Yarra Roughies is a masters swimming club located at Fitzroy Swimming Pool in Melbourne. The club is all about helping individuals improve their fitness and speed in swimming, while also providing ample opportunities for training, competing, and socialising with a friendly squad. To join the club, one must be able to comfortably swim 400 metres of freestyle and cover at least 1 kilometre in the pool.
The Yarra Roughies' Squad Training sessions take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at Fitzroy Pool. The club is officially affiliated with Masters Swimming Australia and welcomes swimmers for fitness, pool competitions, and open water events. The club's mascot is the Roughy, a brightly coloured fish known for its long lifespan of up to 150 years. Like the Roughy, the members of Yarra Roughies enjoy swimming in deep waters and living a good life.
The club is run by a dedicated group of volunteers who also swim and compete at Fitzroy Pool. These committee members include Toby L as the President, Brad R as the Secretary, Jim M as the Treasurer, Jacqui H as the Registrar, and Heidi W as the General Rep. The committee members are elected each year at the club's annual general meeting. If anyone is interested in getting involved and contributing their time, the committee is always open to new members.
Yarra Roughies also hosts special club events to bring the members together. One of the notable events is the 100 × 100m, held on November 19, 2023. Participants can choose to swim 50×100s, 75×100s, or 100×100s. The entry fee includes a cap and food.
The club encourages everyone to come and test themselves during this fun and challenging event.
The club regularly shares news about their activities and accomplishments. They recently organised the Yarra Roughies 100 × 100m event, which saw a sellout field of 60 swimmers. Additionally, the club participated in the MS MegaSwim in February 2023, raising over $12,000 for people living with MS. They also took part in the Lorne Pier to Pub Swim, enjoying beautiful weather after two cancelled events due to COVID.
Yarra Roughies is a welcoming and supportive community where swimmers of all levels can come together to improve their skills, compete, and have fun.