14 Public Pools, Splash Parks, And Water Slides For Kids In And Around Brisbane
Summer in Brisbane gets HOT, but there are plenty of places to take the kids to cool down.
From splash pads to swimming pools, including those with slides, there are lots of choices for kids in and around Brisbane.
Find the best public swimming pool for you with this guide to 14 swimming pools in and around Brisbane.
Some of the pools have water slides, others have splash pads, and there are even free pools to swim in on this list of swimming pools in Brisbane.
Prices are for swimmers, but most of these locations charge a spectator fee for non-swimmers. Confirm hours with each location, especially for public holidays.
Swimming with Kids in Brisbane City and the Inner Suburbs
Brisbane City Council Pools are offering $2 entry for the summer.
#1 Centenary Aquatic Centre, Spring Hill
The Centenary Aquatic Centre is located in Spring Hill next to Victoria Park.
Centenary Pool includes a 50-meter pool, a kids’ pool, a heated rehab pool, and a diving platform.
The heated pool is often used for swim lessons.
PRICE: $4.40-6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS: $450/year, 10+25 day passes also available
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Yes, with catering options available
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Monday-Thursday 5 am-8 pm, Friday 5 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7 am-6 pm
#2 Valley Pool, Fortitude Valley
Located in Fortitude Valley, the Valley Pool is a 50-meter outdoor heated pool with grandstand seating.
Check their schedule for open swim times. They have a lot of events from water polo to group fitness classes. Children are allowed to join in during open swimming.
PRICE: $4.40-6/person, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: Gym Membership for adults
SWIM LESSONS: For adults
PARTIES: Available for 40-500 guests
FOOD AVAILABLE: Coffee and snacks available in the shop
HOURS: Monday-Thursday 5 am-7:30 pm, Friday 5 am-6:30 pm, Saturday 5 am-6 pm, Sunday 7 am-6 pm
#3 Spring Hill Baths, Spring Hill
For those who want to stay indoors, Spring Hill Baths has a 25-meter heated indoor pool in Spring Hill.
Check back for their “dine-in movie” nights, including movies for kids.
PRICE: $4.40-6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: 10+25 day passes available
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Contact for more information
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes, coffee and snacks
HOURS: Monday-Thursday 6:30 am-7 pm, Friday 6:30 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am-6 pm
#4 Musgrave Park Swim Centre, South Brisbane
Musgrave Park Swim Center has a heated 50-meter outdoor pool with beautiful Brisbane City views.
PRICE: $4.40-6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION:
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Contact for more information
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Monday-Friday 5 am-7:30 pm, Saturday 5 am-6 pm. Sunday 7 am-6 pm
#5 Ithaca Pool, Paddington
The Ithaca Pool is a saltwater, heated, outdoor pool with 6 lanes and a shaded shallow end.
PRICE: $4.40-$6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: 10 or 20 visit passes are available
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Yes
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: vary, pending the season. Summer hours are Monday-Thursday 5:30 am-7 pm, Friday 5:30 am -6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am-6 pm, closed Christmas, Good Friday, and Anzac Day. All other public holidays, open 9 am-5 pm.
Free Swimming with Kids in Brisbane
#6 Southbank Parklands Swimming Pools
A favorite among locals and visitors, Southbank offers multiple pools to swim in for free in Brisbane.
Southbank offers beautiful views of Brisbane River and Brisbane CBD from Streets Beach and Boat Pool.
Streets Beach and Boat Pool are open year-round
SWIM LESSONS: Yes, during school holidays
PARTIES: Groups allowed
FOOD AVAILABLE: Restaurants and BBQs nearby
HOURS: Change depending on the time of year
Looking for more free things to do with kids in Brisbane? Find the Best Things to do with Kids in Brisbane for Free!
Free Swimming with Kids near Brisbane
#7 Orion Lagoon, Springfield
A half-hour southwest of Brisbane lies Orion Lagoon, a free public swimming pool.
Orion Lagoon has a bunch of interconnected pools and one large swimming pool. The smaller pools are shallow children’s pools, and some have play features.
Lifeguards are on duty during opening hours.
A few umbrellas are set up for shade, but many guests bring their umbrellas, tents, or gazebos to confirm a shady spot for their family.
PRICE: Free
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: N/A, always free
SWIM LESSONS: No
PARTIES: No
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: 5 am-9 pm Spring and Summer, 7 am -5 pm Fall and Winter
Looking for more things to do with kids in the area? Here is our guide of 22 Fun Things to do In and Around Ipswich with Kids.
#8 Settlement Cove Lagoon, Redcliffe
Located along the water of Moreton Bay, about 40 minutes northeast of Brisbane, the Settlement Cove Lagoon is always free for public use.
Settlement Cove Lagoon has a fenced-in area for smaller children with a splash area and a children’s pool. There is also a rock river with shallow water.
There is a shaded playground nearby.
PRICE: Free
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: N/A, always free
SWIM LESSONS: No
PARTIES: Not structured, gatherings allowed
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Open 24 hours, lifeguards on duty 7 am-6 pm daily in spring, summer, and autumn
Pools with Slides near Brisbane
#9 Chermside Aquatic Centre
About 20 minutes north of Brisbane is the Chermside Aquatic Centre. Open year-round with both indoor and outdoor pools, Chermside Pool opens a waterpark with multiple slides and a play area during the summer.
Chermside Aquatic Centre has 3 large slides, 2 medium slides, and 2 small slides in the splash area. The Splash area is large and is connected to an area for swimming and can be accessed from the bottom of the large slides.
PRICE: Pool entry $4.40-6, water park entry $6.50-16.50, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: Yes, both pool and waterpark memberships are available. Waterpark memberships are $40-$80, family passes are available.
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Yes
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Pool hours Monday-Thursday 5 am-8 pm, Friday 5 am-7 pm, Saturday and Sunday 6:30 am-6 pm, Public holidays 9 am-5 pm, closed Christmas. Water park hours are 10 am-5 pm on weekends, public holidays, and summer school holidays
#10 Sandgate Aquatic Centre
The indoor pool at Sandgate Aquatic Centre is open year-round with their outdoor and leisure pools closed for winter.
There is a semi-shaded water play area at Sandgate Aquatic Centre with small slides and plenty of water to splash around. This water play area is geared towards younger kids, though lots of tweens enjoy the slides as well.
PRICE: $4.40-6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: multi-visit passes are available
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Yes
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Monday-Friday 5 am-7:30 pm, Saturday 6 am-6 pm, Sunday 8 am-6 pm, Public Holidays 9 am-5 pm, closed Christmas
#11 Newmarket Olympic Pool
With both indoor and outdoor pools, a large splash area, and a 30-meter double loop slide, the Newmarket Pool has something for everyone.
The outdoor Olympic-size pool is partially shaded and there is a smaller outdoor pool that is completely shaded.
Besides the large slide, there are 3 different splash areas. One has a tipping bucket and lots of water sprayers and is perfect for the littlest kids as the water does not build up. The second splash area at Newmarket Pool has a couple of very small slides, and the biggest splash area has 3 medium-sized slides.
PRICE: $4.40-6, family passes available. Wristbands for the large slide, $3.
MEMBERSHIP OPTION: For lessons and exercise classes
SWIM LESSONS: Yes
PARTIES: Yes
FOOD AVAILABLE: Yes
HOURS: Monday-Wednesday and Friday 5:30 am-7 pm, Thursday 5:30 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday (in the summer) 8 am-6 pm, Check for public holiday hours and closings
Splash Pads near Brisbane
#12 Aquativity, South Bank
Located near the free pools at South Bank in South Brisbane, Aquativity is free and open daily year-round.
In addition to the splash area, there is a rock pool that kids can play in.
#13 Colmslie Aquatic Centre, Morningside
A small water park splash area is open during the summer months at Colmslie Aquatic Centre in Morningside, about 15 minutes outside of Brisbane.
Year-round, there is a 50-meter heated pool outside and a heated 18.5-meter pool inside.
PRICE: $4.40-$6, family passes available
MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS: 10-day and 25-day passes are available
SWIM LESSONS: yes
PARTIES: Contact them for more information (We did spot a private party at the splash pad).
FOOD AVAILABLE: Kiosk with snacks and drinks
HOURS: Monday -Thursday 5:30 am- 8 pm, Friday 5:30 am-6 pm, Saturday 7 am-6 pm, Sunday 8 am-6 pm, Public holidays 9 am-5 pm, closed Christmas
#14 Whale Park, Wynnum
A small splash park, about 30 minutes east of Brisbane, Whale Park features whales spraying water.
There are trees providing shade nearby as well as BBQs and a playground.
Located nearby, Wynnum Wading Pool is huge and has seating around the outside of the oval. There is a kid’s slide at one end of Wynnum Wading Pool.
Looking for more ways to enjoy the outdoors with kids near Brisbane? Here is a list of our favorite ways to spend a day outside near Brisbane with kids.
Family Packing List
We tend to always forget something important on our pool days. Here is a list of our family-friendly must-haves for a day out at the pool.
The paid pools in Brisbane include a shop with items such as bathing suits, sunscreen, and goggles for purchase for those who need new items and those who forget to bring something.
Sunscreen
The sun in Australia is strong and with the UV rays, sunscreen is a must when spending time outdoors. We need to get better about taking a break long enough to reapply the sunscreen.
We always pack a bottle of sunscreen and a sunscreen stick or sunscreen roller that the kids can use to put sunscreen on their faces by themselves (which we then add to and rub in for them).
If you are looking for a natural sunscreen, here are a few options.
Hats
We wear hats all of the time in Australia and recommend sun-safe hats.
The kids do not like wearing a hat in the pool but will wear one in a splash park.
If you want to have the kids wear a hat in the pool, there are swim hats for kids.
Long-sleeved Bathing Suits
Staying safe in the sun is important, and the kids love their long-sleeved bathing suits because that means applying less sunscreen.
Every member of our family has a long-sleeved swimshirt or a long-sleeved bathing suit.
Quick Dry Towels
Of course, any towel will do, but quick dry beach towels are perfect for those times that you want to get in and out of the water and want to use a dry towel each time.
Wet Bag
One of my favorite purchases, when my kids were babies, was a wet bag. Originally for dirty cloth diapers, we have used wet bags many times for wet bathing suits.
I always brought a wet bag to swim lessons, and now I bring one to the pool and the beach. They are small and easy to pack and perfect for keeping your wet clothes away from your dry belongings.
Swim Diapers
We are past the point of diapers, but if you are still in that phase, here are a few reusable options.
Refillable Water Bottles
Hydration is important and we try to bring our water bottles with us everywhere. Most places have a refill station so that you can refill your bottle each time it gets empty.
Snacks
Kids eat a lot, especially mine. While many of the pools have kiosks, we prefer to bring snacks along. Sometimes we add a picnic lunch and other times we will order from the kiosk, but with all of the snacks that the kids consume, it is best to bring our own.
Current favorites include apples, carrots, rice cakes, nuts, and popcorn.
Favorite Brisbane Swimming Pools
What is your favorite swimming pool in Brisbane? Do you have a favorite splash park?
We are still exploring, but so far we love the pools in South Bank, in part because they’re free.
Since we are lucky to live in a building with a pool in Brisbane, we don’t go to the paid pools unless they have slides, but we have been enjoying the free large lagoons and the pools with waterslides.
Chermside Aquatic Centre is probably the favorite so far, though Newmarket is a lot more affordable and my kids had a blast there. I would recommend Chermside for tweens and teens and Newmarket for younger kids, though they are both a lot of fun for every age.
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