Brisbane Open House: Centenary Pool

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Sat 13 Jul 2024 - Sun 14 Jul 2024

Brisbane opened its gates to one of its most originally and uniquely designed public swimming pools as part of the Brisbane Open House from 13 to 14 July 2024 for visitors to see inside this unique, public building.



Brisbane Open Houses Program is always an interesting opportunity to see behind the bricks, wood and staco of some of our oldest and most interesting spaces and discover the stories that led to the creation and history of some of the city's most intriguing buildings.

This year, the famous Centenary Pool was one of the chosen structures in Brisbane Open House and I went along to find out more about this one-of-a-kind pool. Entry to the Centenary Pool as a Brisbane Open House visitor was free. The pool was open on 13 and 14 July 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 pm as one of the selected buildings to discover the hidden wealth of architecture, engineering and history in buildings and places around Brisbane City.

The History of Centenary Pool
Centenary Pool was built in 1959 by the Brisbane City Council and designed by the city's architect, James Burrell, as part of its public pools program and to mark the Centenary of Local Governments in Brisbane. Hence the name.



Now known as the Centenary Aquatic Centre, Centenary Pool has a range of pool sizes and lengths to cater for the capability, skill level and needs of its visitors. The main pool had lane ropes and flags so encouraging the more serious lap swimmers.

The heritage-listed public swimming pool complex is fully functional and comprises 1 Olympic-sized 50-metre pool, 1 x circular children's wading and learn to swim pool. The diving tower with 3-metre springboards and 5 and 10-metre platforms is one of the more unusual features and not seen in most public pools apart from the Chandler Aquatic Centre. Providing the space for the acrobatic twists and turns of the divers, the extra deep pool allows for their safe landings into the water. Diving is just another water sport that Australia has succeeded in competitively and which has seen it as an official Olympic sport since 1904.



There complex also has an outdoor viewing stand where you can sit and watch the swimmers and divers or relax after a swim.

Hovering above the pool is the most curious feature - a circular structure, with full-length windows, which was originally a restaurant and which reminds me of a spaceship from Star Trek. The best view of the pool and the cityscape from this height. The outdoor space below the circular structure on the pool deck has an outdoor cafe where you can grab a coffee or sandwich from the kiosk, take a seat and watch the swimmers complete their laps. Be sure to look out for the apricot-coloured, mosaic tiles arranged in a diamond motif on the walls which give an art deco look to what has been described as a "sophisticated design.".



In a sun-filled State like Queensland, knowing how to swim is a must. But as well as being a life-enhancing skill it is also a healthy form of exercise for the body and the mind since it:

And if you're going to go swimming, why not take your dip in a heritage-listed pool with a touch more features than most?



Centenary Pool is located at 400 Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill, 3 kilometres from the Brisbane Central Business District. Under the Brisbane City Council cost-busting initiative, entry to all public pools is just $2.00. So even if you don't like swimming, it may be still worth a visit to see the pool and its surrounding structure for yourself. Free parking is available on-site.

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