Public pools are disappearing in tiny towns as locals ask 'what's next'

Samantha Brownlie wants her four kids to be strong swimmers, but she is not sure how she will do that without a local pool."All they've got to do is disappear under the water and you don't know where they are," she said.The tiny rural Queensland district of Yaraka, south of Longreach, services 27 properties along a network of waterways and dams, which Ms Brownlie said carried a serious drowning risk.But the Yaraka pool, which the Brownlie family used for swimming practice, has been closed for five months due to "severe cracks", a buckled shell and broken fibreglass.The region's local council is now considering whether to close it for good.Samantha Brownlie wants to see the Yaraka pool reopened. (ABC News: Crispian Yeomans)Most drowning deaths happen in damsAccording to Royal Life Saving Australia, there are up to 500 public swimming pools across Australia that could close in the next decade because of an $8 billion repair shortfall.In Queensland, dams are particularly dangerous, accounting for 65 per cent of all drowning deaths in those waterways. That's more than in lakes and rivers combined.The pool has been closed for five months due to damage including severe cracks. (ABC Rural: Crispian Yeomans)Drowning deaths were most prevalent in remote and very remote locations, where the risk is 13 to 19 times higher than in major Australian cities.Longreach Regional Council Mayor Tony Rayner said he had heard the safety and recreational concerns of Yaraka residents, but no decision had yet been made."We have to be certain that if you're investing significant amounts of money into assets and infrastructure that it is the best use of those funds," he said.Cr Rayner conceded that not replacing the pool would be a "significant cost" to the council because of the expense of removing it and filling in the site.But he said modern regulations meant public pools were also expensive to replace.Tony Rayner says modern regulations make pools expensive for small councils to run. (ABC Western Queensland: Victoria Pengilley)He said a like-for-like replacement of the Yaraka pool would likely cost more than $1.4 million, although no quotes had been formally gathered.He said smaller alternatives could cost between $800,000 and $900,000, while installing a small "spa" would cost $400,000.It's a five-hour return trip for Kathyrn Ross to take her daughters to swimming lessons. (ABC News: Crispian Yeomans)Yaraka grazier Katherine Ross, who lives 7 kilometres out of town and is a qualified lifeguard, is disappointed the council is focused on "the money".It is a 5-hour round trip for Ms Ross to travel more than 200 kilometres to Blackall to access the closest weekend swimming lessons for her two daughters, aged two and six."It's not viable for us to do that every week, so I try to supplement their lessons with swimming at the pool here [in Yaraka]," she said.Country towns find 'creative' solutionsQueensland Royal Life Saving executive Paul Barry said some rural communities had found "creative" ways to keep costs down."There's a few learn-to-swim schools around where they essentially get an above-ground backyard pool, put it inside a commercial shed and build a deck around it," he said.Mr Barry said this approach was often cheaper while still meeting regulations.He said building pools "on the back of trucks" was another option used in Western Australia to manage large distances."Often, when a regional swimming pool is shut, kids will go down to the creek or a billabong or a river and swim there, which is not necessarily safe," he said.Community members met in July to discuss the future of the Yaraka pool. (ABC Rural: Crispian Yeomans)Tiny town cries 'what's next'Sheep and cattle grazier Joe Mackillop said the pool was partially why his family had moved locally and invested "extremely heavily" in the region's agriculture industry.He said the council should be investing in the region too."We've seen it all in so many towns across Australia and western communities … and now we're hoping to have our boys and our teenagers move back here," he said."If you lose one thing, then what's next?"Yaraka local and retired shopkeeper Mark Lomman said he had used the town's pool as a "low-impact" exercise when he busted his shoulder."[It] greatly helped in the rehabilitation of [my shoulder] as I was quoted by surgeons [that] I may gain sort of a 70 or 80 per cent [mobility] following intensive use."He said he had made a 99 per cent recovery due to access to the pool.Mark Lomman says the pool helped him recover from an operation. (ABC Rural: Crispian Yeomans)Ms Brownlie said the loss of a pool would be devastating for her community."I think it would knock a lot of young families," she said."It's the main drawcard for anyone with kids and I think, as far as the tourist side goes, there's one less appeal, one less attraction to come out here."