Under a perfect blue sky Harold Holt Swim Centre's dive pool was officially reopened today, after nearly two decades out of action.
The dive pool was officially opened by City of Stonnington Mayor Cr Jami Klisaris who was joined by invited guests including the Federal Member for Higgins, Dr Michelle Ananada-Rajah and City of Stonnington Councillors Matthew Koce and Kate Hely.
Also on-hand to witness the milestone moment was a small crowd of Harold Holt regulars and an enthusiastic group from the local primary school who were very excited to see the pool back in use.
Celebrating the reopening Mayor Cr Klisaris said, "From today we are thrilled to welcome diving back for the first time in nearly 20 years.
"Before closing in 2003 over safety concerns, the dive pool and tower were loved by the community and extremely popular features of the swim centre.
"For many locals, a visit to Harold Holt on a hot summer day was not complete without the thrill of leaping from the tower into the pool.
"Although the tower cannot return to operation, we've added one- and three-metre springboards to the pool so diving will again be very much part of a visit to Harold Holt Swim Centre, Cr Klisaris added.
"Bringing the dive pool back has been nearly 20 years in the making – I hope you all enjoy the new pool."
The dive pool and tower refurbishment is part of a wider masterplan for Harold Holt Swim Centre, approved by Council in 2018. Since then good progress has been made implementing the master plan – including retiling the 50-metre outdoor pool, upgrading the indoor pools and program rooms, modernising the water filtration systems, rebuilding the outdoor spa and adding a new plant room and dive pool heating.
In addition to diving, plans are underway to extend the dive pool use to other activities such as lap swimming, deep water aerobics and even SCUBA lessons. The dive pool will also be available for group bookings.
For more visit the Harold Holt Swim Centre webpage.
