Sydney❜s Best Indoor Swimming Pools for Kids
- Family
Kids
Stuck indoors with the kids on a crazy hot day? Or a rainy day? Head to your local indoor swimming pool for a fun, low-cost, weather-proof kid's activity. Here’s our pick of the best in Sydney, be sure to check your suburb’s ellaslist Swimming Directory listings for more pools and learn-to-swim in your area.
City
Cook and Phillip Park Aquatic Centre located right in the middle of the city, this is easy to get to and well served by public transport. There is a decent sized children’s pool with a water slide and cute mosaic sculptures to swim around, plus a 33-degree heated baby pool that you can use when there are no classes going on (afternoons are best). Plus it’s right across the road from The Australian Museum so splash around then head to the museum for a few more hours of indoor fun. Read the review here.
For more museum+swimming fun, plan a visit to the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre followed by the Powerhouse Museum next door. There’s a good-sized leisure pool, shallow at one end, excellent for babies, plus fountains and bubbles for the kiddies to play with.
Inner West
The Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre is a great place to spend a rainy or hot summer day. There’s a fab toddler splash pool with fountains and water features to keep the littlies endlessly amused. Once you have worked up an appetite, stop in at the kid-friendly cafe next to the pool for a post-swim snack.
Leichhardt Aquatic Centre has six swimming pools which including two children’s pools – a shallow-heated indoor toddler pool and an outdoor mushroom play pool specifically designed as a kid's aquatic playground with a nice lawn area adjacent to it.
North Shore
Lane Cove Aquatic Centre - this place is great for families. The indoor leisure pool is really big and there are lots of fun water features (the fountain tunnel is a real favourite!). Parking is easy with a council carpark just across the road.
via Lane Cove Aquatic Leisure Centre
Willoughby Leisure Centre has a great big indoor kids pool which often has giant inflatable fun sessions-call ahead to see if the giant slides are up.
The Hornsby Aquatic and Leisure Centre has a heated leisure pool with zero depth entry leading into a walking zone and fun water features for kids, a two metre high enclosed water slide for children and heated, 10-metre by 25-metre indoor pool for learn-to-swim activities. There is also a creche!
Northern Beaches
The Warringah Aquatic Centre is the place to be on a rainy day. The indoor heated Olympic sized pool has a designated Fun & Splash area for the kids and when they are worn out, mum can drop them off at the excellent on-site creche and swim a few laps!
Source: Northern Beaches Council
North West
Head to Ryde Aquatic and Leisure Centre for loads of watery fun for big and small. Waterslides, wave pool (weekends and school holidays), bubble whirlpools, wading pools and rapid river are the main attractions here.
South Sydney/St George
Hurstville Aquatic and Leisure Centre is another great indoor pool for kids. With a nice sized indoor leisure pool with a slide and an onsite cafe and creche, it’s an easy place to spend a few damp hours.
Sutherland Shire
The Sutherland Leisure Centre is massive with heated indoor (outdoor pools), family fun areas, cafe, creche plus fitness facilities.
Greater West
Ripples Leisure Centre, St Mary’s has an indoor pool is heated all year round to a temperature of 29 degrees. The children’s area is such a big hit with its slide, water buckets, plus a mini spa for everyone to enjoy.
TOP PICK: Sydney Olympic Park is our ultimate favourite! It has the very best pool in Sydney with amazing water play areas, a whirlpool and a giant waterslide. The Olympic Park’s Aquatic Centre’s amazing Splasher's Water Playground will keep all ages happy for hours and there’s plenty of parking plus a couple of indoor cafes as well. Read the review here.
The Springwood Aquatic Centre is more than just a leisure centre! With an amazing leisure pool with children’s beach area, a cute Noddy water car, a huge waterslide and turbo pool – the little ones will enjoy their splash-about for hours.
Reviews
Kresta
Dec 01 2017
The attraction is really good, where kids can go down the slides, water buckets, and even there is a current pool. But unfortunately they only open the kids section area during Sat and Sun only so if you come during the week, you just can only play in the pool with the little ones. And during Sat & Sun it can be crowded as heck, and the toilet can be a bit of disaster, dirty and trash everywhere. Not to mention the family changing rooms take FOREVER, like maybe per family took AT LEAST 30 min and the queue is a bit of disaster during the weekend. Just do yourself a favour, rinse yourself with the public shower and just take a proper shower at home, where it's clean and no queue.
selina. Jazella. antonio
Oct 04 2015
Nice we love to enjoy the pools
tara
Oct 09 2013
I grew up in Wattle Grove & swam at 'The Whitlam Centre' in Liverpool. that was over 10yrs ago & i recently took my son, 5 1/2yrs of age, & we BOTH had a phenominal day! 10/10 2 indoor pools, 1 pool has about 6lanes with a reasonable size swimming area (used for aqua-arobics occassionally), the second pool is for the kids but adults are more than welcome to swim, walk & enjoy. it has big mushrooms with water falling down from the rim of the shrooms, colour tiled art work at the bottom of the pool, a teeny baby pool added on, a whirl pool (not always on, & not as awesome as it sounds but really good fun). A reasonable tree slide with water dropping down before the mini slide. both pools are heated!! inside theres 2 or 3 spa's "Adult Only". outside has 100m lane pool, non-heated with around 12 lanes. and another kids pool with water sprayers & whirl pool too. its worth a family outing expecially if you live close by!! i loved it as a child, loved it now as an adult/mother and will always love it years to come!! cjeck it out! i promise you wont be dissapointed! sincerely, Tara x.
June
Sep 15 2013
Worth the trip to Lane Cove, as it's warm, even in winter. Safe and patrolled carefully, it is very child friendly. It can get manic on a hot day, but we go early in the morning, to beat the lunchtime crowds. Cafe has the basics, but food isn't healthy - would recommend packing your own. Free parking is also a positive aspect.
June
Sep 15 2013
It was a hot day when I took my 6y old daughter in January. It was mayhem, with too many people in the pools and it felt dangerous. I had to stay ultra close to my daughter, a competent swimmer, as there was an overwhelming number of adolescents and adults using the children's pool and slides. I lost her at one point, as there were 18y boys acting crazily in my way. I wouldn't recommend it for young children. It just wasn't adequately patrolled or safe. There should be an age limit on the children's pool and equipment, so little ones can be safe.
Jo
Feb 07 2012
I have to agree the best of the best and the one we always travel to is Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. We have our lesson there and then there is a play area great for small and big kids. A fun day out for all.
