As part of the Victorian Government’s Roadmap to Reopening Victoria, outdoor pools in Metropolitan Melbourne will be allowed to reopen from Monday 28 September.

This is welcome news for many in our community, and we are delighted to say that Peninsula Leisure and Frankston City Council are working towards opening the Pines Forest Aquatic Centre earlier that the usual 1 November season start — to allow for lap swimming to occur.

While every effort is being made to meet the 28 September opening date, this may be slightly delayed while as teams work to perfect and make safe the centre’s water quality.

The early opening will not only allow our engaged and motivated Frankston North community access to the facility for health and wellbeing benefits, it will also provide opportunities for some Peninsula Leisure staff to be re-engaged ahead of PARC’s reopening later this year.

CHANGES TO OUR SERVICE DELIVERY

When we do reopen, Pines will look a little different, with our service delivery guided by the Government’s Roadmap restrictions. While we are still awaiting confirmation on a few bits and pieces, here’s what we do know:

• Lap swimming only: Under the early opening guidelines the pool will be open for lap swimming only. The water slide, toddlers pool, basketball area and recreational swimming will be unavailable
• Capacity restrictions: We believe that according to the second step of the Roadmap only 20 people will be allowed in the pool at any time.
• Online bookings: To help adhere to capacity restrictions and provide the safest environment possible, an online booking system will be implemented for all swimming sessions. Walk up bookings will be available, however, we will encourage everyone to pre-book to ensure they do not miss out.
• Facilities: Upon reopen, the Main Pool (50m) will be available for lap swimming only. Our kiosk will be open for basic supplies such as water or goggles At this point we believe that change rooms and showers will not be available during the Roadmap’s second step, but toilets will be accessible. We hope to receive confirmation for greater access to the facility in future reopen stages.
• Operating hours: We will also be adjusting our operating hours to allow for thorough cleaning and disinfecting during the day, in addition to between sessions, and to maximise our traditionally busier lap swimming periods. At this point, we are working towards split opening times, with the Centre opening for a morning session, and an evening session Monday to Friday, and a morning session only on weekends. Final confirmation of service open times will be provided once our reopen date is confirmed.
• 5km zone: You must be within the 5km zone to access the pool during this early opening.

Thank you to Frankston City Council, with whom we collaborate to achieve our goal of enriching the health and wellbeing of the Frankston community. Full details on our official reopen date, how to access the Centre, open hours and cleaning processes will be provided on our website and social media channels once confirmed.

We can’t wait to welcome you back.