Leisure World, Thornlie

Leisure World is a smaller swim centre located on the border of Gosnells and Thornlie. The pool has family friendly areas that are great for young and old.

With the warm weather upon us, Miss 4 has been dying to go swimming, so we recently took a visit to Leisure World for a splash.

The main pool area has a beach entry, which is great for little children. This area has a row of thin jets near the edge, a rectangle of bubblers under water and an umbrella shaped sprayer pole. Miss 4 enjoyed playing with sprayer pole and the floor gets along the edge, and we saw a Mum with a young child, maybe 9 to 12 months old, playing with the underwater jets.

The water in this area only goes to about 30cm deep. So it’s a great spot for little children to splash around close to you while you sit down in the water.

A bit further in there is a raised podium with a sprinkler jet coming from the centre. All the kids visiting loved climbing up on it and playing in the spray or trying to block it so the sprayer pole would blast more water. Miss 4, rebel that she is, enjoyed jumping off which is against the rules. The water here is between 50cm and 70cm deep.

The kids found a basket full of recycled milk bottles to play with in the pool. Miss 4 enjoyed filling them and pouring them out again. A fun way to reuse these, and the kids loves them!

Taking a left turn as we walked through the water, the water grows deeper, up to around 90cm or more, the further you go. Around the edges we found more sprayers and a waterfall. There is also a tall pole with several tipping buckets. These weren’t working on the day of our visit, but I imagine they’ll be in full swing for fun come school holidays! The open areas here were in use by swim instructors, and it was the perfect depth for these children to practice floating and swimming with kick boards. For Miss 4, the water was about shoulder depth, and she enjoyed climbing in and out and jumping to me.

Separated from this recreation pool by a small bridge is a larger, deeper lap pool. This was in use for swimming lessons, so we weren’t able to get pictures, but it was a busy area. Groups of kids swimming, and also older people making use of the slow swimming and walking lanes. Bleachers line the wall facing the pool, so there’s plenty of space to sit and watch confident swimmers or pop down your gear. Some bench seating is also located along the outside of the young children’s pool.

Hopping out of the pool, past the small children’s recreation pool, we found a water slide. This has a long straight run which then hooks to the left and then drops you into the pool. Again, this was not operating the day of our visit, but it looks fun!

Adjacent to this were some doors to a lovely outdoor pool area. This also has a beach entry for small children, and goes up to a depth of 1m at the deeper end. This is mostly shaded by shade sails, and the pool itself features sprayers for kids to play with. Either side of the pool, across a patch of lawn, there are picnic tables. With this in mind, you could pack a picnic lunch or snack.

Leisure World usually has a cafe you can purchase food or coffee from. Currently as of November 2018 this is closed, but all the equipment is there so hopefully it will be up and running again soon. In the meantime, there a vending machines located next to plastic tables and chairs where you can buy snacks, cold drinks, coffee and even some hot food like pies and sausage rolls. These accepts Paypass, just in case you forget your spare change.

Adjacent to the vending machines are some lockers. These also accept Paypass, and will give you peace of mind if you don’t want to leave your bag or phone unattended while you swim.

In addition to the pool facilities, there is a spa, sauna and a gym. When we went to change clothes, there was an aerobics class in full swing next door with pumping music, strobe lights and a very encouraging instructor.

There also appears to be a coffee can that visits out the front. We were at the pool for nearly two hours and it was still there when we left at lunch time.

Leisure World

Located on the corner of Thornlie Avenue and Culross Avenue, Thornlie. Leisure World shares a carpark with the Thornlie Library, and is walking distance to Thornlie Square Shopping Centre.

Leisure World is open Monday to Wednesday from 5.30am to 9.00pm, and Thursday and Friday from 5.30am to 8pm. Weekend and public holiday hours vary on time of year – check the website for details.

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About Holly Clark

Holly Clark is currently a stay at home mum of one, a self-confessed coffee addict and a baker of sweet treats. She studied Professional Writing and Editing, and occasionally writes on her recipe blog, Lucky Star's Kitchen