The 2025 NSW Country Regional Events have wrapped up after a weekend of incredible swimming performances, community engagement, and team spirit. Held across three locations—Taree, Griffith, and Gulgong—this year’s events brought together over 2,000 swimmers, spectators, and volunteers from across New South Wales.
Each event opened with an Acknowledgement of Country, paying respect to the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the competitions were held. In addition, the event banners and medals, featured artwork by Indigenous artist Rex Winston, added a meaningful cultural dimension to the event. Winston’s “Water Dreaming” design celebrates the beauty and significance of rain, embodying renewal and connection to nature. “Rain symbolizes renewal—washing away the old, bringing new growth and hope,” Winston shared. The rippling patterns of the artwork reflect the cycles of water, underscoring its sacredness in Indigenous culture.

Taree: Perseverance Through Weather Challenges
Despite less-than-ideal weather, the Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre in Taree welcomed over 500 competitors, making it the largest of the three events. Swimmers and coaches adapted to the rainy conditions with determination and positivity.
Mayor Jeremy Miller welcomed swimmers, families, and officials to the 2025 SNSW Country Regional and emphasised how wonderful it was to bring such a significant event to the local area. Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre, the premier facility on the Mid North Coast, provided an ideal venue with its 50m outdoor pool and indoor 25m pool. Pool management by Belgravia Leisure was instrumental in supporting the event, ensuring smooth operations throughout the weekend.

The pool looked fantastic dressed in the Taree Torpedoes Club colours, with black and gold lane ropes adding a vibrant touch. Ian Smith, Meet Director and Taree Club Treasurer, expressed pride in hosting the meet for the third time, following successful events in 2015 and 2021. “Although the weather was challenging, it was a massively successful weekend, highlighting swimming in regional areas,” Smith shared. Coastal Caffeine and Shakers Bubble Tea provided refreshments, while Taree Torpedoes managed the BBQ and catering for officials. A special thanks went to the technical officials, many of whom traveled great distances to support the meet.
Griffith: Swimming Excellence and Team Spirit
At the Griffith Regional Aquatic & Leisure Centre, 346 swimmers gathered to compete and learn during this year’s Country Regionals. The event began with a "Ready, Set, Race" Clinic on Friday afternoon, led by Regional Coaching Director Chris Myers, setting the tone for an engaging and successful weekend.

Deputy Mayor Anne Napoli and Swimming NSW CEO Kirsten Thomson OLY opened the event welcoming swimmers, coaches, officials and spectators followed by an acknowledgement of country by Lane Stewart to get the Griffith Country Regional Championship off to an appropriate start.
Swimmers were thrilled by the competition and facilities. Beau Thompson from Wests Illawarra Aquatic noted, “I’ve had lots of fun. It’s a nice pool.” Dylan Walsh added, “It’s been a great event. The pool feels fast, which has been awesome to race in and get lots of PBs.”
Meet director Richard Busby said “It has been a pleasure to oversee a successful NSW Country Regional Swimming Carnival here in Griffith. Hosting 350 swimmers and their families over the weekend has been a fantastic experience for me. It’s been wonderful to showcase the incredible talent and sportsmanship within our region. The Griffith Regional Aquatic Centre has been an ideal venue, the pristine facilities that have been instrumental in the event’s success. A big thank you goes to Griffith City Council for their support in maintaining such high-quality amenities and to Griffith Swimming Club for their exceptional hospitality, ensuring everyone was well fed and cared for throughout the carnival.
Griffith’s 10 lane 50m pool along with lanes of the indoor 25m pool were provided by Griffith Council for the event for the weekend and was certainly a hit with lots of swimmers achieving times for the Country Championships in February in Sydney.

Gulgong: A Thriving Community Collaboration
The Gulgong Country Regionals, co-hosted by Gulgong Swim Club, Mudgee Swim Club, and Mudgee Marlins Swim Club, were held at the Gulgong Swimming Pool and welcomed 259 competing swimmers. Local enthusiasm was contagious as the pool buzzed with activity. The event was officially opened by local Mudgee resident Ken Sutcliffe OAM, adding a special touch to the weekend.
Gulgong Swimming Pool, with its excellent outdoor 50m pool, was alive with activity throughout the event. "It is great to see Gulgong Swimming Pool full and thriving. The turnout is amazing and good to see the community come together," said Mary Freestone, Pool Coordinator. The venue provided a fantastic setting for swimmers to showcase their skills and enjoy the camaraderie of a regional meet.
Emma Fuller, Mudgee Marlins Swim Coach, expressed pride in her swimmers, highlighting the event’s impact on their development and team spirit. “This has been an exciting event for our swimmers across all three clubs. Providing opportunities for them to showcase their swimming skills, race in a large carnival environment, and experience team spirit cheering on their squad mates. It’s been great to see so many NSW Swimming officials out here to support this carnival,” Fuller remarked.
Adding to this sentiment, Amanda French, Mudgee Marlins Secretary, shared, “Country Regionals 2025 has been an exciting event, bringing together swimmers from across the Western Region of NSW. The large gathering of talent in Gulgong has produced some outstanding swimming results. Mudgee Marlins Swim Club has enjoyed co-hosting this event, with many of our swimmers diving in and giving it their all! Swimming carnivals are truly a team effort, involving NSW officials, local swim clubs, volunteers, parents, and the local council, all of whom contributed to making this weekend a successful event for all participants.”
The 2025 NSW Country Regionals not only showcased exceptional swimming talent but also highlighted the importance of community, cultural recognition, and teamwork. Each event’s success was made possible by the collective efforts of NSW Swimming officials, local swim clubs, volunteers, parents, and local councils. The inclusion of Indigenous cultural elements added depth and meaning, reminding all participants of the land’s rich heritage.
Thank you to everyone who participated and supported these incredible events. We look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence and camaraderie at next year’s Country Regionals.