Lilydale’s 123-year-old swimming club suspends operations

“We had about 70 members and lost almost half because of the [Kilsyth] closure.”

Matthew Sims
July 02, 2026

Lilydale Swimming Club president David Macrae said he and fellow executive members were “terribly sad” and “disappointed” to suspend operations after membership fell from 75 to 39 in three years, largely driven by the closure of the Kilsyth pool.

However, the committee behind the 123-year-old swimming club – the second-oldest in Victoria – hopes this isn’t the end, with plans to keep the club dormant while it waits for a new home.

📉 Beginning of the end: Club secretary Samantha Wahrenberger said membership dropped sharply after Yarra Ranges Council closed and demolished the club’s former home – Kilsyth Centenary Pool – about three years ago, after its infrastructure became unsafe.

🗣️ “We had about 70 members and lost almost half because of the closure,” she told the Eastern Melburnian.

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🙏 Holding on: The club relocated to the Yarra Centre in Yarra Junction, but Wahrenberger said the 60km round trip for members in suburbs including Lilydale and Kilsyth contributed to further losses. Membership stood at 39 at the end of the 2025–26 financial year.

👋 Without a trainer: Macrae said when the club’s coach left recently to take a new position, some swimmers ended their membership in order to follow the coach.

🗣️ “We really couldn't justify the expense to employ another coach with the numbers that we had left,” he said.

Lilydale’s connection with swimming dates back to 1893, when locals created the Lilydale Baths by damming sections of Olinda Creek, followed by the creation of the Lilydale Swimming Club in February 1903.

The aftershock: Macrae said his 14-year-old daughter was “absolutely devastated” by the news.

🗣️ “She won't ever get back that sense of camaraderie and friendship that she's had for the last four years,” he said.

⏭️ What’s next? Yarra Ranges Council has dedicated $15 million towards a new indoor aquatic and leisure facility, dependent on a commitment of $20 million each from the state and federal governments.

Wahrenberger said the committee was “trying to figure out what [its] next steps are” while it waits for a potential new home.