Aqualink

What Aqualink does

Aqualink operates two community leisure centres — Aqualink Box Hill (31 Surrey Drive, Box Hill) and Aqualink Nunawading (Fraser Place, Forest Hill) — in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, delivering aquatic, fitness, sports, and community programming under the Whitehorse City Council. Box Hill features a 25m 6-lane heated indoor pool, a 25m 10-lane heated outdoor pool, toddlers pool with water play, an 18m warm water therapy pool, spa, sauna, a 700m2 gym, a 3-court multi-use stadium, and outdoor tennis and soccer courts; Nunawading features a 50m 8-lane heated indoor pool, family leisure pool, spa, sauna, steam room, and a 400m2 gym. The Nunawading site has operated since 1960 and has trained Australian Olympic swimmers including Brooke Hanson, Leisel Jones, and Belinda Hocking, while Box Hill is adjacent to Surrey Dive, Australia's first Olympic standard pool, and was redeveloped and doubled in size in 2013. Both centres are open seven days a week with extended gym hours and are accessed via the PerfectGym-powered member portal and mobile app.

The business runs a hybrid revenue model with six distinct streams: (i) fortnightly direct-debit memberships ranging from Adult Swim at A$29.20/fortnight up to Adult Total Fitness Plus at A$67.90/fortnight (which includes Reformer Pilates), plus concession, off-peak, teen, and senior (Fab Living) tiers; (ii) casual entry and day passes for swimming (A$9.50 adult), spa/sauna/steam (A$15.80 adult), gym (A$31.60 peak), and group fitness (A$22.20 single class); (iii) personal training from A$53.60 per 30-min session with 10% member discount on direct-debit plans; (iv) facility and venue hire for schools, sports clubs, and corporate events including a 3-court stadium and party rooms at A$63.30 per booking; (v) an on-site retail store selling Speedo swimwear and Champion sportswear with 10% member discount; and (vi) café operations at both locations. Specialized programs target seniors (Fab Living, 60+), teenagers (Teen Fitness, 12-17), people with disabilities (AllFit, with a 10-for-9 multipass), and postnatal members (a 6-week program launching August 2026). Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer through physical walk-ins and the online member portal, with no third-party retail or franchise footprint.

Ownership and corporate structure are distinct from a typical commercial operator: Aqualink is owned and operated by Whitehorse City Council, a Victorian local government authority, and is not a venture-backed or publicly traded entity. It does not disclose financials, has no funding rounds, and operates under the council's compliance obligations including the Privacy & Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). Customer acquisition relies on the local community presence, the referral program (Refer A Friend, offering two weeks free), partnerships with schools and sports clubs, social media (Facebook, Instagram), email marketing, and on-site community programming — a model optimized for steady community utilization rather than rapid growth.

Name

Aqualink

Legal name

Whitehorse City Council

Website

https://aqualink.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aqualink operates two council-owned leisure centres in Melbourne's eastern suburbs (Box Hill and Nunawading), delivering aquatic, gym, group fitness, sports, and community programming to the Whitehorse community under multiple membership tiers and casual entry pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leisure and Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatic Centers & Swimming Facilities (MPAKAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aqua Fitness Classes (HSADABAL), Aquatic Physical Therapy & Hydrotherapy (HSADAIAL)

Keywords

• Leisure center services
• Aquatic facilities
• Fitness memberships
• Group fitness classes
• Learn to swim

Headquarters

HQ city

Box Hill

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Recurring fortnightly direct debit memberships providing access to gym, aquatic facilities, and group fitness classes. Multiple tier options including Total Fitness Plus ($67.90/fortnight), Total Fitness ($52.90/fortnight), Aquatics ($34.20/fortnight), Swim ($29.20/fortnight), and Off-Peak Total Fitness ($36.50/fortnight). Concession pricing available across all categories.
2. Casual Entry and Day Passes: One-time casual entry fees for swimming pools ($9.50 adult, $7.20 child/concession), spa/sauna/steam ($15.80 adult, $11.60 concession), and gym sessions ($31.60 peak, $26.20 off-peak). Multi-visit passes available for all facilities.
3. Retail Store: On-site retail store selling swimwear (Speedo), swim accessories, fitness gear, and merchandise. Members receive 10% discount on full-priced items. Also sells gift vouchers for memberships, visits, and classes.
4. Personal Training Sessions: One-on-one and small group personal training sessions. Casual rates from $53.60 (30-min member) to $105.60 (60-min non-member). Direct debit plans available with 10% discount for members.
5. Facility and Venue Hire: Hire of party rooms, meeting rooms, stadium courts, outdoor courts, and pool facilities for school groups, sports clubs, corporate events, and community organizations.
6. Café Operations: On-site cafés at both Box Hill and Nunawading locations operated by the same dedicated team, serving hot beverages, meals, snacks, smoothies, and juices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aqualink runs two council-owned aquatic and leisure centers in Melbourne's Whitehorse region offering indoor and outdoor pools, learn-to-swim programs, fully equipped gyms, more than 80 group fitness classes per week, personal training, Reformer Pilates, sports courts for basketball/netball/badminton/pickleball, an inclusive disability program, and a swim team. On-site services include a café, a retail store, birthday party hosting, facility hire, and school holiday programs.

Product overview

Aqualink operates two modern leisure centres (Box Hill and Nunawading) in Melbourne's Whitehorse City, providing aquatic facilities (pools, spas, saunas, learn-to-swim programs), fitness services (gyms, group fitness, reformer Pilates, personal training), sports facilities (stadium, courts), and community programs. The two centres share a unified membership system and Aqualink App for bookings. Membership tiers include Adult Total Fitness Plus (with reformer Pilates access), Adult Total Fitness, Adult Aquatics, Adult Swim, Off Peak Total Fitness, and specialized programs for teens, seniors (Fab Living), and people with disabilities (AllFit). Additional offerings include on-site cafés, retail stores, birthday party packages, school holiday programs, and facility hire for events. The centres host various sports competitions and programs including basketball, netball, futsal, martial arts, and tennis academies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leisure Center Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 visits for price of 9 with AllFit multipass
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Toptenn Tennis AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToptenn Tennis Academy has partnered with Aqualink Box Hill to provide professional tennis coaching and programs on outdoor synthetic grass courts. They have been teaching at Aqualink for over ten years and are a multi-award winning academy awarded the prestigious Newcombe Medal for most outstanding Club and Community coaching in Australia.
• Toptenn Tennis AcademycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerToptenn is the number 1 deliverer of the national grass roots program ANZ Tennis Hot Shots and has introduced and nurtured over 80,000 students over 30 years. They offer free 'come and try' classes for all ages at Aqualink.
• SportekaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSporteka offers Tennis Hot Shots and Multi-Sport programs for children aged 2-6 years at Aqualink Box Hill. Programs develop physical confidence teaching skills of 11 different sports.
• Ready Steady Go KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralia's largest multi-sport program for pre-schoolers aged 1.5-6 years runs classes at Aqualink Box Hill on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Class sizes restricted to 12 children with 1-6 instructor ratio.
• Basketball 613minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial basketball competition operating out of Aqualink Box Hill with 5-on-5 games weekly and 3-on-3 competitions every 3 months.
• Respect Sports BasketballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial basketball competition run by The Salvation Army Basketball Association of Victoria for over 40 years. Profits go towards different charities each season. Runs Monday evenings at Aqualink Box Hill.
• Futsal Super 5sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMen's Futsal competitions held at Aqualink Box Hill on Thursday evenings.
• Box Hill Jiu JitsuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartial arts training at Aqualink Box Hill celebrating 25 years in 2024. Three black-belt instructors with 50+ years combined coaching experience, accredited by Australian Jujitsu Federation.
• ESBNA NetballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEastern Suburbs Baptist Netball Association runs women's and mixed competitions on Tuesday evenings at Aqualink Box Hill.
• Renyi KungfuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinese martial arts school with over 50 training locations worldwide. First Melbourne training location opened at Aqualink Box Hill. Classes combine traditional Yongchun practices with modern combat theories.
• DSR Wheelchair RugbyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtect Victorian Wheelchair Rugby League competition held at Aqualink Box Hill. Sport designed for people with disability in all four limbs.
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower ProgramcoreOthersAqualink participates in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Program. Staff are trained to identify the sunflower symbol and support customers with hidden disabilities. Sunflower lanyards and badges available at reception.
• SportlinkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlternative venue provider for court hire when Aqualink Box Hill courts are fully booked. Sportlink operates independently from Aqualink.
• Just Swimming NunawadingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearn to swim program operating at Aqualink Nunawading.
• Surrey Park SwimmingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearn to swim program operating at Aqualink Box Hill.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Plus Fitness: Low-cost 24/7 private gym franchise with a heavy eastern-suburbs footprint competing with Aqualink's premium memberships on price and convenience rather than facilities.

Broad incumbents

• Belgravia Leisure (Australia): Major national leisure-management operator that runs council-owned aquatic, fitness and recreation facilities across Australia under contract — analogous scale and product mix to Aqualink, differing only in the operating partnership model.
• YMCA Victoria (Recreation/Health Clubs): One of Australia's largest non-for-profit leisure operators running aquatic centres, gyms and learn-to-swim programs on behalf of multiple councils; competes with Aqualink in adjacent catchments and for council management contracts.
• FitLife Group (formerly Health & Fitness Centres Australasia): Diversified operator of aquatic and fitness centres across ANZ, including learn-to-swim franchises; comparable product breadth to Aqualink across multi-site council and commercial facilities.

Others

• Swim Schools Australia (Learn-to-Swim Operators): Industry body and operator network for the learn-to-swim market — directly comparable to Aqualink's Surrey Park Swimming and Just Swimming tenants in terms of product, customer base (children/school-age) and regulatory environment.

Regional players

• City of Greater Bendigo (theLEISUREcentre & Long Waterhole): Regional Victorian council running comparable aquatic, gym and recreation facilities; same operating model and pricing tiers as Aqualink but serving a non-Melbourne catchment.

Direct peers

• Knox Leisureworks: Knox Council-operated leisure centre in Melbourne's outer east covering aquatics, gym and fitness programming using a similar council-funded operating model as Aqualink.
• Greater Geelong Regional Aquatic & Leisure Centres: Council-operated aquatic and leisure centres in the Geelong region, directly comparable to Aqualink in their mix of heated indoor pools, learn-to-swim, gym, group fitness and recreation programming funded and run by local government.
• AquaNation (Boroondara): Boroondara council's aquatic and leisure facility providing indoor pools, gym and group programming, very close functional competitor for Aqualink's membership tiers in Melbourne's inner east.
• Monash Aquatic and Recreation Centre (MARC): Monash Council-operated leisure centre offering aquatic, gym, group fitness and learn-to-swim programs to Melbourne's south-east; same operating model, similar member tiers and pricing structure to Aqualink.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AqualinkLeisure
• Instagraminstagram.com/aqualinkwhitehorse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqualink-box-hill

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aqualink