South Australians are being offered a rare first look inside one of the state’s most anticipated community facilities, with a public ballot opening for opening-day access to the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre this Australia Day.
The $135 million centre will now officially open a day earlier than planned, welcoming its first visitors on Monday, 26 January, with a limited number of preview sessions available via ballot. From 9.30am tomorrow, residents can register for the chance to purchase tickets to one of three exclusive three-hour sessions, offering early access ahead of full public operations commencing Tuesday, 27 January.
Approximately 1,500 people will be able to take part in the opening-day experience, with 500 places allocated to each session at 10am, 2pm and 6pm. Ballot registrations close at midday on Thursday, 15 January, with successful entrants notified by email and SMS from 9am on Monday, 19 January.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said opening the centre on the Australia Day public holiday would allow more South Australians to be part of the milestone moment. “The new Adelaide Aquatic Centre is going to be incredible and I’m thrilled to announce it will now open on the Australia Day public holiday,” he said. “We know there’s going to be huge excitement and anticipation for the opening, so there will be a ballot to allow some lucky South Australians to be the first to experience all the fun and features of this world class centre.”
Designed as an inclusive, all-abilities facility, the centre has been positioned as a major boost for community health, wellbeing and water recreation. More than 1,500 health and wellness memberships have already been snapped up since memberships opened in November, while learn-to-swim and squad enrolments have surpassed 1,800 participants.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Emily Bourke encouraged water lovers to put their names forward. “This will be an incredible community asset and I strongly encourage all water loving South Australians to enter the ballot from tomorrow morning to be a part of history when this centre opens,” she said, noting the scale of the project includes more than 300,000 tiles, over a kilometre of underground plumbing and four million litres of water across six pools.
One of the centre’s headline attractions — four towering waterslides — is now fully installed. Standing 13 metres high, the slides send riders twisting at speeds of up to 11 metres per second, with a combined length of 355 metres weaving in and out of the building before finishing in the indoor splash zone. Transparent sections and coloured lighting effects add to the experience, alongside more than 40 interactive splash features including a rain curtain, five-metre-high eagle ray, giant jellyfish and water jets.
Inside, the 50-metre pool, warm water and rehabilitation pool, and dedicated learn-to-swim pools are filled and undergoing final testing, while landscaping works continue across surrounding community spaces. More than 355 new trees — some cultivated locally since 2023 — are being planted to green the site and complement its Park Lands setting.
Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Rhiannon Pearce said the centre would set a new benchmark nationally. “This centre will reshape health, wellness and water recreation in South Australia, providing a sustainable, accessible and welcoming environment for all,” she said.
The facility will be operated by YMCA Aquatic and has supported more than 1,500 jobs during construction. Member for Adelaide Lucy Hood described the early opening as “an exciting moment for our local community,” with former members, new users and visitors soon set to enjoy everything the centre has to offer.
South Australians can register for the opening day ballot from 9.30am tomorrow at this link.
More information on becoming a member can be found on the Adelaide Aquatic Centre website.
