Inside North Sydney pool as it inches closer to ‘the next big milestone’

The developers completing the marathon revamp of North Sydney Olympic Pool are expected to hand over the finished complex to the local council within weeks, as the mayor suggests entry fees will be comparable to nearby aquatic centres despite the project’s hefty $122 million price tag.

Five years after the Milsons Point venue closed for a planned two-year redevelopment, the 50-metre outdoor pool and children’s pool have been filled with water, and two 25-metre indoor pools are being filled this week.

North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker said developer Icon was expected to transfer the site to the council in early to mid-February. It will be another two to three months before the site opens to swimmers.

“It’s getting there. Meanwhile, all the preparation work for making the pool operational is happening at pace within the council,” Baker said.

That work includes recruiting some of the 80 staff, such as learn-to-swim instructors and lifeguards.

Once the council has control of the complex, it will take charge of installing the gym equipment, bringing in furniture, testing the water pumping and filtration systems to ensure they meet public health requirements, fitting out the kiosks, cafe and gelato bar, and completing staff inductions.

A report outlining a proposed fee structure for the pool and gym is expected to be debated at a council meeting in February. The council is also exploring joint ticketing options with Luna Park.

“I suspect the fees will be very similar to what other councils are charging [at pools] within a 10-kilometre radius. It’s not going to be that different because they’re the competition,” Baker said.

“We can’t be outrageous. We’re not pulling back $122 million from the entry fees to the pool.”

Baker expected the proposed fee structure would not include a joining or cancellation fee, and would allow casual visits, “so you can come in and out at any time. Whether you’re a tourist who wants to use it for four days, or a local who would like to use it year-round, it won’t be too onerous.”

North Sydney Council’s director of open space and infrastructure, Gary Parsons, said practical completion – when the council was “happy with everything” – was “the next big milestone”.

“Once that’s achieved [next month], and it’s handed over to the council, the removalist trucks will start rolling in. Then it’s just the gearing up to opening.”

A hose took about six days to pump about 1.9 million litres of potable water into the outdoor pool in November. It will be topped up with water drawn from the harbour.

The facility includes a children’s water play area, ramp access to pools, a spa and sauna, rooms for group exercise and reformer Pilates, a revamped Ripples cafe, and a new 970-seat grandstand. Heritage features, including the stair tower, art deco harbour wall and sundeck, have been retained.

The project to overhaul the pool, which opened in 1936, has been plagued by cost blowouts and delays since it closed for the revamp in February 2021.

It had been forecast to reopen in November 2022. The initial estimated cost was $58 million.

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