Benalla Aquatic Centre had one week. The old gym equipment was gone, the new machines were on their way, and the floor and walls had to be done before they arrived.
So the staff got the paint out.
The leadership team, health and wellness staff and other team members spent a day and a half cleaning, sanding and painting.
"We bought a whole bunch of snacks and drinks and just knocked it out," Centre Manager Ben Duncan said.
"We didn't need to motivate anyone. Everyone knew the journey we'd been on and the pain points of the old gym. It was just, what can I do to help get us there?"
Ben first worked at the centre for a year in 2014. When he came back in 2022, much of the same equipment was still there, bought in 2008 and topped up with hand-me-downs from other gyms.
You can see the pool from the street. You can't see the gym. It's tucked inside, off the pool deck.
Benalla has fewer than 10,000 people and more than one franchise gym, and the centre isn't trying to be the biggest in town.
There's multiple big franchise gyms here, and they're the big gym. We're catering to the people who want their pool and gym membership together, alongside great group fitness classesBen Duncan, Centre Manager
Planning started in 2024. Rather than swap the old machines for new versions of the same thing, the team surveyed members.
"We asked them what they actually wanted," Ben said.
The Smith machine topped the list. Space was tight, so the new fit-out leans on machines that do more than one job. One covers leg curls and leg extensions. Another handles chest, incline and shoulder presses. That freed up room for the Smith machine.
The Stairmaster missed out.
"Our roof wasn't high enough," Ben said.
The old equipment was sold, staff first and then on Facebook, and the money went toward commercial graded gym rubber flooring from a local supplier. A local sign writer hand-painted a new feature wall.
"The wall before was just blue," Ben said. "Now it's a bit more inviting." The small mirrors have been replaced with big brand-new mirrors as well.
In late May, before the gym opened to everyone, a few members got a first look.
Membership at the centre usually peaks at about 430 and falls to around 360 over winter. This year it held at 430.
"I haven't seen sales skyrocket," Ben said. "But the retention has been a lot stronger."
The centre now has 438 members. Ben is chasing 500 over spring and summer, a number he says has never been reached at Benalla.
The gym still fits into a small space, but now has the most advanced gym equipment and technology in town.
"You'd walk past the old gym on a weekday and it was always empty," Ben said. "Since we reopened, there's always been people in there."
