THE INALA SKATE RINK HISTORY
The Inala Skate Rink is one of the few skating rinks left standing today, but it won’t be for long.
In 1959, built by the Boss Brothers, the Inala Sports centre was opened, and consisted of a pool, roller rink and various Gymnasiums. At the opening in 1959 Jack Boss, one of the developers, “suggested the cutting edge facility was something of a thank you and investment in the local community”. During this time skating was a massive hit, and over 20 skating rinks opened in South-East Queensland throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s. And was a special place in the memories of the generations that swam, skated or hung out there. But sadly by 2007 the family tradition had come to an end and the Inala skating rink was left vacant, until in 2015 it was struck by a fire that almost completely destroyed the back end of the building. From that day of the fire it has become a hit for vandalism, making the skating rink one giant canvas for those willing to go inside.
An insight into my exploration of the Inala Skate Rink and sports facility.
It took me about a week to try and pinpoint the location of the rink, but after surfing google maps I managed to find a building that reassembled the Inala Skate Rink and decided to give it a shot and drive over to it. Sure enough it was the skating rink, but now comes the hard part. Trying to get in. You can walk right up to the front of the skate rink but there is no access to the inside as all the windows and doors a boarded up, although out the back of the rink the doors have been ripped off and you could literally walk straight in, but you have to scale the fence first.
You could get into the building if you were on the other side of the fence, and I don’t mean a temporary fence, this was a permanent fence with barbed wire across the top. After walking around the perimeter we found a small hole in the fence along Clifton crescent and decided to make a run for it as the rink borders a neighbourhood, and they don’t like people trying to enter the building.
Once we made it through the fence we may have stayed out in the open for a little too long as we were starting to get strange looks from passers-by, but all we were doing was taking photos so I don’t think they were too annoyed. There is two entrances to the building, one gets you to the main rink and the other takes you through the back rooms where you can really start to see the damages the fire caused. As soon as you enter the building you are met with amazing graffiti that covers the walls from floor to ceiling.
GETTING AROUND
The main rink was about two story’s high with strangely shaped windows from about halfway up. The floor of the rink was mostly stable although in some places there was large holes burnt into the floor that went about 2m down, and some of the floor boards had buckled. Directly across from the entrance you came in is a set of stairs that take you up to the second level that wraps around the edges of the rink, however the second level was very unstable and not recommended to walk on as if you fall you would most likely die. Apart from the vibrant graffiti and expansive rink there was no other buildings you can access from that room (except for the toilet block). So to explore further you would have to go out of the building the same way you came and walk to the other end where there is a small set of stairs leading in to a building with multiple smaller rooms.
On the left of the hall there is a building that was completely destroyed by the fire in 2015, but thankfully that was the only room we saw that was majorly damaged. Over the other side there is 4 separate rooms, and at the end of the hall was a staircase that leads up towards the 2nd level, although I did not manage to access the second level as the stairs are not stable.
This truly amazing place will definitely be remembered even though construction to demolish the building has started. I recommend you try and find a way to see this building, although the state it is in is unknown.
INALA SKATE RINK
For more, please take the time to check out the photos I have taken here. And see the video on my IGTV channel at Sensephotograph.com.au on Instagram.
DISCLAIMER
Normally I would not share the location or how to get into a abandoned place, although in this case I am as the Inala Skate Rink is currently being redeveloped and the hole in the fence is fixed.
Entering a abandoned building is dangerous and illegal in most cases. Therefore I do not encourage the entering of these places.
WHATS YOUR OPINION?
Was this historical sites memories worth the 2.25 million it was bought for? Comment your perspective down below.
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