MACARTHUR was delighted to welcome Mulleraterong members to join an exciting day in the heat with the completion of the Macarthur Swimming Pool’s new splash pad.

The newly furbished $300,000 splash pad adds to the vibrant atmosphere of the Macarthur pool, surrounded by a water slide and murals painted by local artists Angela Vlass and Rosemary Thomson, one being a re-working of the original mural by the late Robyn Falkenburg and is dedicated to her in memory.

In 2018, the concept and ideas for the splash pad were constructed by the Macarthur pool committee which initiated fundraising.

With a total of $75,000 raised from the committee, the Moyne Shire came on board to include it in the development of the Macarthur precinct plan, contributing the additional $225,000 required to construct the splash pad.

Macarthur Swimming Pool committee treasurer, Katherine Cameron, said that the design and construction of the splash pool has been a lengthy process, however the enjoyment received already from users has made it all the worthwhile.

“We started off with the waterslide, and had an overwhelming response from the community, so then our next initiative through the committee was to build an all-ability splash pad,” she said.

“We wanted something that interacted all age groups, from babies to adults, with the idea of being able to interact with water, and cooling off at the same time.”

With the pandemic initially putting a halt to the project, the committee is excited to announce that members of the public can now access the splash pad through the pool during opening hours, ready for its official opening in May.

Mulleraterong support worker and former Macarthur Swimming Pool lifeguard, Rachel Page said that seeing the design come to fruition was an exciting opportunity for the Mulleraterong members. 

“It is great to get them out in the community and do something different, it gives them something to look forward to,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people here that love this type of thing and it makes me so happy to see them happy.

“It’s such a good asset for the community to have, it’s good that it has finally arrived after a lot of hard work from a lot of people.”

The all-ability access of the splash pad is in addition to the provided ramps, all-ability amenities and pool lift chair that the Macarthur pool offers to ensure that all members of the community can benefit from the site.

“We wanted to make it a day that families of all types could come and enjoy it,” Ms Cameron said.

“Mulleraterong has been a huge part of the community, and it’s amazing what they do and what they offer, and we just thought it was so important to be able to provide them with a special outing.

“We are lucky enough to have chosen a beautiful day to do it.”