Ballina – Ballina Baths

A great fixture on the school kid agenda when visiting Ballina is the local swimming pool. Using the traditional proper English, it's known as the Ballina Baths. Sure, it has a number of big pools, but best of all, it has water slides!

I remember when the water slide was first constructed in the eighties. It had the whole town in a fit of excitement. No longer would we have to journey to Sea World on the Gold Coast, we’d have our own water slides here in Ballina. Wow! As a result, the waterslide was massively packed for the next five years. It’s still packed every summer holiday with kids up for a bit of fun.

There are two slides. The green one is the slow version. It’s fun for small children and me. The taller waterslide is yellow. It’s only for big kids! I’ve never been on it. I went to the top a few times as a kid, but it just looked too scary.

When it opened, there was a spate of head injuries on the yellow slide. Right at the start, is a very sharp bend. Kids were coming down at break neck speeds, whacking their heads and coming out the bottom with six stitches in their head. It turns out, the water flow rate was a bit too high. A warning sign was painted on the tube and it’s been injury free ever since. I’m still too scared to go on it!

It’s hard to believe, but the waterslide is the most adventurous attraction to see in Ballina. If you don’t mind hordes of screaming children, give it a go. For me, the serenity of the beach is much preferable. Besides, waterslides are scary!