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The City of Stirling’s Inglewood facility - The Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre - is set to open what the council says is be the largest public outdoor lap pool in the southern hemisphere.

Scheduled to open on 2nd September 2024, the Inglewood facility features 10 x 50m-lanes and four x 25m-lanes holding 2.5 million litres of water and heated to 27.5 degrees.

With the pool having a capacity to hold up to 250 swimmers, and in a first for Western Australia, the revamped centre will use the artificial intelligence-powered anti-drowning CCTV technology from assisted lifeguard technology company Lynxight.

Lynxight, a groundbreaking Israeli pool software and analytics service now used throughout Europe and the USA, entered the Australian market at multiple BlueFit managed aquatic locations in Melbourne and Sydney.

While the use of technology to assist lifeguards is not yet considered standard practice in Australia, BlueFit chose to implement Lynxight in 2022 in five pilot locations starting at the Windy Hill Fitness Centre in Essendon, with a plan to roll this out further.

The AI-based software analyses patterns of distress in the water and accelerates lifeguard response up to six times faster through smartwatch alerts, pinpointing the distressed swimmer in the pool.

The installation of Lynxight’s drowning prevention technology at City of Sterling’s Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre is part of a $14.5 million upgrade.

Stage one, which was completed in April 2022 at a cost of $2 million, involved re-tiling the internal pool concourse, extensively refurbishing the indoor pools, upgrading the indoor pool plant and renovating the changing rooms and spa area.

The second stage, costing $12.5 million, included the construction of a new outdoor lap pool and a learners pool, installation of new pool plant equipment, the addition of shade sails, two new showers, two swim walls and enhancements to the pool area.

The outdoor pool complex is designed to welcome a substantial number of guests. The expansive outdoor area can comfortably accommodate up to 2,000 individuals including spectators.

The aquatic centre offers new features aimed at improving access and comfort to all users. A key addition is the installation of new shade sails to increase sun safety by giving swimmers the option to swim in the shade. Two new water access ramps into the main outdoor pool and the Learners pool have been added to enhance accessibility, complete with two water wheelchairs available for use.

Another new feature is the submersible swim wall, which can be raised or lowered in minutes and used to split the 50m-lanes into two 25m-lanes. The swim wall also allows the facility to safely have a 30m water polo game or two 25m water polo games at the same time as having 10 x 25m-lanes available for swimming.

It took three weeks to fill the pool with 2.5 million litres of water, which will be protected by a pool blanket nightly to minimise evaporation and maintain temperature. The lap pool is maintained at a comfortable 27.5 degrees, while the Leaners pool is warmer at 31 degrees, heated by condensing gas boilers.

The plant is powered by gas (heating) and electricity. The existing solar power of 200kw PV has reduced the facility’s electrical usage by 270,000kw hours in 2023/24.

City of Stirling acting Mayor Councillor Suzanne Migdale said completing the outdoor pool redevelopment represented a significant milestone, noting “since its inception in 1967, Stirling Leisure – Inglewood has transformed into a one-of-a-kind aquatic facility. The upgrades mark an exciting new era, with this much-needed rejuvenation of a pool that had reached the end of its 50-year life.

“It will be a high-quality facility we hope the community will enjoy for years to come, incorporating extensive upgrades to ensure an unparalleled aquatic experience for the next generation. We look forward to welcoming everyone to the largest public outdoor lap pool in the Southern Hemisphere.”

The council received $1 million from the Western Australian Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund (CSRFF) towards the project.

One of three City aquatic facilities, Stirling Leisure – Inglewood attracted 586,492 admissions in 2023/24, with attendance projected to increase to over 730,000 following the redevelopment. Comparatively there were more than 389,000 admissions in Stirling Leisure – Scarborough Beach and over 401,000 admissions to Stirling Leisure – Balga Aquatic Centre last year. 

All three facilities are accredited as Gold under Water Corporation’s Waterwise Aquatic Centre Program.

Summary of redevelopment inclusions:

• A new 14-lane pool, now the largest outdoor public lap pool in the Southern Hemisphere, which can accommodate up to approximately 250 swimmers
• Two swim walls in the lap pool to allow the conversion of 50m-lanes into 25m-lanes
• A new Learners pool with shade sails
• AI drowning detection technology, with the City the first in WA to use it
• Grassed park, landscaping and BBQ area added to the outdoor area
• New shade sails over parts of the lap pool, offering swimmers the option to swim in shade
• Brand new plant room with new filters and equipment with a salt system to remove the need for chlorine gas, removing all remnants of the 1967 facility
• Two new outdoor showers
• Umbrellas for sun protection
• LED lights.
• The 50m-lanes have depths ranging from 1.2m to 2m, the 25m-lanes maintain a consistent depth of 2 metres and the Leaners pool averages a depth of 1 metre.

The facility boasts the longest operating hours of any aquatic centre in Western Australia, open 107 hours per week in the summer and over 99.5 hours in winter.

The Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre is one of six aquatic and recreation centres operated by the City of Stirling in Perth’s north. The centres are open all year round and offer a range of health, fitness and sporting activities.

For more information on the project, visit the redevelopment page.

Correction, 18th September 2024. Previous versions of this article incorrectly referred to the 'City of Sterling'.

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