Foster's swimming pool could be facing its final summers. With just five years of useful life remaining according to a new Council assessment, and a $10 million price tag on full renewal, the Foster Pool sits at the centre of a community conversation that South Gippsland Shire Council has formally opened, one that could ultimately lead to the closure of one or more of the shire's six pools.
The Aquatics Options Paper, tabled at last Wednesday's council meeting, reveals that sustaining all six pools over the next fifteen years would cost an estimated $78 million. Of that, $37 million has already been committed in the Long Term Financial Plan, but a further $41 million funding gap exists with no identified source. Three pools, including in Foster, are at or near the end of their useful life, and the paper is explicit that the status quo is no longer sustainable.
The Options Paper does not identify any individual facility for closure, but Council is clear that closure of one or more pools is being considered, and it is asking the community to have its say before any decision is made.
For Foster, the numbers make sobering reading. The 25-metre solar-heated pool opened in 1990, has seen operating and maintenance costs rise from $104,671 in 2022/23 to $160,322 in 2025/26, while attendance has fluctuated between 2,887 and 6,132 visits per season. Full renewal is estimated at $10 million, pushing the projected cost per visit to $145.56 over fifteen years, according to Council’s calculations.
Toora tells a very different story. The covered gas-heated pool has 20 years of remaining useful life, a splash park and a learn-to-swim facility, and serves between 20,677 and 24,307 visitors per season. A proposed $2 million investment in new plant and heating equipment would bring the projected cost per visit to just $18.13, one of the most sustainable figures in the entire portfolio.
At Wednesday's meeting, the debate centred not on pool closures, but on how long consultation should run. Councillor John Schelling successfully moved to extend the engagement period from 25 October to 6 December, arguing the scale of the decision warranted more time to explore potential funding opportunities.
Mayor Nathan Hersey said he understood the motivation but could not support the extension, fearing it would delay alignment with the December budget process. "I can't support kicking this down the road even further when I know that we need to hear from our community now. This is not the end of the conversation, the aquatic strategy we have here today is at the beginning of a much broader conversation."
Councillor Sarah Gilligan was direct. "There is an eye-watering gap in renewal and replacement funds and that is a fact. I want to see our pools strategically planned so that more can benefit for longer, because the way it is now, we just can't afford it."
Councillor Beach urged the community to engage. "This is a $41 million gap that affects all of you, user or not. Please go online, complete the survey, send us your email or chat."
Council wants to hear about how everyone in the community uses and is affected by pools: whether that be for physical health and wellbeing, water safety education, learn-to-swim programs, the social fabric of swimming clubs and school events, employment for coaches and swim teachers, equity of access, or even town identity.
Feedback will be considered alongside asset condition, visitation data, operating costs and Council's broader financial position. Community members can have their say at southgippsland.vic.gov.au from 21 September. A letter and survey will be sent to every household in the shire. Feedback closes 6 December 2026.
