Australian Swimming Championships


The Australian Swimming Championships is the national Swimming championships for Australia. They are organised by Swimming Australia and separate championships are held annually in both long course and short course pools. The two meets are the country's top domestic meet for their respective course.
The meet usually also double as a selection event for international competitions such as the: Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships. Some consider the meet the second-toughest domestic competition in the world, behind the USA's national championships.
The first edition of the championships was held in Sydney in January 1896 with events at the Natatorium, Sutherland Dock and on the Hawkesbury River.
The state that wins the most points at the championships is awarded the Kieran Shield, named in memory of Barney B. Kieran, a swimmer from New South Wales, who was a world record holder, and who died, aged 18, in 1905.
The 1990 Australian Swimming Championships saw events for disabled athletes added for the first time.

Editions

Long course

YearDatesPoolCityStateSelection for
19368-17 FebruaryCrawley BathsPerthWestern Australia
19379-13 JanuaryNorth Sydney Olympic PoolSydneyNew South Wales
25-30 JanuaryBrisbane Municipal BathsBrisbaneQueensland
1938Not held
193931 January-2 FebruaryMelbourne Olympic PoolMelbourneVictoria
6-11 FebruarySandy Bay BathsHobartTasmania
1941-45Not held
19462–9 February, Brunswick BathsMelbourne
19471–8 FebruaryAdelaide
19488–14 FebruaryNorth Sydney Olympic Pool, Sydney1948 Olympic Games
194919–26 FebruaryBrisbane
19509–17 December 1949North Sydney Olympic PoolSydney1950 Commonwealth Games
195117–24 FebruaryMelbourne Olympic Pool, Brunswick BathsMelbourne
195216–23 FebruaryMelbourne Olympic PoolMelbourne1952 Olympic Games
195321–28 FebruaryNorth Sydney Olympic Pool, Sydney
195420–27 FebruaryMelbourne Olympic PoolMelbourne1954 Commonwealth Games
195519–26 FebruaryAdelaide
195616–23 FebruaryNorth Sydney Olympic Pool, SydneyThe selection trials for the 1956 Olympic Games were held in Melbourne in October.
195715–23 FebruaryCanberra
195815–22 FebruaryOlympic Swimming StadiumMelbourne1958 Commonwealth Games
195913–21 FebruaryHobart Olympic PoolHobart
196023–27 FebruaryNorth Sydney Olympic PoolSydney1960 Olympic Games
196117–25 FebruaryBrisbane
196217–24 FebruaryOlympic Swimming StadiumMelbourneThe selection trials for the 1962 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne in October.
196316–23 FebruaryBeatty Park Aquatic CentrePerth
196428 February–1 MarchSydney1964 Olympic Games
196527 February–1 MarchHobart Olympic PoolHobart
196625–27 FebruaryBrisbane1966 Commonwealth Games
196723–25 FebruaryAdelaide
196823–25 FebruaryOlympic Swimming StadiumMelbourne1968 Olympic Games
196921–23 FebruaryBeatty Park Aquatic CentrePerth
197027 February–1 MarchSydney
1970 Commonwealth Games
19715–7 FebruaryHobart Olympic PoolHobart
197211–13 FebruaryBrisbane1972 Olympic Games
19739–11 FebruaryAdelaide Swimming CentreAdelaideThe selection trials for the 1973 FINA World Championships were held in Brisbane in August. The selection trials for the 1974 Commonwealth Games were held in Sydney in December.
19741–3 MarchOlympic Swimming StadiumMelbourne
197521– 23 FebruaryBeatty Park Aquatic CentrePerthThe selection trials for the 1975 FINA World Championships were held in Brisbane in June.
197627–29 FebruaryNorth Sydney Olympic PoolSydney1976 Olympic Games
197725–27 FebruaryHobart-
197823–26 FebruaryBrisbaneThe selection trials for the 1978 Commonwealth Games and 1978 FINA World Championships were held in Sydney in June.
197922–25 FebruaryBeatty Park Aquatic CentrePerth
198020–23 MarchOlympic Swimming StadiumMelbourne1980 Olympic Games
198126 February–1 MarchAdelaide Swimming CentreAdelaide
198218–21 MarchSydney1982 FINA World Championships. The selection trials for the 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Sydney in August.
198324–27 FebruaryHobart
198423–26 FebruaryBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane1984 Olympic Games
198521–24 FebruaryState Swimming CentreMelbourne
198627 February–2 MarchAdelaide Aquatic CentreAdelaide1986 FINA World Championships
198726 February–1 MarchBeatty Park Aquatic CentrePerthThe selection trials for the 1987 Pan Pacs were conducted in Brisbane from 22 to 25 July.
198825–28 FebruarySydneyThe selection trials for the 1988 Olympic Games were conducted in Sydney from 11 to 14 May.
198923-26 FebruaryState Swimming CentreMelbourneThe selection trials for the 1989 Pan Pacs were conducted in Perth in August.. The selection trials for the 1990 Commonwealth Games were held in Adelaide in December.
199010–14 OctoberBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane1991 FINA World Championships
199125–29 AprilState Swimming CentreMelbourne1991 Pan Pacs
19921–5 AprilAustralian Institute of SportCanberra1992 Olympic Games
199324–28 MarchClaremont SuperdromePerth1993 Pan Pacs
199415–20 MarchBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane1994 Commonwealth Games. 1994 FINA World Championships
199530 March –2 AprilClaremont SuperdromePerth1995 Pan Pacs
199621–27 AprilSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney1996 Olympic Games
19975–11 OctoberBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane1998 FINA World Championships. The selection trials for the 1997 Pan Pacs were held in Adelaide in March.
199827 April–2 MayMelbourne Sports and Aquatic CentreMelbourne1998 Commonwealth Games
199920–27 MarchBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane1999 Pan Pacs
200013–20 MaySydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2000 Olympic Games
200124–31 MarchHobart Aquatic CentreHobart2001 FINA World Championships
200218–23 MarchBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane2002 Commonwealth Games, 2002 Pan Pacs
200322–29 MarchSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2003 FINA World Championships
200427 March – 3 AprilSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2004 Olympic Games
200512–19 MarchSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2005 FINA World Championships
200630 January–4 FebruaryMelbourne Sports and Aquatic CentreMelbourne2006 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Pan Pacs
20073–10 December 2006Brisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane2007 FINA World Championships
200822–29 MarchSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2008 Olympics Games
200917–22 MarchSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2009 FINA World Championships
201016–21 MarchSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2010 Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacs 2010
20111–8 AprilSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2011 FINA World Championships
201215–22 MarchSouth Australia Aquatic and Leisure CentreAdelaide2012 Olympic Games
201326 April–3 MaySouth Australia Aquatic and Leisure CentreAdelaide2013 FINA World Championships
20141–6 AprilBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane2014 Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacs 2014
20153–10 AprilSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney2015 FINA World Championships
20167–14 AprilSouth Australia Aquatic and Leisure CentreAdelaide2016 Olympic Games
20179–13 AprilBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane2017 FINA World Championships
201828 February–3 MarchGold Coast Aquatic CentreGold Coast2018 Commonwealth Games. The selection trials for Pan Pacs 2018 were held in Adelaide in June-July.
20197–12 AprilSouth Australia Aquatic and Leisure CentreAdelaideThe selection trials for the 2019 FINA World Championships were held in Brisbane in June.
202014–19 JuneSouth Australia Aquatic and Leisure CentreAdelaide2020 Olympic Games

Short course

YearDatesPoolCityStateSelection for
198424-26 AugustState Swimming CentreMelbourneVictoria
198530 August - 1 SeptemberWarringah Aquatic CentreSydneyNew South Wales
19865–7 SeptemberMowbray PoolLaunceston
198725–27 SeptemberMelbourne-
1988
1989
199025–27 SeptemberAdelaide Aquatic CentreAdelaide
199127–29 SeptemberAdelaide Aquatic CentreAdelaide
199225–27 SeptemberCasuarina PoolDarwin
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001 Challenge StadiumPerth
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
200729 August – 2 SeptemberMelbourne Sports and Aquatic CentreMelbourne
200820-24 SeptemberMelbourne Sports and Aquatic CentreMelbourne-
20098-12 AugustHobart Aquatic CentreHobart
201014–18 JulyBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbaneSC Worlds 2010
20111–3 JulySA Aquatic & Leisure CentreAdelaide
2012 Challenge StadiumPerth SC Worlds 2012
201322–31 AugustSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney
20145–9 NovemberSA Aquatic & Leisure CentreAdelaide 2014 SC Worlds
201526–28 NovemberSydney International Aquatic CentreSydney
20161–5 NovemberBrisbane Aquatic Centre, ChandlerBrisbane SC Worlds 2016
201726–28 OctoberSA Aquatic & Leisure CentreAdelaide
2018Melbourne Sports and Aquatic CentreMelbourne
2019
2020-

Championships records

See List of Australian Championships records in swimming