General News
5 February, 2026
Hundreds turn out to save pool
THE Babinda community has shown up in force to send a strong message to Cairns Regional Council and Mayor Amy Eden that they want their public swimming pool saved and improved, but certainly not abandoned.
Council’s aquatic facilities strategy singles out Babinda Pool for “retirement” at its “end of life” as early as this year.
But at least 300 people turned up at a meeting at the Babinda RSL Hall on Wednesday night organised by Babinda Taskforce to tell the Mayor and other councillors including Brett Moller, that they’re not having a bar of council’s plan to close down the pool.
Support for the campaign was played to the audience via video messages from “local heroes” – retired world champion triathlete Brad Beven and Channel 10 Queensland news presenter Sharyn Ghidella, who both grew up swimming at Babinda Pool.
Babinda State School principal Rob O’Brien spoke about the severe effects on the practicalities and time constraints of having to bus students to and from school to other swimming pools in Gordonvale or Innisfail for lessons and carnivals if the local facility is closed down.
Babinda and District Community Organisation (taskforce) president Dalitta Wright said key presentations included the impacts on school children and seniors without the town’s 50m public swimming pool.
“I don’t think they’ve got any choice but to listen,” Ms Wright said.
“I think they realise that they are dealing with a professional organisation who has the capability to be able to embarrass them.”
She gave an example of how she said the so-called consultation process in the lead-up to the aquatic strategy was severely flawed.
“They say that they engaged with schools,” Ms Wright said.
“No, they didn’t, because we rang all of our schools around and not one of them received a telephone call or a meeting, from anybody from council or the consultants.
“If they had have done that, they would have realised that the pool is actually part of the curriculum.”
The taskforce is putting together a submission to council about what future alternatives are possible to give the pool new life, saying it will represent the best interests of school children and seniors in the local community.
Submissions will be taken until 30 April.
“We’re not forgiving them for ignoring our pool for the last 10 to 15 years. We are absolutely not forgiving them for that, but we will help them with a solution,” Ms Wright said.
Cr Moller said in post-meeting social media comment that, although he attended the town meeting, he was not one of the speakers for good reasons.
“As Cr Brett Olds (deputy mayor) articulated, we were there to listen as tonight was part of the consultation and engagement process and it was important that we were not to be seen to be trying to influence an outcome or pressure council officers whilst recognising that when all the feedback is received. It will be for the whole of council to then consider and decide on the outcomes of the strategy,” he posted.
“In respect to the Babinda Pool I am on the public record of saying ‘it is the heart and soul of our Babinda community’ when the debate came up on the floor of council chambers in December 2025.”
