Michelle Slater
The long-awaited $57 million Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre is throwing open its doors to the public today, allowing locals to take a dip in state-of-the-art swimming facilities.
The centre was officially opened on Tuesday morning with Regional Development Minister Mary-Anne Thomas was in town to cut the ribbon.
The all-abilities centre features a 50-metre indoor pool with seating for 500 spectators, a 25-metre heated outdoor pool, a splash park, water slides, a spa and sauna, gym and wellbeing area.
The modern swimming centre is thermally heated through a 600-metre deep aquifer taking advantage of 65-degree groundwater, which will cut running costs and carbon footprint.
GRAC will also be able to host top-class swimming carnivals, luring big events and elite athletes to compete in the region.
Construction provided 500 jobs and the centre is also providing 150 ongoing jobs in the region.
Ms Thomas said the new centre was a “great moment for the Latrobe Valley” after the state government had contributed $47 million towards the project.
“This is a project driven by the community. When you have something of this standard built in a community, it projects pride of the people who live in the community,” Ms Thomas said.
“We are extremely pleased to have helped make the community’s vision a reality – it will be a great asset for the Valley.”
The new centre was a culmination of a decades-long dream from local residents and the Traralgon Community Development Association to replace the town’s ageing outdoor pool.
Traralgon resident Joanne Campbell was at the opening saying it was “overwhelming” after having spent years rigorously lobbying the state government and local council to get it built.
The official opening also featured a demonstration race with the Traralgon Swimming Club, with member Molly Cargill saying she was looking forward to being able to compete locally.
“When I first came in here, it was just wow! It’s something for Traralgon, it’s amazing to have something to use. This is something phenomenal that everyone should experience,” Ms Cargill said.
Latrobe City Mayor Sharon Gibson acknowledged the support from the state government and hard campaigning from the community.
“This world class centre puts Latrobe City firmly in the spotlight when it comes to swimming and leisure facilities, major aquatic events, use of geothermal energy and stands as a testament to community spirit,” Cr Gibson said.
Traralgon Swimming Club senior coach Brian Ford said the club had been campaigning for the past 40 years to get a new indoor swimming pool in the region.
Mr Ford said the closest 50-metre indoor pool was 120 kilometres away at Fountain Gate, meaning club members had to leave the area to train or compete.
He said GRAC would also be good for other sporting disciplines as a place for recovery and cross-training.
“This is what the region needs. To have the funding finally become available and have this generational facility is terrific, and it will attract people to the region,” Mr Ford said.
“It’s a great asset to the community with opportunities to spend the afternoon there in this huge facility, it’s great for kids and adults. This is terrific.”
GRAC is scheduled to host its first big event on May 1 with 450 swimmers taking part on the Gippsland Championships relay.
