{"id":39497,"date":"2026-06-15T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/themooraboolnews\/?p=39497"},"modified":"2026-06-10T17:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:48:19","slug":"indoor-pools-cool-say-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/themooraboolnews\/news\/indoor-pools-cool-say-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Indoor pool’s cool, say schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLANS for an indoor aquatic centre in Maddingley have been met with positive interest from schools throughout the shire.<\/p>\n

Set for MARC Stadium, the project had a major milestone recently when a federal funding agreement was signed.<\/p>\n

“A public indoor swimming facility is amazing for the town and opens up opportunity for year-round use,” Bacchus Marsh Primary School principal Melinda Williams said.<\/p>\n

“In future, we may use it for special school events and recreational excursions.”<\/p>\n

Paul McDowell, principal of St Patrick’s Primary School in Gordon, said it would be a “game-changer”.<\/p>\n

“At the moment, organising swimming lessons involves significant travel, time out of the classroom and additional cost for families,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Being able to access these programs locally will make it easier for more students to take part.”<\/p>\n

Jayne Bosworth, principal of St Brigid’s Primary School in Ballan, said learning to swim was a critical life skill.<\/p>\n

“Particularly in a country like Australia where water is part of everyday life,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This facility will help ensure our students gain the confidence and skills they need to stay safe around water, while also making lessons more accessible and consistent.”<\/p>\n

Moorabool Shire mayor Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor said the project was an exciting step forward for the community.<\/p>\n

“For many years, local students have had to travel outside the shire to access swimming programs,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The indoor aquatic centre will change that, providing a modern, accessible facility right on our doorstep. Our Bacchus Marsh schools are excited, as are primary schools across the shire.”<\/p>\n

Cr Venditti-Taylor said the facility would make a difference for schools and their families. “It reduces travel time, lowers costs, and ensures more students can take part in regular swimming lessons,” he said.<\/p>\n

More information is at moorabool.vic.gov.au\/marc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PLANS for an indoor aquatic centre in Maddingley have been met with positive interest from schools throughout the shire. Set for MARC Stadium, the project had a major milestone recently when a federal funding agreement was signed. “A public indoor swimming facility is amazing for the town and opens up opportunity for year-round use,” Bacchus […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":39500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-39497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIndoor pool's cool, say schools - The Moorabool News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Local schools back the Maddingley indoor aquatic centre at MARC Stadium, bringing year-round swimming lessons closer to Moorabool families.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/themooraboolnews\/news\/indoor-pools-cool-say-schools\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indoor pool's cool, say schools - 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