Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre facts for kids
The Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre is a huge sports centre in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It's a great place for swimming and other water sports. This big centre is located very close to the city's main area, called the CBD. It cost about $17 million to build!
Many exciting events have happened here. It has hosted big swimming competitions like the Australian Swimming Championships and the FINA Swimming World Cup. Other major events include the Australian Canoe Polo Championships, Australian Diving Championships, and even the World Underwater Hockey Championships.
Why is it called Doone Kennedy?
The centre is named after a special person, Doone Kennedy. She was very important in making sure this amazing centre was built. She worked hard to get it developed.
The centre was officially renamed in her honour on October 18, 2015. This was exactly 19 years after it was first built.
How the Centre Was Built
The idea and funding for the Hobart Aquatic Centre were strongly supported by Doone Kennedy. She was the Lord Mayor of Hobart from 1986 to 1996. A Lord Mayor is like the main leader of a city.
The entire facility is indoors, which means you can use it all year round. It has a full 50-metre Olympic-size pool with 8 lanes for competitions. There's also a smaller 25-metre pool for warming up and a fun leisure pool.
For divers, there's a special 20x20 metre dive pool. It also has a diving tower with platforms at 10, 7.5, and 5 metres high. Plus, there are 1 and 3-metre springboards for bouncy dives!
What You Can Do There
The Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre offers many activities for everyone. It has a creche for little kids and a cafe if you get hungry. There's also a gymnasium for workouts.
You can take part in many sports and fun activities. These include competitive swimming, water polo, and diving. They also offer "learn to swim" programs for all ages.
If you like fitness, you can join yoga classes, aerobics, or circuit and weight training. The centre is open all year. It offers amazing views of the River Derwent, Mount Wellington, and the city of Hobart.
