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July 2026 Newsletter

School Holiday Swimming Programs Are Here

The school holidays are a great time to get the kids in the water. Our holiday swimming programs help children build confidence, sharpen their technique, and pick up new skills, all in a fun and supportive setting.

We're running two options across the break. Learn to Swim holiday classes are one-on-one sessions for everyone from three-year-olds to adults, and our Intensive Stroke Clinics give squad swimmers focused training in the outdoor 50m pool. Spaces are limited and they go fast over the holidays.

You'll find all the dates, times, pricing, booking links, and what to bring on our School Holiday Programs page

CPR and First Aid Courses at MUSAC

Whether you need a current certificate for work or just want the confidence to help in an emergency, our new first aid courses have you covered.

We've partnered with Royal Life Saving NSW to run regular CPR and First Aid courses at the centre, and the first one is on Wednesday 8 July 2026.

HLTAID009 – Provide Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

9:30am to 10:30am

HLTAID011 – Provide First Aid

9:30am to 1:30pm

You can enrol online here, and we'll announce more dates soon.

Have Your Say and Win $500 Credit

We want to keep making our Learn to Swim and Squad programs better, and the best way to do that is to hear from the families who use them. We're proud to have won the ARI NSW Swim School of the Year Award in both 2024 and 2025, and your feedback is a big part of how we got there.

So, we're inviting all Learn to Swim and Squad families to fill out our Aquatic Programs Survey. As a thank you, every completed survey goes into the draw to win a $500 credit towards aquatic program enrolment fees.

Your answers help us improve our teaching and coaching, check that our programs still suit your family, and shape what we offer next. Everything you share stays confidential and goes straight to our Aquatic Programs team. If you have something kind to say, we may also ask to use it as a testimonial.

You can take the survey today. The Learn to Swim survey is here, and the Swimming Squad survey is here.

Please complete it by Sunday 19 July 2026 to go in the prize draw. Thanks for being part of our aquatic community.

Help Us Keep the Pool Open for Lessons

We want every Learn to Swim class to run as scheduled, and you can help us avoid the closures that disrupt them. When there's an accident like vomiting in the pool, we have to close it for cleaning, and that means missed lessons across every program. A few simple habits make a real difference.

Before the lesson

  • Keep unwell children at home. If your child has been sick, please wait at least 24 to 48 hours before coming back.
  • Visit the bathroom first. Encourage your child to use the toilet before getting in the pool.
  • Dress for it. Children who aren't yet toilet trained should wear a well-fitted swim nappy.
  • Speak up during class. If your child needs the bathroom, act quickly and let our staff know.

Food and drink

In the hour or two before a lesson, steer clear of high-fibre, greasy, spicy, or dairy foods, which can leave little tummies unsettled in the water. Smaller, familiar meals work best, since children digest more slowly than adults do.

As a rough guide, a small meal like toast with peanut butter is fine one to two hours out, and a light snack like a banana or some rice crackers works 30 to 60 minutes before. Closer than that, it's best to skip food and avoid milk, juice boxes, or flavoured drinks.

Water is the exception. Offer some about an hour beforehand, go easy in the last half hour, and pack a bottle for afterwards, because swimming is thirsty work. These small steps help keep our pool clean, safe, and open for everyone.

A Quick Reminder: Bring a Towel

To keep the centre safe for everyone, please bring a towel whenever you use the pool. Taking a moment to dry off before you leave the pool deck stops water dripping through the building, which is one of the most common causes of slips. It's a small thing that makes our shared spaces safer and more comfortable for everyone, and we appreciate your help with it.

We're a Finalist in the 2026 Local Business Awards

We've got some exciting news to share. Thanks to your support, we've been named a finalist in the 2026 Local Business Awards in the Outstanding Fitness Services category.

We couldn't have done it without the votes and encouragement of our members. Every visit, session, and recommendation helps us keep delivering programs our community is proud of, and being recognised this way is a real honour for our members and staff alike.

The winners will be announced on 5 August 2026. We're looking forward to the result, but we're already celebrating with gratitude for everyone who got us here. Thank you, and we can't wait to keep helping you reach your goals.

June Member of the Month

A big shoutout to our June member of the month, Lana. She's an outstanding student-athlete, an elite handball goalkeeper, and a valued member of the Macquarie University community.

As goalkeeper for the Australian Senior Women's Handball Team, Lana brings dedication and resilience to everything she does. Her honours speak for themselves: Goalkeeper MVP at the California Cup, gold medals at the Interamnia Cup and the New Zealand Club Championships, and a Macquarie University Full Blue Award, earned representing Australia around the world.

What really sets Lana apart, though, is the energy she brings to the people around her. She takes on every challenge with positivity and humility, which makes her a wonderful role model for fellow students and members. She's lovely to chat with outside the gym, and inside it she trains hard and never loses the smile.

As always, if you have any feedback for us, we would love to receive it – the good, the bad and the ugly.

If you have a submission you’d like to make about how we can improve our facility or our services, feel free to share via the online feedback form.

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates.

Yours in health and fitness,

Macquarie University Sport and Aquatic Centre Team

Macquarie University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land where Macquarie University is situated, the Wallumattagal Clan of the Dharug Nation – whose cultures and customs have nurtured, and continue to nurture, the land since time immemorial.