Community
14 March, 2026
Lapping it up for the pool
A KEEN swimmer has backed his support to save Babinda pool by doing more than 600 laps in a charity swim which he also hopes will encourage more people to use the pool.
Cairns Regional Council has singled out Babinda pool for retirement as early as this year or 2027 in a ‘strategy’ document detailing the future of its network of aquatic facilities.
Fergus Darveniza, a fourth-generation lifesaver at Etty Bay, says he swam 32 kilometres in Babinda pool over 17 days in February – equating to 640 laps of the 50-metre facility – as part of the Starlight Foundation’s ‘Super Swim’.
“I also wanted to encourage the community to use the Babinda pool and demonstrate how valued this facility really is,” Mr Darveniza told The Observer.
“I’m a regular user, and I take my seven-month-old there for water familiarity, so I see firsthand how important it is to families,” he said.
In its Aquatic Strategy document, to which responses can be submitted up until April 30, council offers natural swimming spots such as Babinda Boulders and Bramston Beach as alternatives to the local pool.
But Mr Darveniza, a town planner by trade, says that approach by council is a “real” water safety concern.
“For my family personally, we haven’t been able to swim at our family farm in the last ten years because crocodile populations have boomed and forced them further up the waterways,” he said.
“Yet in the Cairns Aquatic Facilities strategy, council has suggested swimming in expanding crocodile habitat or locations with multiple swift water rescues and deaths – instead of using our safe town pool.
“Right now, the facility faces several challenges: the children’s splash pool has been concreted in, there are no structured children’s swimming programs for kids, and the pool isn’t open on weekends – which is when many working families can attend.
“If usage is lower, that’s a direct result of reduced services and limited access. You can’t restrict access and then measure demand.”
He has also joined others in the local community asking for more information on exactly how more than $3 million was spent on maintenance and repairs of Babinda pool over the past decade.
“At the recent town hall meeting, Mayor Amy Eden stated that $3 million has been spent on maintenance over the past 10 years,” Mr Darveniza said.
“At that meeting, I called for receipts and since then, several community members have submitted formal requests to see the maintenance breakdown – but to date, that information has not been provided.
“From every perspective – as a regular user, a parent, a fourth-generation lifesaver, and a town planner by trade – Babinda pool is essential infrastructure.
“My 32 km swim was about showing the community values this facility and if we want higher participation, better water safety, and strong regional communities, the solution is investment and support – not closure.”
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