The projects set to transform Brisbane by 2025
They’re the futuristic city-shaping projects that will put Brisbane on the map and there are a surprising amount of them. See the multibillion-dollar projects slated to take the river city to the next level by 2025. SEE THE LIST
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Within the next decade, Brisbane will be unrecognisable.
Once patronisingly called the ‘Big Country Town,’ billions of dollars are being invested into building city-shaping projects that will put the River City on the map.
From towering Singapore-style resorts over the CBD skyline to underground rapid rail flanked by bustling entertainment and sporting precincts, Brisbane will be a very different place in just the next few years.
READ BELOW TO SEE THE LIST OF GAME-CHANGING DEVELOPMENTS.
$92 million East Brisbane project Sinclair accelerated, creating 2,000 jobs
Albert Street transformed as part of Cross River Rail
SOUTH CITY SQUARE
A major multistage development south of Brisbane’s CBD, South City Square will be a major new precinct in the same mould as Newstead.
Located down Logan Road from the future Woolloongabba station and Gabba Stadium, South City Square will eventually include a 170-room Hyatt hotel.
A park and supermarket will be included in the development, which already features residential towers and some retailers.
Reading Cinemas and Woolworths have already been confirmed as tenants in the development.
VALLEY METRO
Frequent travellers through Fortitude Valley will already have noticed a big difference – gone are the KFC and Foodworks of the old rundown food court.
Now commuters are being herded through narrow passageways as construction commences on a major redevelopment of the Valley Metro precinct above Fortitude Valley station.
A cinema, full-line Woolworths and dozens of retailers and eateries will be included in the development.
There are also plans for a new office tower and the rejuvenation of an existing tower.
“Aesthetically, it will be a complete overhaul,” Colliers International national director Bo Veivers said recently.
“There will be a lot more options for customers travelling through.”
ALBION EXCHANGE
The $750 million project to redevelop the run down Albion Station has already been approved by Brisbane City Council.
Albion Exchange will include retail space and multiple apartment towers above and beside the busy transport hub on Brisbane’s northside, contributing to the area’s rejuvenation.
It comes as the inner north suburb is anticipated to be home to another 4,000 residents by 2036.
Being constructed by Geon Property, Albion Exchange is anticipated to have over 2,000 sqm of retail space to serve locals.
BRISBANE METRO
Two high-frequency lines will service stations along the existing busways between Eight Mile Plains, the University of Queensland, Roma Street and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
The service, being built by Brisbane City Council, will see new high-capacity electric buses run up to every three minutes in peak times and will operate overnight on weekends.
It will also integrate with the expanding rail network, providing a much-needed boost to inner Brisbane’s public transport network.
BRISBANE LIVE
A new venue to replace the ageing Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Live will be situated above Roma Street Station.
That will put it within easy reach of virtually any corner of Greater Brisbane, making trips to and from gigs a breeze.
While a completion date is still not yet locked in, Brisbane Live is expected to be delivered once construction of the nearby Cross River Rail is done.
NEW QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
The new $150 million extension to QPAC will be complete by 2022.
A much needed expansion to Brisbane’s thriving cultural heart, the new QPAC theatre will be able to seat 1,500 people and features a stunning glass facade.
When unveiling the project last year, the State Government said it would accommodate an extra 260 performances and 300,000 more visitors a year.
“Once this new theatre it built, QPAC will become largest performing arts centre in Australia,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at the time.
QUEEN’S WHARF
A major transformation to a once unloved corner of Brisbane’s CBD, Queen’s Wharf is on track to open by 2022.
Among its big draw cards are thousands of new hotel rooms, apartments that have already been snapped up, a new Skydeck and 50 new bars, restaurants and cafes.
There will be a new pedestrian bridge linking the precinct with South Bank will start construction in coming months, while new award-winning green spaces under the Riverside Expressway have already opened to the public.
The neighbouring Treasury Casino will be converted into retail as gaming will move to the so-called ‘integrated resort.’
“Queen’s Wharf will transform Brisbane’s CBD and create a tourism, entertainment and retail hub unlike anything seen in Queensland before,” Destination Brisbane Consortium project director Simon Crooks said.
“QWB will be at the centre of a rejuvenated Brisbane with connects to South Bank via the Neville Bonner Bridge and easy walking distance to the new Albert Street Cross River Rail station and proposed Brisbane Live venue at Roma Street,” Mr Crooks said.
“It’s a game-changer that will bring a new and exciting flavour to an exciting period of evolution for Brisbane.”
CROSS RIVER RAIL
The mother of all transport projects, the $5.4b project will see two rail tunnels dug from Dutton Park to Spring Hill.
It is expected to be the most expensive infrastructure project ever built in Queensland’s history, and will involve 10.2km of new track, mostly underground.
There will be new stations at Woolloongabba and Albert Street, new platforms at Boggo Road and Roma Street, and a complete rebuild of the currently-under-utilised Exhibition Station.
Six stations on Brisbane’s southside will be completely renovated, while three new stops will be built on the Gold Coast.
While the project is being dug in Brisbane’s inner city, the State Government has been quick to point out that the biggest benefactors of the project will be commuters on the city’s outskirts.
Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast commuters will see faster and more direct journeys into the CBD, while there is also the promise of a new rail line between Salisbury and the growing commuter city of Flagstone.
Originally published as The projects set to transform Brisbane by 2025