The Oasis
Brisbane's Water Playground
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600003378Keywords:
The Oasis, shared memory, place and identity, social fabric of Brisbane, tropical gardensAbstract
My interest in The Oasis developed from research I have been pursuing into cultural icons in Brisbane: how they are defined and how they develop. I would suggest the development of ‘iconic’ status for any site is a construction of shared memory and is very much tied to place and identity. Over the fifty years of its existence, The Oasis, in the suburb of Sunnybank, was intimately integrated into the social fabric of Brisbane. It held its place in the affections of Brisbanites and of the many southern visitors who came to enjoy our winter sun. In these terms The Oasis and its tropical gardens became one of Brisbane's icons and, within the terms of our conference theme, an exemplar of ‘Tropical pleasures’.
References
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A rival water centre, Acacia Gardens, was built the same year opposite The Oasis and was less rigid in its requirements. It was demolished in 1984 for a housing estate as well.
Interview with Dennis Hundscheidt, Sunnybank, 27 Mar. 2003.
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The Spring Hill Baths was established in the 1900s, the Valley Baths in the 1920s and the Centenary Pool in 1959. The Brisbane City Council now operates eighteen pools throughout Brisbane.
