Five of Australasia’s most unique aquatic centres

From high-tech adjustable swimming pool floors to tree-top-brushing waterslides, Australasia is blessed with a wealth of noteworthy aquatic centres.

And with summer coming up and holidays on the horizon, what better time to explore some of the most eye catching?

After a lot of splashing about, we’ve settled on five of the very best. Dive in!

Kiwa Pools

So new it hasn’t yet had time to celebrate its first birthday, this stunning state-of-the-art aquatic centre in New Zealand features a World Aquatics standard 50m pool that can be split into a dry section and a wet section by raising the floor.

Each pool’s floor can be mechanically adjusted, allowing visitors to sit back on one section and watch a movie on the complex’s super-sized screen, whilst keen swimmers can keep tallying up laps in the other half.

The centre in Gisborne is packed with other fun features, including a shallow splash pad where a bucket fills up with water to tip on whoever’s below, a range of fountains and ‘donuts’ that spray water, plus a warm pool just for babies. The indoor changing rooms even feature a tog spinner!

Kiwa pools was named both due to its location on the shores of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (The Pacific Ocean) and to recognise the heritage of the Pacific seafarers who succeeded in navigating their way to Aotearoa New Zealand across the waves.

Gisborne District Council uses our Envibe leisure management software to make the whole experience seamless, so you know a visit is going to run smoothly too!

Launceston Leisure and Aquatic centre

The star of Tasmania’s swimming scene stands out due to its 65-metre tree-top-brushing water slide and its smorgasbord of eight swimming spots. With an interactive water play area dripping in fun, a 1m diving springboard open over summer, plus a gym, café and barbeque facilities, it’s got everything you need to make the most of a hot day at the pool.

To drive kids wild the Launceston centre unleashes its impressive “Big Inflatable” over weekends and the school holidays – guaranteed to float their boat.

Another Jonas Leisure software user, Launceston City Council has created an exceptional leisure experience with this eye-catching community facility.

Goldfields Oasis

The sheer range of activities on offer at Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s aquatic oasis makes it exceptional amongst the pool of its peers and therefore worthy of inclusion in this list.

The centre boasts a 10-lane 50m pool and, designed with the entire family in mind, offers learn-to-swim classes for infants, children, adults and special needs swimmers. Kids can have a whale of a time sliding down the indoor waterslide, or on the outdoor giant waterslide plus water playground featuring interactive sprays, and water cannons, as well as BBQ and picnic facilities.

An extraordinary well-equipped gym stuffed with the latest equipment and open 24/7 is another major drawcard, with two spas, a sauna and a creche completing the package. Its sports centre hosts over 30 group fitness classes a week, with netball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton and indoor soccer courts available for hire.

The City of Kalgoorlie is another high performing Jonas Leisure customer but it’s not only us who think Goldfields Oasis is exceptional: it recently won the Quality Accredited Business of the Year award at the 2023 AUSactive National Awards, batting off a strong field of competition.

City of Swan’s Ballajura and Beechboro Aquatic Centres

Sometimes it’s the vast range of services and the way a centre interacts with its community that makes it a standout.

Operated by Jonas Leisure customer Swan Active, Ballajura and Beechboro aquatic centres in Western Australia shine for their high-quality facilities and the outstanding real-time information they provide to their communities via their website.

Whether it’s group fitness and personal trainer availability or holiday program times, you’re sure to find it on their website. They even graph their most popular lane swimming times by day, so you avoid the crowds – or join in the hive of activity – depending on your preference.

It all adds up to a hassle-free and memorable experience – something we’re all looking for over the holiday break. The on-site gyms are very well appointed too, for those looking to kick-off their fitness and wellbeing New Year resolutions!

URBNSURF, Australia

This list wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the outrageously ingenious URBNSURF complexes in Melbourne and Sydney. The Melbourne site, in particular, is distinguished by being the first surf park to make waves in Australia – literally.

Billed as the ultimate playground for surfers, URBNSURF can scale their shred levels to suit all comers, with various wave difficulty settings for beginners and hardcore experts alike. Onsite surfing academies make it easy to get on board the popular sport, in the land that has the largest population of surfers apart from the USA.

URBNSURF’s adrenaline-soaked complexes allow you to surf, swim, shop, dine, and occasionally enjoy surf and skate comps events with live music – everything you need to get seriously stoked.

Your turn to take the plunge

Now we’ve put you in the picture about the remarkable water-filled wonders that lie in wait for you across Australasia, why not take the plunge if you’re passing by! And if you notice a particular centre functioning in a conspicuously streamlined way it might just be because Jonas Leisure’s savvy software is busy behind the scenes, quietly taking care of leisure management centre business as usual…