The pool has been home to the Kangaroo Flat Swimming Club for decades.

Members are sorry to see it go, but excited for what will come in the future in the way of the new the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre, which will replace the existing pool at a new site in Browning Street.

Kangaroo Flat Swimming Club president Mick Mulqueen has been involved with the club from the mid 1970s, and has followed in the footsteps of his late father Jim who was also once president.

“We’ve had some fantastic times there and spent a lot of hours in the old pool,” Mr Mulqueen said.

“It will be missed, but we’re looking forward to the new facilities as well as having access to a pool for 12 months of the year.

He believes an advantage of the new centre will be the ease of access for the public in regards to its proximity to the Bendigo Creek Trail, schools and other sports clubs.

“I know in the past some local schools had to cut their swimming programs because the logistics of having to transport students via bus to other locations was costing too much.”

In regards to the new centre, he said it was ‘the perfect location for it’.

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A significant amount of money has been raised by the Kangaroo Flat Community Enterprise to help support the project, which Mick Mulqueen is a part of along with chairman Jack Lyons.

”We’re trying to raise $1 million towards the build of the new pool and currently we’re at about $550,000, so we’re over half-way,” Mr Lyons said.

Mr Lyons has been a user of the pool since 1981, when he first moved to the area and spent ‘every hour of every summer there in the water’.

"It’s so outdated and for the growing population of this area it needs to be bigger and indoor for use all year round.”

The new centre will include a 51.5 metre eight-lane indoor pool, learn to swim pool, steam room and sauna, health and wellness centre, cafe and other amenities.

Mr Lyons believes the new centre will be much more than a local swimming pool, it will act as a health and wellbeing hub for people to get active. However, stating it will also need safe access for all of its users.

“There’s a new path that has been built along the creek that reaches from one end of town to the other and we encourage kids to get out to cycle and walk along the path to make their way to the new swimming pool,” he said.

The KFCE has a vision, with help from the City of Greater Bendigo that they will be able to provide solar lights on the path from Alder Street to Lockwood Road.

“The pool will be open during early morning winter until late at night when it’s dark and there needs to be some kind of lit path for people,” he said.

There will be a community event to farewell the Kangaroo Flat Swimming Pool on Saturday March 17 at 4pm at the pool in Station Street.