Ballarat Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre

Negative experience: Challenging environment for people with sensory issues. Needs a rehab pool that is only used for rehab/people with disabilities. 45 minutes sensory time is not sufficient. Staff have widely varying empathy for people with invisible disabilities. Council needs to consult with disability community more on public spaces design, and staff training.

Negative experience: Cast an eye over the gym and you’ll quickly realise the real workout is trying to ignore how filthy the pool area is. The waterline sports a lovely crust of grime think of it as a “natural exfoliant.” The pigeonholes for your belongings? Grotty enough to make you consider just holding your towel for the entire swim. And the water? Less refreshing dip, more chemical soup with a hint of mystery. The secure lockers haven’t worked since what feels like the Industrial Revolution, and best of all, parts of the pool are routinely closed with all the warning of a surprise pop quiz except this one costs you money before you know what’s happening. A triumph of mediocrity disguised as a community aquatic centre.

Positive experience: Love this place

Negative experience: Was once a good indoor 50M pool to swim in, now it's always divided in half and full of boats and/or other activities you have to pay extra for. Management only switch the sauna on for VIPs and the spa is full of people soup.

Negative experience: At the childcare centre where the kids can play,there is a lady short hair glasses, she holds the classes at 10 and 11 am, well how can I say she is soo mean and should not handle kids! Everytime we are there she has something to do or say.Dont play with the ball on the mattress,don't do this don't do that,etc Decided to cancel the membership because of her and going somewhere else where we are free to play without being bothered all the time not to talk about we even pay for it I know her name I just don't want to name her,other parents were complaining about her behavior also!

Positive experience: Ballarat Aquatic & Leisure Centre – Great Facilities, But Needs an Update Ballarat Aquatic & Leisure Centre offers a wide range of facilities, making it a popular spot for fitness, swimming, and family activities. The staff are generally friendly, and the location is convenient with good access and parking. However, during my recent visit, I was disappointed to see that the flooring in the kids' pool area has not been updated or maintained to the standard you’d expect from such a prominent community facility. Given the high usage by young families, safety and cleanliness should be a top priority. An upgrade would definitely enhance the overall experience and comfort for both kids and parents.

Fantastic experience: great gym

Fantastic experience: Helpful staff! Shower only for 2.80$.

Positive experience: Good facilities.

Negative experience: Just got barked at by the rudest employee I've ever met, over swimming in a pool that was closed (I missed the signs). But she spoke to me as if was beneath her in everyway shape and form, the condisending tone in her voice throughout our entire conversation, and then tried to say "every Wednesday this pools blocked off" as I was to somehow to know that as I walked into the building, no signs saying this by the way. If she had just asked like a normal human "Sir can you please get out of the pool it's closed" instead of the way she did I wouldn't be writing this review. Amazing pool, rudest staff in Ballarat hands down, go to the Eureka outdoor centre you might get better reception there.

Negative experience: A range of different pools but the chlorine is way to high in quite a few of them. Few of my friends and myself got chlorine burns as a result. The spa is especially high in chlorine

Fantastic experience: The pool layout was majestic. Nice lifeguards that were always monitoring the pool.

Positive experience: Did the box fit class as I had been wanting to for ages. Was fun and I will probably do it again but the instructor wasn’t very good and some of the exercises she was doing were just ridiculous.

Positive experience: I forgot my swimsuit

Fantastic experience: Great affordable family day out. Clean pools. Lots of swim spaces to chose from that are both warm and cold. Staff were attentive but also let the kids have fun. Will definitely be coming back again and again.

Negative experience: The Pool was great! But the kiosk was crap, they only do hot stuff like pies and chips on a weekend! Upon going to the kiosk we was told by kiosk staff that they have nothing left as it was 4pm, the kiosk is open to 6pm! My son really wanted a pie or chips so we asked as he is 10 years old could they heat one up for him! To our discussed the staff said no! So they have some but refused to provide for a 10 year old that did not like the little food they had left! Shame on yous, what shame! So our 10 year old had to go without! We will never return to this place as the kiosk stuff attitude was shocking ! We gave 1 star as it is the worst aquatic swimming place we have ever attended ! To see the disappointment on my sons face when he was not provided for really broke my heart as a parent! I am writing this review for other parents to see as it may be better bringing your own food so yous don't get stuck like our 10 year old did! Customer service no stars ✨️ 0 of 5!

Positive experience: Great facility. Showers were hot, almost too hot and definitely too hot for toddlers. Group change room and showers or private shower rooms with toilet & power. Hot shower $2.80 if that's all you want.

Positive experience: Great swim teachers but unclean and under-maintained facilities!

Negative experience: Gym is very basic and has no vibe whatsoever. Gym area is not staffed, so no one to assist or to deal with emergencies, etc. Group fitness rooms are very small, so booked out quickly. Very disappointing for a council run recreational facility. Maybe have a look at Waurn ponds aquatic centre in Geelong, they do it really well.

Fantastic experience: Went to the centre for the first time today, very helpful staff (despites some confusion) and well maintained facilities

Negative experience: Not even worth the time to type.

Negative experience: Got told to leave as I had my 4y old with me that was just holding onto my back as I walk laps as told by the dr

Fantastic experience: Visited facility and was given tour of pools and gym. Friendly staff and great facilities like toilets and showers and change rooms.

Positive experience: The Ballarat Aquatic Lifestyle Centre (the YMCA Originally!) was quite a good place to go to from 2012 up until COVID 2020 issues that closed it on and off before “Premier Dan Evacuated the Building”. Deb (now retired) was always a kind lady in helping sort out all the TAC and Work-Cover, so lets hope that the current staff are just as hospitable, as it used to be a very well run Aquatic & Lifestyle Centre” for all ages and health.

Fantastic experience: Great Service and clean pools

Negative experience: Overpriced and crowded.

Fantastic experience: Lovely plus to stop and have a warm swim.

Fantastic experience: Bit noisy during school holidays

Fantastic experience: Decent sized gym, helpful staff & lots of pools to choose from.

Negative experience: Amenities are disgracefully filthy. I've been to other aquatic Centres in Victoria and ours is embarrassing.

Fantastic experience: Amazing facility! My grandkids love this place and we all have a wonderful time each time

Fantastic experience: Very impressive lifeguard and staff presence. Lovely clean facilities.

Fantastic experience: Ballarat has a wonderful aquatic centre. A swimming paradise. I have swimmer envy after stopping for a swim when passing through Ballarat. Exceeds what is available in the city of Geelong.

Fantastic experience: I have been going to the Ballarat Aquatic and Lifestyle Centre for about 7 years now and it has been an amazing experience. Not only are staff approachable and friendly, whenever you need help with anything they always have a solution. I have mainly been using the pool and gym at the centre but I know they offer many alternatives for if those don't interest you. I would highly recommend going here if you are thinking about trying something new that the centre offers, as I am sure that the staff will make the experience as enjoyable as possible.

Fantastic experience: Great place with lots of different pools to choose from, the kids love the kiddie pools and the food in the cafe is decent. The only thing is that they need more family changing rooms, they are also busy and people had to queue up to use them.

Fantastic experience: Would highly Recommend getting lessons with the ballarat aquatic centre they have outstanding swim instructors personally have delt with Hayley, polly, and Bianca to whom are Fantastic my girls love and get so excited to do their lessons. Bonus it's very affordable.

Fantastic experience: During our visit in Ballarat It was raining so we had to cancel our trip to Lake Wendouree. I took kids to this place and they loved it. The warm pool for kids is the best and parents can enjoy too, they also have a small size gym and a place for kids gymnastics. Multiple pools are available, the sauna is mostly occupied seniors just like any other aquatic centre:)

Fantastic experience: This place was fantastic. A great place to take kids especially when it’s pouring outside. Only downside is that they don’t have many slides to entertain them but it’s ok. The facility was clean and well kept with life guards at every corner. Plenty of room to swim. They recommend that the low times are in the afternoon, so if you do not like crowds, post 3pm is a good time to go. We had a wonderful time. There is also a well maintained cafeteria and clean bathrooms. Heaps of parking too. Didn’t take pictures as we were enjoying ourselves. Definitely a place to go to!

Negative experience: I went here for a swim. The 50 mtr pool was off limits due to a big swimming club using the pool. So I went to the 25 mtr pool. That was also off limits, 1/2 the pool was full, the other 1/2 was taken by a minority swim club with only 8 swimmers and two very rude coaches. 8 kids SHOULD have used 1, maybe 2 lanes maximum, not 1/2 a pool. During a very busy time if day, this was ridiculous. Thankfully just as I was about to leave and demand a refund, myself and my 14yr old found a spot we could sit in the spa for a while. Even then, when their time was up, the swim club stayed and tried to hog the pool for another 1/2 hour. The Ballarat city council needs to do something about this.

Fantastic experience: The Romans would be jealous. Temperatures were perfect even after exercise. If you want to feel the burn, try a few laps of the 50m pool. It could use a shallow end though. Spa and sauna were awesome bonuses.

Fantastic experience: Frog is goat, that man changed my life.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic aquatic centre! Great facilities, clean, and well supervised. Highly recommended for learn to swim, club swimming and recreation. I have to say the pies and coffee in the cafeteria are both extremely good!

Positive experience: We don't come here very often but when we do it's a great time, on a personal side of things sometimes staff aren't the most helpful and can be very blunt. (Not all staff) but on a bisness level our coffee van was hired to do an even here for the swimming championships, and the staff were extremely helpful and put us in an amazing location with no questions asked

Fantastic experience: Staff r great and friendly

Fantastic experience: Best pools we have ever been to.Staff are so friendly

Fantastic experience: My young daughter has been doing gymnastics her for a while and her coach Sophie is so lovely she constantly helps and encourages my daughter. Thank you so much

Fantastic experience: This is very nice decently gonna go back soon

Positive experience: We really liked our visit to the aquatic centre this week. Has lots of pool areas and a reallllly nice spa. The children's pool is lots of fun with a really cool frog slide. The whole place is quiet and very clean and well maintained. The lifeguards are nice and friendly and has heaps of change rooms. Has a kiosk with seating area for hot and cold food including coffee and hot chocolate.Has we check in codes and need to show vax status. Pricing is relatively cheap too. On a hot day this is a really nice place to be.

Positive experience: The bathrooms are rarely crowded at the pool and the showers are clean and convenient.

Negative experience: We went here yesterday everything was great except the spa it had dirt around the edges grimy sludge up on the walls wasn’t very nice experience at all

Positive experience: Centre staff are fantastic, lots of excellent programs for all age groups, gyms, aerobics, creche etc. The centre however desperately requires updating, most city aquatic centres have at least a kids indoor aquatic playground for year round fun, with slides , water cannons, tipping buckets etc. The frog needs a colourful revamp and a couple of decent waterslides for older kids would be great out the back with inflatable tubes. Think AquaPulse at Hoppers Crossing. Ballarat council need to understand that most rate payers expect a minimal standard at their local indoor aquatic centre. Ballarat has become a growth corridoor, and with young families comes the need for adequate infrastructure to keep their children safe and entertained. I'd love to see the children's pool frog painted by local indigenous artists. This centre needs to appeal to a diverse local community, and appeal to tourists also. Perhaps another waterslide can pay tribute to Ballarats long standing Chinese community, and our gold rush era. Ie, Dragons lair or Gold mine (names / themes for water slides and play zones?

Negative experience: Shockingly bad customer service. Worse than anywhere I have experienced. The staff expect the client to know their system inside out without even knowing it well themselves. When we had a problem, 2 staff at the front desk threw the blame all onto us without owning up to it at all at different conversations, not to mention being unapologetic, augumentative and condescending. The organizational culture is rotten and the staff certainly need to work on their customer service and professional skills. On multiple occasions we have been treated with unfriendliness by different staff in there. Some of them are borderline covert racists, probably overridden by their terrible attitude, though. It is a shame a good facilities run by Ballarat Council is easily tainted by its incapable operational team.

Fantastic experience: The kiosk is a great place to get a cup of coffee after a swim. A really swell lady named Shannon always has a smile for my kiddies, jimmy and timmy. She's their favourite!

Fantastic experience: Indoor 50m pools are as rare as hen's teeth. Gym is clean and equipped with lots of heavy things to lift. Andrea on the front desk is a delight. Marvelous

Fantastic experience: They have 4 indoor pools and facilities are awesome

Fantastic experience: So happy this place is open again, for now........

Fantastic experience: Very good facility. Dropped in for a lap swim in the 25m pool on a Sunday afternoon in May and had it all to myself. Easy, free parking. Showers clean and warm.

Fantastic experience: Just Amazing

Fantastic experience: First rate facility. A credit to the City of Ballarat, and to the enthusiastic staff there.

Negative experience: Pool floor is dirty especially the rehab pool change rooms are average makes it hard when you are having treatment and concerned about germs viruses etc

Negative experience: dropped my son and his friend off at the pool today......$5.80 it cost for him to have a swim. the centre must be raking the bucks in. i feel for the families that go there who have more than 1 child. add the cost of the entry fee with a drink and something to eat, and its not a cheap day out. i were thinking it was going to cost about $3.50 to have a swim, i couldnt believe it when he told me it was $5.80. they must be making a fortune-swimming, extra for the spa and sauna, swimming lessons, hydro therapy, water exercise classes, gym, aerobics classes, pillaties classes, selling swimming merchandise at exhorberant prices, the kiosk, plus what ever else they offer. come on, you can charge less than $5.80 just for a swim. oh, the changerooms are as cold as a fridge, shower water barely just warm, toilets always yuck. im sure they could take some of the money they make to put some heat into the changerooms, that would be welcomed by all.

Fantastic experience: friendly place and staff, great facilities, change rooms clean and tidy, lifeguards always present and attentive, great kiosk plenty of range. always plenty of people doing activities and having lessons or fun

Fantastic experience: This Centre is amazing. The facilities are far better than any aquatic centre in Melbourne. Ballarat community should really be proud of it. Just when l thought the great membership package couldn't get any better, today l find out there is free breakfast on 1st Friday of the month. This is a great initiative for all especially the seniors who really benefit from the socialization. Thank you so much.

Fantastic experience: Great place

Fantastic experience: I have autism Please stop bulling me just because I cannot swim

Positive experience: Great Facility for Water Polo.

Negative experience: Great place, but parking for disable is to far away from entrance.

Negative experience: The hydro pools have been too cold for the last 3 weeks and there has been sand in pools for 8 weeks

Positive experience: Went to visit the pool today with the family. It was packed. There was only 1 family toilet and it was out of order. Apart from that the water was lovely and warm to have a swim in.

Negative experience: After having a accident i was told to do Hydrotherapy at the aquatic center. Very disappointed. 10 people in 1 group. The middle hidro pool was used for the following. Hydro, auswim and active links session. So thats 10 people in a 7m pool trying all to recover and do excersise. Not much room to move. Also kids loud in the active links lesson which made it very distracting even though there was only 5 kids. Had an hour appointment with kathy, who seemed to be always in a rush and appointment only went for 50 mins. After you finished your excersise you told ok you can go. Wouldn't recommend it, however no other places to go. Just dont go if in chronic pain as you wont last your session.

Fantastic experience: good training instructors

Fantastic experience: Big amazing pools very nice place easy to get parking friendly people

Fantastic experience: Accessible from most parts of Ballarat within minutes, this is a family friendly pool that has 25 metre and 50 metre options as well as a kid pool. The memberships are affordable and they give you a lot more access to facilities. The staff also notify you about changes to prices or offers way ahead of time, as well as offering tips and options for new equipment if needed. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff. Great pools. Spa was nice. Clean toilets and change rooms. Highly recommend

Positive experience: Its ok

Positive experience: We We We We We to to its ßits I will , the time you left your post post UP so w

Positive experience: Friendly and enthused swimming instructors, clean with good water clarity. No diving boards though

Positive experience: Having the free lockers in the change rooms now is great. If it's windy outside it can be very cold in the change rooms. The pools are always clean and warm especially the hydro pool. If swimming lessons are on it can be a bit crowded in the kids pool but there is always a bit of space. Please type of free parking on site.

Fantastic experience: We love the pools at the YMCA. Hours of low cost fun and the coffee is okay too!

Fantastic experience: great place to relax and get fit

Fantastic experience: This is a great spot to relax and enjoy a swim and a good coffee

Fantastic experience: Great aquatic centre with family friendly life guards. My kids had a great time and we didn't feel pressured to be in the water with them.

Fantastic experience: Excellent facility.

Fantastic experience: Found it to be fun value for money and accommodating to the kids

Fantastic experience: Wet

Fantastic experience: Always fun. Staff are always peasant. Great place with great facilities all under one roof

Fantastic experience: Not too crowed and latest up to date equipment and friendly staff

Fantastic experience: I love swimming there because its fun. ❤❤❤❤

Fantastic experience: Get place to swim gym physio

Fantastic experience: Magnificent complex. Pools for all abilities and sizes. Comfortable seating poolside.

Fantastic experience: The kids always have fun here. It is a good cheap day out for four kids

Fantastic experience: Perfect for physical health & exercise ur Jaw.

Positive experience: fun to be at

Positive experience: The 25 and 50 meter pools are too cold...

Positive experience: The staff are always very friendly and helpful

Positive experience: Pool temp two low spar needs important showers almost cold

Negative experience: The pool is not really cleaned for a place being always busy, need to be cleaner than this

Negative experience: would give more stars however the gym is rather outdated and no weekend water aerobics and mainly all classes are in the day time so if you work you cant get there.

Positive experience: Has heated pool, spa, kids pool, sauna. Very enjoyable and not overly packed.

Negative experience: I really love the pools especially the hydro-therapy pool. But for the first time on Friday 4/8/17 I swollowed a gulp of hydro pool water and I have been bent over in agony ever since. I can only assume its a gastro infection but it was so bad my husband nearly carried me off the loo and to the emergency ward at The Base Hospital last night. I am sure the centre will deny the possibility of their pools carrying gastro bugs due to high levels of chlorine bla bla bla. All I know if I swollowed the water Friday morning and by friday night the agony hit.