Grant to help reduce costs at Monbulk Pool

Council has received a grant of $1.9 million to transition the Monbulk Aquatic Centre away from gas, to save the community money in the long-term. 

The Australian Government’s Community Energy Upgrades Fund provided funding for upgrades to the Monbulk Aquatic Centre, as part of an electrification project. 

Yarra Ranges Mayor, Jim Child, said the project would align with Council’s work on its Liveable Climate Plan, to hit net zero emissions by 2040 and 100 per cent renewable energy use by 2030.  

“Our aquatic facilities are some of the most beloved places in our community; the Monbulk Aquatic Centre sees more than 118,000 visits per year. Each of those someone learning to swim, developing their skills or having fun with their family or friends,” Cr Child said. 

“The simple fact of the matter is that gas costs us incredible amounts. We’ve historically spent more than $400,000 a year to heat pools – a number that we’ve reduced to $150,000. However, the cost of gas has doubled. The environmental impact, and the ongoing increasing cost, impacts the work that we do and constrains our budget. 

“It makes sense to reduce our reliance on gas, to leverage our fantastic work on renewable energy and to do what we can to reduce costs while living lighter on the earth. 

“The Monbulk Aquatic Centre Electrification Project will replace gas equipment with electric equivalents, make thermal improvement works, renew heating and ventilation air conditioning units and install batteries to make the most of our solar energy. 

“The added benefit of these works is that the aquatics centre will be more resilient for users and staff in the event of power outages, meaning people can safely finish up using the pool with power continuity and leave the site if mains power drops out. 

“I’d like to sincerely thank the Australian Government for their investment in this project through the Community Energy Upgrades Fund.” 

Council has matched the $1.9 million federal funding, dollar-for-dollar.  

The project is expected to get underway in April 2025, with works to temporarily close the pool in 2026. Pool users and groups will be updated as works are scheduled and conducted.