Centenary Pool

In 1959, for the centenary of the formation of Queensland, the Brisbane City Council constructed the Centenary Pool complex designed by Council architect James Birrell, which includes a wading pool, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and separate diving pool. At that time, the whole of Australia was in an Olympic haze, basking in the afterglow of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games in which Australia had performed extremely well, especially in swimming. The photograph below was taken in 1960, shortly after the pool opened.

(Photo: D Finlay, State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #lbp00211)

The Centenary Pool was the only diving pool in Brisbane, and the Olympic standard pool immediately became the pre-eminent aquatic facility in the city, and remained so until the Sleeman Complex was completed at Chandler in 1980. The Centenary Pool still operates near Victoria Park on Gregory Terrace, and here is a more recent picture of it.
(Photo: © 2009 the foto fanatic)

Originally there was a restaurant here, but now there is a fitness centre and some medical suites. The wading pool makes it popular still with families that contain young children. It is also still sought after as a training venue, as evidenced on my recent visit.
(Photo: © 2009 the foto fanatic)

The complex also was a recent co-star along with famous current Aussie swimmer Stephanie Rice in a television advertisement for SunRice.

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