General News
11 March, 2026
Dimbulah pool on the mend
RESIDENTS in Dimbulah can rest easy with confirmation the town’s swimming pool is not going to close, and instead is undergoing council repairs, according to discussions at the latest Mareeba Shire Council meeting.
The public swimming pool was named in a statement by Member for Hill Shane Knuth to Queensland Parliament last month who was speaking about the loss of swimming pools and infrastructure in the region, sparked by the Mt Garnet pool demolition and the threat to the Babinda Pool.
This erupted into public speculation on the closure of the Dimbulah facility, and highlighted local criticism over the pool’s dishevelled state, reduced opening hours and availability for school swimming programs.
During a review of the council’s infrastructure report, Mayor Angela Toppin called for an update on the Dimbulah pool and its continued upkeep.
A council officer told the meeting that he was about to engage a contractor to reset and level pavers at the front of the pool. He had also attended a meeting of the incoming pool committee for the Dimbulah swimming club.
The officer said the meeting had been “positive”, with an open discussion about how the club was going.
The committee resolved to begin swim classes when the pool reopens in September and support a membership drive for Marlin Coast Swimming and Fitness - which leased the pool - to increase staff numbers. Coaching lessons would also be available for staff.
Marlin Coast was also proposing a more “collaborative approach” for swim clubs across Atherton, Mareeba and Dimbulah.
Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Toppin said the speculation over the pool closing had been out of the blue and false.
She welcomed the progress of the swim clubs and acknowledged it was a big problem getting accredited pool staff to run swim classes.
In terms of pool maintenance, chief executive officer Peter Franks said there was “a dividing line between minor maintenance and major maintenance, if it’s major, it’s ours, if it is minor, it’s theirs”.
“It’s easy to criticise anything that’s old,” he said in response to local complaints.
“It’s an old pool, but it’s workable. It is safe. Yes, there are issues, but we’re working on them.”
He said council was reviewing and repairing old pipe systems, which was a major issue, improving the front paving, and tiles had been replaced in the pool.
