pools are 36 degrees or above.
Comments:
If you think I have missed a public swimming pool that should be on this list, please fill in the comment box below.
I'm also interested in your experiences after visiting, and any changes in swimming conditions. All fields are required if you would like your comments published on this website.
