Community
27 May, 2026
Holding out hope for indoor pool
FUNDRAISING efforts for the reopening of the Rodney Grove Aquatic Centre remain ongoing, with pool users rallying together and sharing their stories to help spread the message right across the district.
The indoor pool was closed for routine maintenance in December last year, then it was announced it would be permanently shut in February due to outstanding maintenance and structural issues which would cost upwards of $200,000 to fix.
While Cobdenhealth had always operated the indoor pool at a loss, the health service said it could no longer continue swallowing the cost while also operating its general practice, hospital and aged care services.
A committee, Friends of Rodney Grove Pool and Gym (FORG), has taken the reins and isworking towards fundraising $250,000 to get the pool up and running again for the benefit of all who used it right across the Corangamite Shire and beyond.
One such pool user, Heather Walsh, said the benefits of using the heated indoor pool were astronomical, and she was now travelling to Warrnambool to receive the same benefit which used to be in her own backyard.
“I’ve got arthritis in my hips and I’ve had it for 10 years,” she said.
“My hips did not get any worse – I hadn’t needed to have an operation or anything like that because the pool was just the ant’s pants.
“The pool was run beautifully, you could be there all day five days a week, then Will (Elliott) took over and it became more difficult because he had different hours.
“He didn’t have morning runs which I liked to do – people that liked to go at 6.30am, there was nothing there for them to do so they couldn’t go before work.
“I had to change when I went to twice a week, because that was the only times available for me, then of course it just shut without any warning in December.”
When the pool closed down permanently in February, Mrs Walsh said she was beyond disappointed.
“As soon as it came up, I said we could all pay a bit more, if that helps, but it was too late,” she said.
“It was never mentioned that they were losing money – to the pool people at least, other people might have known.
“It came as a gobsmack really, that we suddenly owed all this money, and it's going to cost $250,000 to get it repaired.”
Mrs Walsh said Cobden businesses were also missing out on the business they used to get from people all over the district travelling in to Cobden to use the pool.
“I know there were ladies who would come up from Timboon, there were six to eight of them every Monday, and they would go up to the bakery and have their coffee,” she said.
“Other people came and used to have their coffee at Nell’s.
“I know some of the women’s husbands, they would come from Nullawarre and they used to go to Hewitt and Whitty and get stuff to take home.
“We had them from Terang, we had them from Colac, people from Derrinallum – they came from everywhere.
“It’s a bitter blow and it’s a bitter blow to the town as far as coffee shops and the chemist too.”
Mrs Walsh said the loss was felt right across the community, from Cobden and beyond.
“I don’t think anybody can calculate how much is missing in the whole district, not just Cobden,” she said.
“To be shut through mismanagement, that is hard to accept, because you can’t do anything about that – we didn’t know about that.
“It came from nowhere and nobody expected it, that was the other thing.
“I want the pool open along with everyone else of course.
“The town needs it, the people need it, the whole district needs it.”
Mrs Walsh said there was one thing she wanted to ask of Cobdenhealth while the pool was shut which she thought was of utmost importance.
“The most important thing – please put water in the pool,” she said.
“I have been telling them that since the day it was shut.
“They keep telling us it won’t affect the pool for 12 months – well it’s six months now, and what if the pool cracks?
“It’s a beautiful facility – we’ve just got to get it open as quick as possible.”
Regarding the pool being vulnerable to cracking when empty, a Cobdenhealth spokesperson said they were not concerned.
“According to the experts we have engaged, that’s not an issue,” the spokesperson said.
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