NEWCASTLE grandfather Tony Ryan was frustrated to find the usually popular waterslide at Lambton pool was closed for most of the school holidays.
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Mr Ryan said he took his grandchildren to cool off at the pool on three separate occasions during the October break, only to find one of the main attractions closed each time.
"On the first day I went, I asked at the entry desk if we could get additional tickets to go on the slide, and they said it was being hired out for a private function," he said.
"I accepted that, but while we were there, there was nobody on it at all."
When he returned, the slide was closed again, and on the third visit, Mr Ryan said a staff member told him it was only open on weekends.
"It just seems strange to me that it would only be open on weekends during school holidays," he said.
Mr Ryan contacted Newcastle council and was told the issue "falls outside the jurisdiction of City of Newcastle".
He was advised to contact BlueFit instead, the company that manages the city's five inland pools at Lambton, Beresfield, Stockton, Mayfield and Wallsend.
"That to me was a pretty poor response, seeing as how BlueFit is the council's contractor, it's a publicly-owned asset through the council that would have been very well-used during the school holidays and was instead sitting idle," Mr Ryan said.
BlueFit deputy chief executive officer Brett McEwin said weekday demand for the slide has historically been observed to be "low" during the October school holiday period.
"We recognise that many families enjoy the slide during both weekdays and weekends, and our local team recorded all feedback relating to slide hours during this time to help inform future planning," he said.
"Only limited feedback was received from the community."
Mr McEwin said the slide was available from 10am to 3pm on weekends across the school holidays, with more than 1500 families and visitors enjoying it at Lambton.
"More than 30,000 residents and guests visited the city's five inland pools over the school holiday period," he said.
A tender was awarded to BlueFit in 2023 to manage the council's five inland pools for seven years, with two seven-year extension options.
In 2022, the council invested more than $500,000 into replacing the Lambton waterslide, which was first installed in 2000.
A City of Newcastle spokeswoman said historically, the waterslide has opened on weekdays and weekends during the Christmas school holiday period and on weekends during summer, depending on weather conditions and demand.
"The day-to-day operation of Lambton pool and the waterslide has been managed by our specialist pool operator BlueFit since 2014," she said.
"BlueFit has a contract to continue operating our five pools for up to another 19 years following approval of the required leases by the NSW government two years ago.
"City of Newcastle works with BlueFit to ensure services meet community expectations, inclusive of regular operations and the waterslide, to enhance community enjoyment and access."
A $2 entry trial to four of Newcastle's five pools launched late September.
The council decided not to include Lambton pool in the trial to "reduce the risk of overcrowding".
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a born and bred Novocastrian who started her career as a journalist in the New England North West in 2016. She is an experienced council and court reporter, former deputy editor of the Northern Daily Leader and two-time Kennedy Award finalist. In unrelated incidents, she previously reported on country music in Australia's country music capital and was once flung across Lake Macquarie in a power boat at more than 100 kilometres per hour. Maddie now works at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on Newcastle council. To keep up with my stories, follow my X @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
