‘Zero appeal’: Tourism boss, developer’s give ultimate smackdown to QSAC

It sits amid a mix of retail factory outlets, car yards, tyre and fast food joints and is just a javelin throw away from the Mount Gravatt Cemetery, QSAC is a far cry from the Stade de France.

• Your preferred Olympics stadium

The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, the State government’s contentious pick as the main stadium for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, sits amid a mix of retail factory outlets, car yards, tyre and fast food joints and is just a javelin throw away from the Mount Gravatt Cemetery and Crematorium.

Beyond the nearby grounds of Griffith University’s Nathan Campus and the Toohey Forest Park – whose koala population is set for a rude shock when bulldozers roll in - lie a handful of modest hotels, motels and eateries unlikely to fill the needs of the tens of thousands of spectators set to pour into the precinct for the Olympics.

It’s a far cry from the Stade de France, France’s largest stadium, which can fit more than 77,000 spectators, and is set to be transformed for this year’s Paris Olympics.

Aerial views of the Stade de France stadium in Saint Denis, near Paris. Picture: Robert Grahn

The stadium which is a 20 minute drive from the Eiffel Tower and 15 minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, is just a five minute train ride from the major Gare du Nord train station, or 25 minutes via the underground from the popular Montparnasse, known for its historic bistros.

The stadium has an in-house food provider that offers “French-style gastronomy” but spectators are just a bus, train or Parisian-style bike ride away from some of the word’s top restaurants, including the two Michelin starred Le Clarence in Paris’s famous ‘Golden Triangle’.

Businesses along Kessels Road, Nathan where the centrepiece of the Olympics is set for 2032. Picture: David Clark

And you’re spoiled for choice in regards to accommodation, with big hotel chains, including the Novotel and Ibis, within walking distance.

Three-time Olympic swimming medallist Mark Stockwell, now a renowned property developer who also served as the initial chairman on the Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games organising committee, said there was “nil” appeal for developers to rush into Mount Gravatt and Nathan on the back of the stadium announcement.

“It’s a productive area already with Garden City and QSAC, but it has a lot of limitations, including transport and connectivity,” he said.

“There are much better options, such as the Victoria Park proposal.

“We need world-class stadiums moving forward.

“Right now we don’t even have a pool that can host a GPS swimming carnival without restricting numbers and we will struggle to host a Rugby World Cup semi-final (in 2027) because we don’t have a big enough stadium.”

Tourism boss Brett Fraser said the clock was ticking until the Games and action had to happen now: Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Queensland Tourism Industry Council CEO Brett Fraser said with less than nine years to go until the Games, “action on infrastructure development needs to be happening now”.

“Irrespective of where venues are located, what’s critical is that we begin development,” he said.

“The tourism industry and operators depend on certainty and a clear action plan forward.

“Critically, we need to ensure that guests can easily get to and from venues and that we maximise the areas around these sites so that we can provide the best possible visitor experience.

“We need to ensure that we capitalise on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Meanwhile, local businesses are celebrating the QSAC news, with the Quality Hotel Robertson Gardens already booked out for the duration of the Games.

Some of the businesses at Nathan near to the QSAC. Picture David Clark

General manager Joyce Wilson said having a major component of the Games on the 138-room hotel’s doorstep would be great for business.

“It will be huge,” she said.

“Not just during the Games, but in the construction period the work crews will need places to stay and eat so it will be great for the area.”

She said the hotel was booked out this weekend as well due to a Little Athletics competition at QSAC.

“We sponsor Little Athletics and there are a lot of sporting groups who come through here because of the facilities,” she said.

While excited at the likely arrival of the five ring circus, she conceded it might not have the same vibe as the Paris Olympics later this year.

Businesses along Old Logan Road opposite Westfield at Nathan. Picture: David Clark

“We don’t have anything like the Eiffel Tower,” she said.

“But maybe we can build one.”

With dining, bars and accommodation, the Salisbury Hotel is also set to be a major beneficiary and Stuart Hofmann, area manager of the Queensland Venues Company, which runs the property, said it would be a boom for the area.

“There is already an established world-class athletics facility there, it’s close to the M1 for people heading north or south, there’s bus stations nearby, it’s got a lot going for it,” he said.

As a uni student, Mr Hofmann worked the bars at Broncos games in the days when the venue regularly attracted 40-50,000 spectators and he said he was confident the area could handle the traffic volume likely to be generated by the Olympic Games