The completion of a $4 million hydrotherapy pool at Yawarra Community School will deliver potentially life-changing support to those with disabilities in the region.
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The project is a brand new facility designed to cater to the needs of the school's students.
Principal Debbie McReadie says the facility will first be opened to students at the school next week and to the wider community in the coming months.
"We're thrilled, we've been waiting for this moment since we opened in April of last year, we're all very excited for our students to start using the facility next week and we're hoping to open it up to our community members early next year," Ms McReadie said.
Community members have been calling for another hydrotherapy pool ever since a previous site was closed down decades ago and Ms McReadie was thrilled to see the school's children with physical needs will now have one available.
"We have many students with physical and mobility needs and this pools has the facilities to accommodate them and get them into the water," Ms McReadie said.
"They can work with people around their physical needs and get to experience it without a wheelchair or other things they might normally require.
"But it's also good for some of our other students who have autism and other sensory needs, some of them love swimming and it's a great opportunity for them to have some fun and do some learning as well."
Member for Education Sarah Mitchell and Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders were both on hand to officially open the site, which is the culmination of a $20 million project to develop the school itself.
Mr Saunders said the turnaround from a plot of land that was just a 'patch of gravel' a year ago was extraordinary to see.
"It's now a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool that will serve not just the school here but also the community and we'll even community members from across the western region, not just Dubbo, who can come here and experience it," Mr Saunders said.
"It's going to change people's lives, it's amazing."
Ms Mitchell said the facility would set a standard that would be hard to match across NSW now that it was finally constructed and could function as a blueprint for future education development in the regions.
"You won't find a better facility anywhere in NSW than what we've got here right in Dubbo, that sort of commitment is so important," Ms Mitchell said.
