Windback Wednesday - George Bolton Swimming Centre

Did you know the George Bolton Swimming Pool was initially filled with water drawn directly from First Creek?

In 1954 it was announced that a swimming pool was to be established at the Hazelwood Park site. It took some years before the development came to fruition, with the official opening held in October 1966. At the 1966 ceremony, Burnside Swimming Centre (now known as George Bolton Swimming Centre) was opened by Olympian Dawn Fraser, who swam the inaugural lap. The pool featured a 50 metre pool, plus a children’s pool and wading pools. The swimming pool is adjacent to First Creek, which runs through Hazelwood Park.

Photograph: The George Bolton Swimming Centre pools circa 1980s. Burnside Local History Collection.