About time SA had an Olympic sized pool! The impressive and unusual structure from the outside is…read morejust as great on the inside with an airy, spacious, clean and still with a whiff of newness environment. The complex contains many areas such as a health club, creche, shop, etc and the pool itself runs various programs and activities to suit all ages. If this is your thing and you enjoy keeping fit plus live close by then membership is probably the way to go and save some money. Families can join also but be aware the water slides are not included and will cost two dollars to go on each time, so this is one part which will add up quickly! Otherwise, the casual entry fee is reasonable for a brand new complex and if you won't be an active participant there is a $2.50 spectator entry fee. All in all a great complex operated by the YMCA. P.S Despite it being new and all, it is not immune to renegade bandaids, so if you're a bit squeamish best to wear thongs!

This is the very definition of a swimming centre, far above a simple community pool…read more It consists of multiple areas with multiple pools. Suitable for families, classes, individuals. As an indoor heated pool no time of year can you use the excuse it's 'too cold'. Slides and playgrounds are targets for children and young families, and there are slow and medium lap lanes for those wanting gentle fitness. There are also dive pools though they were not dared by the cowardly reviewer. The cafe at the front serve a selection if foods more than suitable for lunch at competitive prices, though the coffee is not something I'd get a second time. Plenty of yellow shirted lifesavers patrol giving you a sense that they take your safety seriously.

Marion Swimming Centre now has a younger, cuter sibling (the State Aquatic Centre) to contend with…read more But, PLLLLEEEEEAAAASSSE, the State Aquatic Centre is INDOORS this badboy is OUTDOORS! So it should not be neglected.. Besides, let the crowds go there..! Hellllo summertime fun! Or if you're doing laps, hellllo summertime hell in a beautiful setting. The turn off sign on Oaklands Road is set amongst grape vines. The whole facility is a green oasis with a massive grassy space around the pools for summertime CHILLIN' shaded by the odd big tree. Facilities: *Olympic-sized pool (50m, 8 lanes) *Two shaded kiddy pools *60m water slide *Free BBQ *Kiosk *Lit for balmy evening swims Costs: Adults: $6.00 Kids: $4.90 Spectator: $2.50 You can also buy a season's pass (adult: $388, breakeven point: 65 visits), a 10-visit pass (adult: $53, save 70cents per go) or a 30-visit pass (adult: $156, save 80cents per go). You've got to be confident you'll live up to the high expectations of use you've set for yourself, or else forget about those tiny savings and hop on the non-commitment train - pay as you go! My only issue with the Marion Swimming Centre is that they're so damn enterprising (i.e. added costs). The waterslide is an additional $4.70 for 10 rides (or $11 for unlimited) and lockers are $4 for 2hrs. Boo. Open start of October until the end of March.

I haven't been to the new pool yet, gentle readers, so I can't speak about this one through way of…read morecomparison. I CAN say, however, that I've been to the Marion Swimming Centre many a time, and, as I've grown and my desires and expectations have undergone the usual metamorphosis, I have always enjoyed my time here. One specific memory I have is of the slide. As a child I was wanting in... courage. For certain activities. There were a lot of things I'd do that other kids would never DREAM of doing, but I always struggled with the average and the mundane. I'm a little reluctant to report that my little sister, to whom I was the senior for several years, was less afraid of taking the water slide than I was. It took a lot of coaxing until I finally took it, where I learned (what I'd already expected) that it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. Neither, however, was it as good as I was made to believe. The line's never worth it, readers (save for, perhaps, the first time). Whether you have the courage or not, stick to the pools. That's what you came here for, after all.

This is the State Swim I came to when I was recovering from an illness and needed to gently rebuild…read moremy fitness. It worked as I ultimately trained and became a swim instructor. It's not the fanciest establishment around, and I question whether its popularity will go downhill now the big, impressive aquatic centre's opened down the road. However, it's a decent 25m pool, nicely heated, and has shower rooms without doors or barriers, so expect to see others and be seen in the nudie. They have a range of sessions between the opening times I've stated, from public lap swimming, to lessons, to aquarobics. I suggest you grab a timetable or check it out on the website. In a nutshell - go water babies!

Now this is a fantastic swimming pool among gum trees and metropolitan scrub for those little…read moreplatypuses out there! Also referred to as "Balyana", this swim school was affiliated with my Primary School, Clapham Primary School, and was simply the go-to swimming centre when lessons were on the cards. I also had after school hour lessons here until I was twelve. Judy, the owner at the time, did a great job with the well maintenance and structure of centre. These days the swim school is owned by a mother and son team who have continued the Balyana legacy. It's not a huge centre, however it's nice and within a great atmosphere. On offer here are year round classes for primarily kids but also adults, a summer holiday program, carefully chosen instructors and the centre is additionally Swim Australia registered.