Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Brisbane indoor pool

The Sleeman Centre (also known as Sleeman Sports Complex) is a sporting and entertainment facility located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Construction of the centre was completed in 1982. Located on

Old Cleveland Road Old Cleveland Road is a major road in Brisbane, Queensland. It runs from Stones Corner to Capalaba in Brisbane, with most of the route signed as State Route 22. Sections of the road are also part of State Routes 30, 54, and 55. The road is t ...

in the suburb of

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

, the centre is east of Brisbane's CBD and is home to an aquatic centre, velodrome, sports arena, gymnastics training hall, gymnasium, and auditorium. The centre currently offers a range of services to the public, including indoor and outdoor community activities such as swimming, diving, health and fitness classes, a gymnasium, childcare facilities, and a children's pool and water slide.

History

The Sleeman Sports Centre, named after Brisbane Lord Mayor Frank Sleeman, was purpose-built for the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

. Since then, the centre has been host to a number of other sporting events including the 1994 World Masters Games and the 2001

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

swimming, diving, and cycling events. The facilities were to host six sporting events as part of the failed 1992 Olympic bid. During the

2013 Queensland floods Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013 was a tropical cyclone that passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia over a number of days, causing widespread impact including severe storms, flooding, and water spouts. Coastal regions o ...

, the site was set up as an evacuation facility.

Facilities

Aquatic Centre

The Brisbane Aquatic Centre (located at Chandler) consists of four main swimming pools, a 50-metre indoor Olympic pool (2m depth), a 50-metre outdoor Olympic pool (4m to 2m in depth) a 25-metre diving pool (5m depth), and a 25-metre lap pool (1m depth). The aquatic centre has a seating capacity of 4,300 and has diving facilities, and a moveable bulkhead on the Olympic pool for short course events and a water fun park. The aquatic centre also contains a children's facility which encompasses the 25-metre lap pool, a large enclosed water slide and a children's pool. All facilities are open to the public, while the main aquatic centre is the venue for many sporting events and may be hired by schools and other organisations. Following is a summary of the Aquatic Centre's notable features

Anna Meares Velodrome

The Anna Meares Velodrome is a indoor velodrome, named in honour of

Anna Meares Anna Maree Devenish Meares (born 21 September 1983) is an Australian retired track cyclist. She currently resides in Adelaide in South Australia where the Australian Institute of Sport's Track Cycling program has its headquarters at the Adelaid ...

, that was completed in 2016. The velodrome hosted the track cycling events at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

, and will host the

2032 Summer Olympics The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, will be an international multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featu ...

. An older facility, called the Chandler Velodrome, still stands, and was an outdoor configuration, having a

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

seating capacity of 3,000. The venue was suitable for cycling events, rock concerts, rallies, motocross and speedway championships. Apart from an Olympic standard cycling track, the venue also had a private lounge and function area, omega timing equipment and scoreboard, catering facilities, and lighting for night functions and events. The Norm Gailey Grandstand on the western side also contained offices of

AusCycling AusCycling, the trading name of the AusCycling Limited, is the national governing body for cycling in Australia, and represents the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and its individual members. AusCycling covers the disciplines of road, tra ...

Queensland, the peak body for cycling in Queensland.

Chandler Theatre

The Chandler Theatre is one of the largest in South East Queensland, with a 200 square metre stage, and a seating capacity of 1,500. Each seat has an unobstructed stage view due to the tiered floor plan. Other facilities include large back-stage areas, computerised stage lighting, meeting rooms, state-of-the-art sound system, box office, refreshment bar and a corporate viewing area and boardroom. The venue is used for such events as graduations, conventions, awards ceremonies, product launches, seminars and concerts.

State weightlifting centre

All venues are within walking distance of the car parks which contain a total 2,020 parking spaces (2,000 regular and 20 disabled). The car-parks also contain lighting for night time use.

Brisbane BMX Supercross Track

Sleeman Sports Complex is home to Australia's only Olympic Standard BMX Supercross Track.

Water Ramp

In 2020, a water ramp facility for freestyle ski-jumping was completed. It provides a year-long training facility for Australia's elite aerial skiers. The project was a joint initiative of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, state and federal governments and the Australian Olympic Committee.

Services

* Accommodation (seven 3-star, 4-bedroom units available) * Poolside Café * Catering (located onsite for in-house events and functions) * Retail (Chandler swim shop) * Childcare (Puddle Ducks Adjunct Child Care) * Sports Medicine (physiotherapy, radiology, massage, rehabilitation exercise programs) * Chandler Markets (every Sunday, 7am-1pm. Over 300 stalls, live jazz bands,

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

) * Public Transport Park'n'Ride Facility (to be connected to the proposed Eastern Busway)

Tenants and clubs

Aquatic

Other Sport

References

External links

Venue website
{{2018 Commonwealth Games venues Sports venues in Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games venues 2018 Commonwealth Games venues Velodromes in Australia Boxing venues in Australia Volleyball venues in Australia Sports venues completed in 1982 1982 establishments in Australia Commonwealth Games swimming venues Venues of the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics Track cycling at the 2018 Commonwealth Games