10 Outdoor Pools In Melbourne To Keep You Cool This Summer

While we all love a good day at the beach, but sometimes we just want a quick splash without the long drive (and sandy laundry). That’s where Melbourne’s bountiful outdoor pools come in: with their cool and calm waters for swimming, ample green space for sunbathing, kid-friendly zones and convenient facilities, they offer a fun yet relaxing afternoon for all. Whether you’re down to smash laps or simply kick back with a book, these are the best outdoor pools to visit in Melbourne.

Carlton Baths

Having first opened over 100 years ago, Carlton Baths is a treasured slice of the inner city. They open every year between October and April, with a heated 25 metre outdoor pool and toddler pool featuring an aqua playground, slide and several jets. Given its smaller size, this is a great place for cooling off in the summer, casual swimming and lounging on the poolside grass.

248 Rathdowne Street, Carlton

Brighton Baths Health Club

This iconic saltwater pool has been waking up locals with invigorating cold swims since 1881. Fully-enclosed by a boardwalk (that’s perfect for tanning in summer) and offering stunning beach views, it’s hard to think of a better place to pound out a few morning laps. The Olympic-sized pool is 50 metres long and remains open all year, even in winter, though a gym and steam room can help you warm up after you’ve taken the plunge.

251 Esplanade, Brighton 

Fitzroy Swimming Pool

The ‘Fitzy’, as it’s affectionately known by locals, is a north-side mainstay that swimmers have been diving into since 1908. The main attraction is a 50 metre, heated outdoor pool that hosts thousands of laps all year round while an onsite gym, spa and sauna gets visitors sweating. Come summer, the Fitzy’s old school concrete bleachers are filled with punters sunbaking and socialising, while little ones splash about in the toddler’s pool.

160 Alexandra Parade, Fitzroy 

Brunswick Baths

This convivial local pool sports a 50-metre heated outdoor pool that’s open all year round. Depending on the time of day there’ll be a healthy combination of serious lap swimmers and casual paddlers, while the indoor recreation pool caters to children and water workout classes. Brunswick Baths is also a one-stop fitness shop with an onsite gym and classes across HIIT, pilates, yoga, tai chi and more, making it a great place to achieve your health goals.

14 Dawson Street, Brunswick

Harold Holt Swim Centre

Setting aside the interesting choice of name (Harold Holt was a former Prime Minister believed to have drowned in Portsea in 1967), this eastern suburbs swim centre and gym is a top tier fitness hotspot. Both the 50 metre outdoor and 25 metre indoor pools are heated for year-round comfort, with plenty of lanes for both hardcore swimmers and more slowgoing folk. The heritage-listed building is also one of the city’s prime examples of brutalist architecture, if you’ve got a keen eye for that kind of thing.

1409-1413 High Street, Glen Iris

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre

For state-of-the-art facilities you can’t go past MSAC, with its competition-standard outdoor pool (with incredible moving floor), great change room facilities and multipurpose exercise centres. Ensure your lane spot by booking in your swim online, as well as some relaxation time in the sauna and steam room or the 34-degree hydrotherapy pool. Keen to try some other moves while you’re there? Inside there’s a whopping 14 spring and platform diving boards to launch yourself from, as well a wave pool and waterslide for an extra fun day out.

30 Aughtie Drive, Albert Park

Prahran Aquatic Centre

It’s no surprise that Prahran’s local pool is a little more swish than your average. With a luxurious wooden sunbathing deck, sun lounges and lush greenery, you’ll feel like you’re on holiday when you set your towel down here. The outdoor lap pool is a full eight lanes and 50 metres, with a spa, sauna and steam room for post-swim relaxation, and in summer they’re known to host DJs, jazz gigs and sausage sizzles that add a party-like vibe.

41 Essex Street, Prahran

Monash Aquatic & Recreation Centre

If you live out East, make Monash your go-to for aqua fun. Plunge into the eight-lane, 50-metre outdoor pool for a few laps, then stretch out on the expansive lawn for some sun (though there are also plenty of trees and umbrellas for shade). Want to try your hand at surfing one day but not ready for ocean waves just yet? Bring a boogie board and ride the wave pool inside – you’ll find swimmers of all ages having the time of their life.

626 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley

North Melbourne Recreation Centre

For those with little ones in tow, North Melbourne is one of the most family-friendly pools around. Set out in an open plan, lagoon-like layout, they’ve got four pools of varying depths that you can move easily between – that means it’s easy to keep an eye on kids while relaxing yourself. All pools, from the shallow splash playground to the 25-metre lane pool are kept to a balmy 27.5 degrees year round, and in the summer they hold movie nights and special events from time to time.

204-206 Arden Street, North Melbourne

Oak Park Sports and Aquatic Centre

Another family-friendly option is Oak Park, which boasts a bank of giant, colourful waterslides that will delight the young and young at heart. The pool operates seasonally from October to April each year, and features both a heated 50-metre pool, 20-metre shaded learners pool and a splash pool for children. Consider making a full outdoorsy day of it by riding bikes to and from the pool via the leafy Moonee Ponds Creek Trail.

563a Pascoe Vale Road, Pascoe Vale

Looking for more great ways to spend a hot summer’s day? Sip on spritzes with a view at these gorgeous rooftop bars, catch latest flicks in air-conned comfort at our favourite cinemas or picnic under tree shade at these lush Melbourne parks.