General News
4 September, 2026
Babinda pool ‘set up to fail’
THE future of the Babinda pool remains under a dark cloud, sparking growing frustration among local residents as Cairns Regional Council continues to resist calls for weekend operating hours ahead of its scheduled spring reopening.
Set to open its doors on Monday 7 September following annual winter maintenance, the pool will operate strictly on a weekday schedule from 6am to 11am and 1pm to 6pm.
The decision leaves families, workers and weekend recreation seekers shut out – forcing many to travel long distances or miss out entirely.
Local campaigner and surf lifesaver Fergus Darveniza, who earlier this year completed a 32-kilometre charity swim to raise funds for the Starlight Foundation and draw attention to the pool’s plight, believes the current operating model sets the facility up to fail.
“Opening the pool on weekends is important because it increases the opportunity for people to actually use the facility,” Mr Darveniza told The Observer.
“A lot of families and people who work during the week simply don’t have the same opportunity to access the pool during weekday operating hours,” he said.
Mr Darveniza pointed out the flaw in assessing the pool’s viability based on suppressed usage figures.
“You can’t take a service away from a community and then judge the level of demand once that service is gone,” Mr Darveniza said.
“If other pools in the district are open on weekends and public holidays, naturally they’re going to have more opportunities to attract users.
“Babinda needs to be given a similar opportunity before we make assumptions about how well utilised the facility can be.”
Beyond weekend recreation, water safety remains the core issue for a township.
While Babinda is famed for its freshwater spots, the local community stresses that creeks and rivers are no substitute for a structured facility.
“Babinda is surrounded by swift water. Having a still-water environment where people can safely learn to swim isn’t a luxury – it’s an essential service,” Mr Darveniza said.
“Crocodiles are moving further into the waterways around us. Places that people once considered normal swimming holes can no longer be treated that way.
“We’ve already had a five-metre crocodile removed from a cane drain near a popular Babinda swimming area. As access to natural swimming holes becomes more restricted by crocodile risk, the importance of the pool actually increases.”
Community sentiment online echoed the call for urgent change following council’s announcement of the September reopening.
Local resident Helen Robson noted, “It’s great that it is reopening, but it needs to open on the weekends... that’s when a lot of families have the opportunity to enjoy our local pool.”
Others suggested weekday closures to accommodate weekend access.
“Have it closed on two weekdays when kids are at school,” proposed Sheree Anderson-Riddle, a sentiment backed by resident Wendy Lenehan.
For young families, the current schedule creates significant travel hurdles.
“I would happily attend every weekend to get my toddler more comfortable in the water,” said Jessie Harney, adding that she will now “have to travel to Cairns or Innisfail.”
Maintenance standards have also drawn community scrutiny.
While council confirmed winter works included pressure cleaning, painting, grounds maintenance and mechanical servicing, Mr Darveniza raised concerns over long-standing structural issues, including cracked floor tiles.
“Known maintenance issues don’t fix themselves,” he said.
“If we’re serious about giving the Babinda pool a fresh start, we shouldn’t just reopen it and accept the condition it has been allowed to reach.”
In response to the newspaper’s queries regarding weekend access and long-term security, council would not budge from its previous positions.
In a statement it confirmed the pool “will continue to be operated in accordance with current practices,” while council reviewed public feedback under the draft Cairns Aquatic Facilities Strategy.
The final strategy – which proposes upgrades to Tobruk, Gordonvale, and Woree pools – will not be presented to council until “late in 2026”.
For the Babinda community, it continue to urge decision-makers to give the township’s only safe still-water venue a fair go.
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