Brisbane $2 Summer Dips 2026-27: What the $2 Pool Entry Covers, What Is Excluded and Opening Hours at 18 Council Pools (Brisbane, QLD)

Brisbane City Council is charging $2 for general entry at its swimming pools from Tuesday 1 December 2026 to Sunday 28 February 2027, and the offer covers adult, child and concession entry as well as the family passes. The council says it announced the return of $2 Summer Dips in this year’s budget as part of a package of cost-of-living measures, and the council calls it the return of its much-loved $2 Summer Dips initiative.

This guide uses Brisbane City Council’s own pages, read on 7 November 2026: its page for finding pools and water parks, its conditions of entry for pools, and the page for each pool. Where the council has not said something, we say so rather than guess. Queensland has no daylight saving, so all times are Brisbane time.

What does the $2 Summer Dips price cover?

The council says you pay just $2 for general entry. It lists the admission types that are included:

• adult general entry
• child general entry
• concession general entry
• the 3-person family pass (one adult and 2 children)
• the 4-person family pass (2 adults and 2 children)
• additional adult
• additional child
• other general entry types that the pool operators charge: spectator general entry, water polo general entry, group booking general entry, and Move Well Brisbane program general entry

In plain terms, a family of four on the 4-person family pass is covered by the offer, and so is a single adult swimmer. The council’s page does not say what a general entry ticket costs outside the $2 period, so we cannot tell you how much you save.

What is not included in the $2 price?

The council names two places and a group of programs that sit outside the offer.

Not included	Detail from the council
Chermside Pool water park	Entry to the water park is excluded from the $2 offer
Newmarket Pool slide	The large double-loop slide is excluded
Learn-to-swim classes	Lessee-operated programs are excluded
Swimming squads	Lessee-operated programs are excluded
School swimming	Lessee-operated programs are excluded
Aqua aerobics	Excluded unless the class is part of the council’s Move Well Brisbane program
Hirer agreements and events	Excluded

The Chermside water park matters because that pool’s own page says the water park and lagoon play area open on weekends and school holidays during the summer swim season from October to April, with water park hours of 10am to 5pm. A $2 entry gets you into the pool, but not onto the water park.

Which council pools can I use, and where are they?

The council’s pools page says Brisbane City Council has 21 swimming pools. We read the page for each of the 18 below. Centenary Pool is not in the list, because the council says it and the surrounding areas passed to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority on 1 September 2026, to support the National Aquatic Centre. Spring Hill Baths, a different pool on Torrington Street, is a council pool and is in the list.

Pool	Address	Phone
Acacia Ridge Leisure Centre	1391 Beaudesert Road, Acacia Ridge	07 5610 4938
Bellbowrie Pool	47 Birkin Road, Bellbowrie	07 3432 9172
Carole Park Pool	Corner Boundary Road and Waterford Road, Wacol	07 3271 6116
Chermside Aquatic Centre	375 Hamilton Road, Chermside	07 3054 4305
Colmslie Aquatic Centre	400 Lytton Road, Morningside	07 3054 4366
Dunlop Park Memorial Swimming Pool	794 Oxley Road, Corinda	07 3379 1630
Emily Seebohm Aquatic Centre	523 Telegraph Road, Fitzgibbon	07 3269 8906
Hibiscus Sports Complex Pool	90 Klumpp Road, Upper Mount Gravatt	07 3054 4374
Ithaca Pool	14 Caroline Street, Paddington	07 3369 2624
Jindalee Pool	11 Yallambee Road, Jindalee	07 3376 1002
Langlands Park Memorial Pool	5 Panitya Street, Stones Corner	07 3397 7436
Manly Pool	1 Fairlead Crescent, Manly	07 3396 2578
Newmarket Pool	71 Alderson Street, Newmarket	07 3356 8434
Runcorn Pool	37 Bonemill Road, Runcorn	07 3054 4382
Sandgate Aquatic Centre	231 Flinders Parade, Sandgate	07 3269 7946
Spring Hill Baths	14 Torrington Street, Spring Hill	07 3054 4359
Valley Pool	432 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley	07 3852 1231
Yeronga Park Memorial Swimming Pool	55 School Road, Yeronga	07 3848 8575

What time do the pools open and close?

These are the hours each council page showed on 7 November 2026. The council shows one set of hours per pool and does not say whether they change during the summer, so confirm with the pool before a long trip.

Pool	Monday to Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Acacia Ridge	6am-7pm	6am-7pm	8am-6pm	8am-6pm
Bellbowrie	5.30am-7pm	5.30am-6pm	8am-6pm	8am-6pm
Carole Park	5.30am-6pm	5.30am-6pm	8am-4pm	8am-4pm
Chermside	5am-8pm	5am-7pm	6am-6pm	6am-6pm
Colmslie	5.30am-8pm	5.30am-7pm	6.30am-6pm	6.30am-6pm
Dunlop Park	5am-7.30pm	5am-6pm	5.30am-6pm	7am-6pm
Emily Seebohm	5am-7pm	5am-7pm	6am-6pm	8am-6pm
Hibiscus	5.30am-8pm	5.30am-7pm	5.30am-6pm	7am-6pm
Ithaca	5.30am-7pm	5.30am-6pm	8am-6pm	Not shown on the council page
Jindalee	5am-7pm	5am-7pm	6am-6pm	7am-6pm
Langlands Park	5am-7pm	5am-6pm	5am-6pm	8am-6pm
Manly	5.30am-7pm	5.30am-6pm	6am-6pm	8am-6pm
Newmarket	5.30am-7pm	5.30am-6pm	8am-6pm	8am-6pm
Runcorn	5am-7.30pm	5am-7.30pm	6am-6pm	7.30am-6pm
Sandgate	5am-7.30pm	5am-7.30pm	6am-6pm	8am-6pm
Spring Hill Baths	6.30am-7pm	6.30am-6pm	8am-6pm	8am-6pm
Valley	5am-7.30pm	5am-7pm	5am-6pm	7am-6pm
Yeronga Park	5am-8pm	5am-7pm	5am-6pm	7am-6pm

Public holidays are 9am to 5pm at most of these pools, and Carole Park lists 8am to 4pm. Most pages also say the pool is closed on Christmas Day. Carole Park’s page does not mention Christmas Day either way, so ring that pool before you go. Ithaca’s page repeats its Saturday hours on a second line where Sunday should be, which is why the table says the Sunday hours are not shown.

Which pools have closures during the $2 period?

Several pools list partial closures for swimming carnivals and other uses that fall between 1 December and 28 February. In each case the council says the rest of the pool or other times of day stay open to the public.

Pool	When	What is closed
Carole Park	Thursday 3 December 2026, 8am-3pm	Closed to the public for a school swimming carnival
Dunlop Park	7 December 2026 9.30am-2.30pm; 2 February 2027 9am-3pm; 12 February 2027 9.30am-1.30pm	Closed for swimming carnivals; open to the public before and after
Hibiscus	11 February 2027, 8am-3pm	The 50-metre pool is closed; the 25-metre pool stays open and the Leisure Pool is open 1-3pm
Ithaca	Thursday 3 December 2026, 9am-2.30pm	Closed to the public
Jindalee	7 December 2026, 9am-3pm	The 50m pool is closed; the indoor 25m pool has 2 lanes available but is not available 11.30am-12.30pm
Sandgate	4 December 2026, 9am-2.30pm	The 50m pool is closed; the 25m pool is available to the public all day
Yeronga Park	5 February 2027, 10.30am-2.30pm	Closed to the public for a swimming carnival
Valley	Every Saturday until December, 7:30am-6:00pm	Closed for the Water Polo Queensland Metro Competition; public access 5:00am-7:30am

The council also lists closures on dates before 1 December, such as Colmslie Pool on Friday 20 November from 6pm to 7pm and Spring Hill Baths on Saturday 28 November from 3pm to 8pm. Those fall before the $2 period starts. Dunlop Park Memorial Swimming Pool is only partly open: the council says the upgraded Learn to Swim Pool, the 50-metre pool and the attached lagoon pool area have reopened, while works continue on the new water play area and retaining wall.

Is there a toddler pool or a water play area?

Some pools have water play areas, and the council says entry fees apply to those at its swimming pools. Two pages, Hibiscus and Runcorn, say the toddler pool was closed for the winter, and Newmarket’s page says the zero depth pool, toddler pool, water slide and leisure pool were closed for the winter. Those lines were still on the pages on 7 November, so we do not know when each one reopens. If you are planning a day around a toddler pool, phone the pool first.

What are the rules for children at council pools?

The council’s conditions of entry say children 5 years and under must be accompanied and closely supervised, within arm’s reach, by a person 18 years or over who is prepared to swim. Children 14 years and under are not permitted entry unless they are under the active supervision of a person 18 years or older.

Group visits have a ratio. The council says a group will not be permitted in if the number of guardians supervising children 10 years and under exceeds a ratio of 1:4, or 1:2 for children 5 years and under. The council adds that parents, guardians and carers remain responsible for the children in their care and that lifeguard supervision does not replace this.

The council also publishes Keep Watch at Public Pools age guidelines:

Child	What the council says
5 years and under, and non-swimmers	Always be in the water and within arm’s reach of the child
6 to 10 years old, and weak swimmers	Stay close and constantly supervise; be prepared to get into the water
11 to 14 years old	Maintain visual contact and regularly check on the child in person

What can I not bring to a council pool?

The council’s conditions of entry set the rules for every council pool and water park. The main ones are these:

• The pools are smoke-free, including vaping, throughout the facility and within 5 metres of the entry and boundary.
• Alcohol and illegal substances must not be brought in or consumed.
• Banned items include glass or glass containers, weapons or sharp objects, large flotation devices, scooters, skateboards, bicycles and mermaid tails, unless staff approve them.
• External commercial fast food and food delivery services are not permitted unless management approves them.
• Waterproof swim nappies must be worn by infants who are not fully toilet trained.
• Showers are required before you enter the water, and you must not swim if you have had diarrhoea within the previous 14 days.
• Cameras and phone cameras must not be used in the change rooms, and photography is restricted within the facility.
• Only staff or approved contractors can run learn to swim, private lessons, personal training and coaching.

The council also says access to any pool or part of a facility may be restricted or closed because of an emergency, maintenance, adverse weather, water-quality concerns, capacity limits or a health or safety risk, so a hot day is not a guarantee of a full pool.

Is there anywhere free to swim in Brisbane?

Yes. The council’s page says it is free to swim at the Brisbane lagoon at South Bank, also known as Streets Beach, and that Aquativity and the Boat Pool next to the lagoon are free. It lists three free water parks and water play areas: Ferny Grove Aqua Park, Wynnum Aqua Park and Rocks Riverside Park.

How do I check a pool before I go?

The council’s page for each pool shows its address, phone, hours and any closure notices, and the closure notices change as carnivals and events are added. For general questions the council lists its contact number as 07 3403 8888. The pool pages above are the first place to look, and the pool’s own phone number is the quickest way to confirm hours on a public holiday.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Brisbane City Council or any pool operator.

Sources

• Brisbane City Council: Find pools and water parks, read 7 November 2026
• Brisbane City Council: Pool and water park conditions of entry, read 7 November 2026
• Brisbane City Council: Chermside Aquatic Centre, read 7 November 2026
• Brisbane City Council: Newmarket Pool, read 7 November 2026
• Brisbane City Council: Dunlop Park Memorial Swimming Pool, read 7 November 2026
• Brisbane City Council pool pages for the other 14 pools in the tables, under the same Find pools and water parks section, read 7 November 2026