Mount Gambier the centre of the SA swimming universe

Mount Gambier is set to be the centre of the South Australian swimming universe in January, hosting the 2025 South Australian Country Swimming Championships – the second time the club and the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre has hosted the major event.

The announcement comes as Swimming SA used the state-of-the-art facility for training camps, as well as this weekend’s Mount Gambier Swimming Club Short Course Meet as swimmers from across the state prepare for upcoming State and national events.

Club vice president Nathan Stratford said Wulanda had been a hive of activity this week in the lead up to the club’s second ever short course meet.

“We have had the State Flippers squad and coaches training here all week and they will be competing at the meet,” Stratford said.

That has seen 19 swimmers and five coaches calling Wulanda home ahead of the weekend meet, which was held in September last year but has moved to July school holidays this year and that has seen entries explode.

Last year 47 swimmers competed at the meet with 174 swimmers expected to hit the water this weekend.

That field includes 46 locally based swimmers, 30 from Western Victoria, 27 from Marion, 29 from Immanuel, with both the Marion and Immanuel swimmers also having training camps with their own club coaches in the region in the lead up, and a raft of other metro-based swimmers.

The weekend competition will see racing from 2.30pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday and will see around 300 swimmers and supporters, including coaches and family, to converge on Mount Gambier and the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre.

The short course meet is being sponsored by Elders, HD Refrigeration, The Henty, Jen’s Hotel and Mustart Electrical.

The short course meet will be the final meet for current Blue Lake Y Swim Club athletes competing under that banner with the two local clubs set to become one as of Term 3 seeing the Mount Gambier Swimming Club, which has a current membership of 62, increase even further with the inclusion of the Blue Lake Y swimmers.

An information evening has already been held to start looking at new apparel, training times and other logistical changes, while a social night was held to help the merging swimming cohorts to bond.

The 2025 South Australian Country Swimming Championships will attract around 500 competitors and support staff to the region.